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Speed Limit on Arroyo Seco Parkway Could Go Down to 45 MPH

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First, there's a bit of semantics you'll need to adapt to: There's an 8.3-mile section of the 110 (Pasadena) Freeway we can't call a "freeway" anymore. It's the Arroyo Seco Parkway once again, after Caltrans officially renamed the roadway, restoring its original moniker from its 1940 debut.

The Parkway, designed to be a pleasure drive for motorists traveling between Pasadena and downtown, was known for its scenery and landscaping, and drivers could enjoy a leisurely toot at modest speeds. Nowadays, of course, unless you're in bumper-to-bumper traffic on the 110 in that same area, you're probably zipping along at 55 miles per hour--the speed limit--or maybe even faster.

It's a dangerous stretch, but because it's a national historic landmark, "Caltrans cannot re-engineer the road to meet the same standards of more modern high-speed roadways," explains KTLA.

The solution? Stop calling it a freeway, and get the speed limit lowered to 45 miles per hour. That's exactly what Caltrans is working on. It may never be a total pleasure to drive along the Parkway formerly known as a freeway, but it could get a whole lot safer. (Err, that is, if people bother to keep to the posted speed limit.)

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Nostalgic for the highways and roads of L.A. past? Check our our set of vintage driving postcards: Wish You Were Here: Postcards From the Roads of L.A.'s Past

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