After the Ohio Turnpike speed limit rose to 70 mph last month, nearly one in five travelers took that as an invitation to drive at least 80, according to the State Highway Patrol.

A speed survey earlier this month showed a spike in traffic zoom-zoom-zooming at 80 mph or more, reports Capt. Chris Zurcher, commander of the patrol's turnpike operation. Troopers clocked 19 percent of cars going 80 or faster during the survey, the first one done since the toll road's legal speed increased from 65 to 70 mph on April 1.

The trend alarms Zurcher: "Eighty miles per hour is too fast, period," he said.

And fyi . . . Zurcher said troopers will write tickets for that speed.

Now a few other fast facts:

• Overall on the turnpike, the average speedometer reading for passenger cars ticked up to 76 mph with the higher limit, according to the recent survey. (Cars clocked in at 74 mph during a November survey before the speed limit change.) Commercial trucks on the toll road cruised at 68 mph compared to 64 mph in the fall.

• The extra dash of speed hasn't led to more crashes. In fact, numbers decreased slightly in April from the previous year. Troopers investigated 141 crashes compared to 145 in April 2010.

The turnpike has seen one fatal crash so far in 2011, equal to the number at the same point last year.

• Speed seems to work for business.

The number of trucks using the turnpike increased with the speed limit in April, rising slightly while total traffic decreased. (Officials attribute the overall drop to higher fuel prices.) The Turnpike Commission had hoped that the change to 70 mph would lure more trucks onto the toll road, pulling them off of smaller parallel routes.

• Know what else has gone up on the turnpike? The number of tickets issued.

Troopers penned nearly 3,600 citations in April, up 3 percent from the same month in 2010. They're keeping a close watch -- especially in construction zones -- given the extra zip shown by motorists. "People are driving 80 now and the weather has been terrible," Zurcher said. "What are we going to see when it's summer?"

Increased enforcement seems like a good guess.

Sharing information: Seven Hills set the pace for Chestnut Road drivers.

The city installed 25 mph markers where Chestnut branches off Broadview Road to provide travelers some needed guidance. Previously, eastbound Chestnut traffic saw no speed limit signs for more than a half mile -- a stretch that included 25 mph and 35 mph sections, at least according to notices facing westbound travelers.

Road Rant noted the missing signage in a recent column. Afterward, the city's service director reviewed the setup and opted to eliminate the brief 35 mph speed zone before installing new signs. The decision makes Chestnut 25 mph end-to-end from Broadview to Brecksville roads.

Triple coverage: South Euclid's mobile traffic camera is going to be more mobile.

Police intend to use the camera on three residential streets next week, relocating it every few days to maximize its benefits, Traffic Commissioner Bob Abele said. Previously, the photo enforcement lens remained parked on one street for a full week. Day-to-day ticket totals, however, showed that drivers quickly adjusted and slowed down.

That's what the city wanted. Now, it hopes to multiply that effect. The camera will start next week on Ardmore Road before moving to Liberty Road and then Princeton Boulevard. South Euclid has pledged to announce the targeted streets prior to making relocations.

The landing spots will be in Road Rant's Sunday column through the end of the month. After that, look for the info on Road Rant's Facebook page.