Slow down, Ohio
Regarding “Is driving slow in the left lane illegal in Ohio? Here’s what the law says” (July 9): The Dispatch’s article on driving in the left lane illustrates why we are confused about it.
Here’s a question: If all the cars in all the lanes on I-270 are moving at the speed limit, which is the passing lane?
Answer: None of them. Because everyone is already at the speed limit. Ohio law doesn’t allow speeding, even to pass.
A driver at the speed limit, in any lane, has no obligation to yield to a car that wants to speed. That car would be breaking the law; they don’t have right of way to do so.
Some states have laws that allow temporary speeding to pass. Ohio doesn’t.
The idea of a passing-only left lane comes from the early highway era, when planners had a romantic vision of low-traffic roads with an always-open left lane. That vision has no relationship to Ohio’s crowded roads and notoriously strict speed enforcement.
Ohioans’ practice of using the left lane as a regular driving lane, and having speeders pass where they can, is a rational adaptation to these circumstances.
I’d argue it’s best to give up on the idea of the passing-only left lane, as many Ohioans already have.
James Moyer, Cleveland
PJM makes best of bad deal
Re “PJM can’t hide its role in our soaring electricity bills. 5 facts it won’t admit” (July 9): Commentators are eager to put the blame for rising energy prices at the doorstep of the nonprofit electric grid operator PJM.
But, far from ignoring this issue, PJM has worked aggressively to remedy it with the tools it has. It has cleared more than 50,000 megawatts of electricity through its interconnection queue, but factors outside PJM’s control, including permitting delays, supply chain snags, financing and local opposition, have put grids at risk.
The surge of power demand from data centers and other sources is driving prices up, but this comes in the context of historically low prices and heavy-handed policies at the state and federal levels that have prematurely retired key sources of energy.
Fixing this requires states to work collaboratively to facilitate new generation, repeal policies that shutter plants without replacement, and allow markets to work without political interference.
Ohio’s own House Bill 15 was a bipartisan step in the right direction that will make building easier, repeal corrupt subsidies and greenlight new investments.
PJM is imperfect and reforms are overdue, but PJM and Ohio are on the right track.
Todd Snitchler, president and CEO of the Electric Power Supply Association
Chillicothe needs more than well wishes
The Dispatch’s recent reporting of the economic woes of Chillicothe seems to focus on hope and prayers. Better to look to politics.
After throwing hundreds of millions of dollars into an Intel electronics plant in New Albany that may never be built, the governor has let the Pixelle paper mill in Chillicothe die without any useful effort by the state. Chillicothe needs these jobs and has housing. New Albany doesn’t need the jobs, and the Columbus area is short on housing. Find a way to get the Pixelle mill up to modern and profitable operation.
The Italian company Sofidel built a new and apparently successful paper plant in Circleville just a few years ago. If nobody in the state government knows how, hire the engineers from Sofidel. Do something!
And Ross County votes solidly for the governor and Republican legislators year after year. Why?
David Pritchard, Columbus
(This story was updated to add a photo gallery.)
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Did we forget speeding is against the law? Left lane shouldn’t be passing lane | Letters
Reporting by Letters to the Editor / The Columbus Dispatch
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