According to a survey by NEWCARNET, 87 percent of British drivers want to see the demise of "sleeping policemen" (a.k.a. speed humps or speed bumps). Introduced in 1991, these "traffic calming" measures range in size from 75 to 100mm high (three to four inches for the metrically challenged). The survey claims sleeping policemen are responsible for damage to cars and buildings, increased road noise levels and injuries to drivers with bone conditions. Their detractors also consider them a dangerous distraction that slows emergency vehicles, and oft times diverts heavy traffic onto less suitable roads. The speed bumps' safety value is also a matter of debate. When Barnet City Council removed all of their sleeping policemen in 2005, accidents had dropped by 14.9 percent. Despite all this– and an anti-sleeping policeman petition that garnered 6,622 signatures– don't look for their extinction any time soon. The UK government has proven itself almost entirely unresponsive to public objections to road safety measures.
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In my neck of the woods traffic-calming is employed to reduce rat-running through residential neighbourhoods, and keep the traffic on the main arterials. It isn’t meant to be about safety.
If Barnet found a reduced accident rate after removing speed bumps, I would presume that the cause was a reduction in traffic volume along main thoroughfares as it spread out along more roads. So the accident rate may have dropped, but the people that live on these secondary and tertiary roads are probably dealing with a lot more traffic. I wonder if they’re happy?
As has been proven time and again, online surveys work…The numbers do not lie…87% of respondents were against these things.
Anyway, sarcasm aside, this is one type of device that I more or less agree with. For someone who is following the speed limit, these are no big deal. It’s the deadbeats who want to drive at 50 in a 30 that are pissed off about speed bumps. I live on a small neighborhood street that runs parallel to a main drag that is always backed up. It’s always noisy during rush hour and from the little putzes who race in the middle of the night. I think a speed bump would do well to slow people down and to get some of the people off of my street…but I have heard that research has shown an increase in noise because of braking, hitting the bump and accelerating.
What I really want is one of those speed activated bumps that was featured on TTAC or elsewhere 6 months ago…they pop up only if you are speeding…That’ll learn those bastards. And of course emergency vehicles could have a system to automatically shut off the system.
I honk at speed bumps.
You see, because most speed bumps are too rough even at the posted speed limit, my hand often slips and hits the horn on the wheel as I go over them.
Due to inadequate lighting and marking, this has a tendency to happen during deep sleep hours, 2-3 AM or thereabouts.
But I consider it an accidental service to the nearby residents: Even if their sleep is interrupted, at least they’re reminded of this road hazard in their vicinity.
Speed bumps here are usually placed on the service roads around apartment complexes. They hurt even when you stop and try to ease your tires over one at a time.
There is no way I would live anywhere that employed them.
who hits speed bumps at 30mph? 3-4″ is a mighty big pot hole that we’d all swerve or brake to avoid, these are just upside-down pot holes.
What’s funny is that in the apartment complexes around here, the people who drive huge SUVs drive over the speed bumps at about 0.049 MPH, while the guys that drive the “tuner” Accords and Cavaliers fly over them at 30+ MPH.
In high school, my friend drove an ’84 Blazer lifted 10″ on 44s with a modified 454ci big block. For fun, he would peel out over the speed bumps near the school. Not a smart idea, but hearing a tire like that peel out is an interesting sound.
FreeMan:
That’s because you can hit a sweet spot where the car is really light and just glides over the bump. I do it in rental cars all the time. I don’t recommend it in a Lamborghini, though, it’ll wreck your front lip.
Speed humps are going but new “chicanes” are everywhere now. More entertaining though as you play chicken with the poor driver coming the other way…
I like the whole honk for speed humps thing.
If they were really used for safety I would not care, but when they are incorrectly used to discourage road use I get p.o.’d.
Some rich farts near me, convinced the city to put the darn things all over their street. Problem is, the street has had traffic lights on both ends for over 40 years! It’s been a relatively busy street for all that time.
On a different note, they are now replacing the street and sewers underneath a couple blocks away where the cars and trucks coming off the speed bump caused a collapse after about 6 years. And yes, the parents who bought homes on this street which has had similar traffic patterns since the 70’s all want the humps back.
How about you keep your kids off the street? Is it really too much to ask? You moved onto a busy street you idiot!
The British speedbumps I’ve seen on TopGear are big wide lazy lumps rather than the little sharp bumps that I see at the local schools which are more like driving over a 4″x4″…
In our neighborhood there are people who – depsite the fact that the neighborhood kids ride their bikes, pitch the baseball or football back and forth in the street, etc – insist on rushing in and out of the neighborhood. The speed limit is 25 mph (a very reasonable speed I think) but these yahoos insist on roaring through the neighborhood at 40 mph.
I’d put up with the noise to put one of the British type speed bumps near my house to slow these people down a bit. We live in a neighborhood with an access road i.e. all the neighborhood streets go nowhere but loops and cul-de-sacs, a great neighborhood design.
I too find myself speeding on the access roads near our neighborhood so I try to keep my car in 4th gear and my speeds low. I’m sure those people along those roads would like us to slow down too.
Chris