Speed Bumps

Padz_2

Why do speed bumps vary from slight ridges in the road to massive cliffs that jolt every bone in your body? Has anyone ever asked the Council or whoever to reduce the height of a bump? Some of the ones I have to go over on my way to work are awful. I'm sure they've got worse over the years. Hate to think of the damage they are doing to cars.

Crabman

There are guidelines from the Department for Transport as to the height, gradient, etc.

Some councils will accept the speed calming measures are not compliant with DfT guidelines and will have them reinstalled.

Others will behave entirely undemocratically and although accountable to local people, will simply tell you to go away or will moan that they "don't have any money" whilst paying six-figure salaries to the management.

minimad1970

There's some really awful ones near where I live. Our local hospital is near a pretty rough housing estate, so they've put them in to stop the boy racers. I had to take my son to the hospital with a broken collarbone and it was a nightmare no matter how slow I went he was in agony. I hope the ambulances have good suspension for the sake of the poor patients in them. I do understand why they have to be put down, it's just unfortunate where these are.

Apples2

minimad1970 wrote: »

I hope the ambulances have good suspension for the sake of the poor patients in them. I do understand why they have to be put down,

May as well take them straight to the Morgue then

Crabman

minimad1970 wrote: »

I hope the ambulances have good suspension for the sake of the poor patients in them. I do understand why they have to be put down, it's just unfortunate where these are.

“For every life saved through traffic calming, more are lost because of ambulance delays.” - Sigurd Reinton, Chairman of the London Ambulance Service (2003)

http://www.bromleytransport.org.uk/Ambulance_delays.htm

If someone has a heart attack and the ambulance's route to their location has speed bumps (i.e. most of London), they will most probably die.

Of course, this isn't recorded in statistics, because the official cause of death is a heart attack. Wouldn't want to offend the eco hippies or the "won't someone think of the children" brigade by exposing the deaths caused by speed bumps.

It would be nice if the government could give the matter some thought since they are apparently so much more competent than the previous government, but it appears that gay marriage is their top priority at the moment...

SailorSam

Padz wrote: »

Has anyone ever asked the Council or whoever to reduce the height of a bump?

We've asked the opposite. We haven't got any speed bumps but live on a nice straight road where people can put their foot down and fly and we'd like traffic calming. The Council have told us we need to wait until we have a few serious accidents.

Crabman

SailorSam wrote: »

We've asked the opposite. We haven't got any speed bumps but live on a nice straight road where people can put their foot down and fly and we'd like traffic calming. The Council have told us we need to wait until we have a few serious accidents.

Have you approached the safety camera people?

I know there are a couple of villages nearby where there was a speeding problem. After residents asked for action, the camera partnership did a survey of speeds on the affected road over a few months. They found there was a speeding problem and a camera van now pops up there from time to time. In my view, this is preferable because only those who choose to exceed the speed limit receive a fine.

Putting speed humps everywhere is not the answer. It may make residents feel safer but it's an illusion as lives will be lost elsewhere, whether it's cheap OEM suspension coils snapping on cars (causing possibly serious/fatal accidents) or an ambulance/fire engine being delayed. Common sense needs to be exercised.

SailorSam

Crabman we do have the cameras here now and again but think there's less chance now than we did have, We had a school at one end of the road and the local baths/sports centre at the other but they've both closed down now. So it seems other more important areas need the extra policing.

Cash-Strapped.T32

minimad1970 wrote: »

There's some really awful ones near where I live. Our local hospital is near a pretty rough housing estate, so they've put them in to stop the boy racers. I had to take my son to the hospital with a broken collarbone and it was a nightmare no matter how slow I went he was in agony. I hope the ambulances have good suspension for the sake of the poor patients in them. I do understand why they have to be put down, it's just unfortunate where these are.

Same here, except I was the son with a broken collarbone (rode my brother's mountain bike off the edge of a quarry like a genius), it was a good few years ago, late 90's so things weren't as maddening as they are now, but it'll be another good few years before I forget how much it hurt every time I had to go back & forth to the hospital over those things.

We had the same fun last year when I was taken out by a car off my bike on a roundabout & broke my heel bone, in which case I was trying to hold my swollen foot up above the rear seat's footwell & every time we went over one I involuntarily stamped on the floor with the broken heel - guess how much I appreciated that..

The absurdity seems to be that often times the faster you go over them the less you feel the bump unless it's those weird flat-top pyramid ones which seem to crush your head against the car ceiling no matter how slowly you go over them; In fact I'm surprised some "enterprising" person out hasn't put in a nonsense whiplash claim about them yet, seems you claim for everything else these days..

*EDIT*

Crabman wrote: »

Have you approached the safety camera people?

I know there are a couple of villages nearby where there was a speeding problem. After residents asked for action, the camera partnership did a survey of speeds on the affected road over a few months. They found there was a speeding problem and a camera van now pops up there from time to time. In my view, this is preferable because only those who choose to exceed the speed limit receive a fine.

It would be a massive coincidence I know, but is one of them Brinsley by any chance?
I ask because I saw the same thing last year on my work commute; For a month or two there was a thick black double-cable stretched across the road which looked like a speed trap but with no visible means to photograph people, when anyone asked I always said I assumed they were stats-gathering..
Fast forward a bit more & we now occasionally see a camera-van just around the corner, usually on sunny days although there's been no difference in the accident rate afaik (gone from zero to zero) as everyone round there is usually pretty good with the limit, better than other areas I'm familiar with.

jackieb

In our town they put in speed bumps in a street directly next to the fire station. The fire brigade objected saying it would affect the time it takes for them to reach their destination in an emergency (it's quite a long road). They were put in regardless.

I've twice had to have my suspension fixed since these speedbumps became more commonplace. last time was last month. In all my years of driving (over 20) this is the the only time i've ever had trouble with the suspension. I do think they cause a lot of problems with cars. At the hospital I have to go to regularly they have speedbumps in the grounds. Yes it doesn't matter how slowly or carefully I drive over this particular one, it scrapes the bottom of my car. I've driven my parents car over it and it's been okay so I know it's not the way i'm driving. My car is not modified or lowered in any way - it's a normal 4 door saloon.

There are enough potholes in the road, yet i've seen them put speedbumps in and still leave the potholes! It can be a bit of a nightmare sometimes, especially for someone who doesn't know the road.