I wonder if someone could help our Residents' Association...
Our development consists of 5 houses, at the end of a long gravel L-shaped private drive that is owned jointly by the residents. As 3 of the houses have resident young children and the other two houses have regular visits from grandchildren, the children enjoy playing together at the front of the houses. Unfortunately, visitors and delivery vehicles tend to be drive much too quickly for the conditions and we are concerned for the children's safety. We have installed a 'SLOW, Children' sign, but this does not seems to have had the desired effect, neither does a bright yellow mobile warning sign.
Now we would like to install two speed bumps at strategic points in the drive. We have brochures of the heavy duty rubber speed bumps seen on the roads, but these are expensive and don't look very nice. The drive in effect cuts across our front gardens, so while safety is paramount, it would be good to have something reasonably attractive. Can anyone recommend any alternatives? One suggestion is the use of logs set into the ground, which would certainly look much nicer. Does anyone know of anywhere that has these and who we might contact about having them installed? What about you country types?
Thanks very much!
Rebecca
(Mods, please move this to 'I have a question' if you prefer)
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Appreciate your problem but everyone I know who lives anywhere near humps complains about the noise (vans, milks floats etc.) generated from vehicles either passing over them. or engine revving as vehicles slow down to approach them and speed up again to the next one. Of course if it's a private road it's entirely up to you I'd have thought.
Of course if all the drivers who speed in such stupid places were to apply to themselves the standards they expect from others we wouldn't need road humps and we'd all be a lot happier and safer too.
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Thanks for replies so far.
I don't think noise will be too much of an issue as the gravel is quite noisy anyway, but we don't mind because we think it is good for security. Unfortunately the children don't always equate the gravel noise with the need to move aside, so when a car turns the 'L' corner and they see it, if the car is going too fast it could be too late. I don't think the area in front of the houses where we would put the bumps is long enough for much revving of engines.
The Dutch thing is interesting. We hadn't considered carefully placed planters etc that would need navigating round. I'm not sure what the others will think of that idea. There's no pavement so pedestrians are either on the gravel or on the grass/flowerbed verges.
The consensus was that raised cobbles don't really slow anyone down. We've got some at the very entrance of the drive where there is some block paving, and they don't do much.
We're in Hampshire, but my husband occasionally works around St George's Hill - I will remind him to keep an eye out for good schemes!
Any more suggestions out there?
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Rebecca:
I am not familiar with the inset logs, but I have seen rows of slightly raised cobbles set into gravel driveways and they look quite attractive in the right situation.
Good luck with reaching a satisfactory solution.
Andy
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For a more imaginative solution to the problem of mixing cars and pedestrians and others, look up 'Woonerf ' on the web. It is a Dutch-pioneered idea which slows traffic by deliberately mixing it, instead of the traditional segregation method which simply encourages speeding.
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Most private roads in my neck of the woods have gates at the entrance, with one half open, and humps at every 100 metres or so. If you are not too far away, check them out (Ashley Park/Burwood-park/St.GeorgesHill surrounds, Walton on Thames ). Some of the humps are well designed, some bottom your car. The residents of each road will be happy to discuss with you the costs, benefits, effectiveness, problems, etc. On our street, we have the same situation as you, and have speed bumps, but the problem persists and one of the offending speeding driver is one of the mothers! Our L-shape cul-de-sac has 30 houses though, and so is long enough for the speed-up/slow-down brigade to continue as before the speed bumps went in.
# eM.Be. {P}
- the {P} after my username indicates you can view my profile.
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I live on a private lane which was potholed and of a very rough surface. One of the residents approached us all and we clubbed together to have the lane tarmac'd. Using tarmacadam
two speed humps were placed across the lane to slow traffic down, which it does. Been in place a number of years now and still standing use on the lane which has increased because of the better surface.
Cheap solution.
DVD
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Width restriction (or the illusion of such) You can install width restrictors that can be removed when required. Usually poles or posts fitted into sockets in road. To make them look smaller than they are, you errect white fencing either side of the restriction graduating down in height to the restriction pole. The makes it look narrower than it is (for an example look at the entrance to village 30mph entrances - they use the same effect there) You can also chicane or offset them.
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They make damn good goalposts as well. (Joke)
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They make damn good goalposts as well. (Joke)
Nah thats far too wide, you could drive a bus thro a restriction that big
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We have a close with seven houses and had a similar problem. I made my own sign which was put up at the entrance - it is simply printed on A4 and says "please drive slowly children playing thank you". mostly this has had the desired effect.
Non residents who've ignored the request have had a few choice words uttered in their shell-like and delivery drivers have had a written complaint made to their company.
Kids bikes and toys scattered on the road are also effective.
All has been pretty much sweetness-and-light for about the last two years. It's hard work getting the message across, but it's worth the persiverence.
If you can afford it, and the road is truly private why not see if you could put up a remote control electric gate?
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Rebecca
2 cheap solutions
1 - Use tarmac ramped over to give raised height of approx 75mm. Any less will not be very effective more will be a nuisance. Cut tarmac into road use 6mm aggregate tarmac.
2- Use small cobbles to ramp over as above - form a 150mm concrete bed and firmly tap in cobbles - do not use for a couple of days (construct in 2 halves for access!)
Neither is too taxing for a competent DIYer or too expensive for a builder. Note that on adopted highway a traffic regulation order is required to install bumps.
Neil
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Would something like a simple 5 bar wooden gate or metal security barrier be of any use? A driver would have to stop and get out of the vehicle to open (and close) it. It might also allow him/her time to 'tune' into the immediate environment i.e. register the fact children are playing etc.
Ignoring any planning implications, this might quite a cheap solution.
Good luck
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Build a see-saw in the road... Lol.
Kids will love it to walk/ride over, etc, and impossible to speed over [even more fun for kids to watch...].
Oh well, worth a thought, I'll go back to sensible posting in a bit.
Kev
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I doubt that installing a speed bump will do much to deter speeders that are causing you concern, if it a transit or similar then it wont be owned by the person driving it so they wont give a fig about driving over a speed a bump at speed (and transits are generally built to take this sort of abuse anyway).
You would be better off complaining to the company delivering the goods or alternativly if they continue to abuse the road then agree with your neighbours to boycott the company.
In my personal experience speed bumps just make people accelerate and brake harder when the come away and approach them and with a transit or lorry they just make the cargo bounce around (more noise), whereas with width restrictions or offset width restrictions you have to slow down as there is a very good chance that you will hit a post (the chicane type width restricters would work best).
If you want to be particulary cruel you could always hide behind a bush and push a pram (with a doll) into the path of the oncoming vehicle just to see if they break in time. Should they hit the pram you can run out screaming ;-)
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Do you live somewhere rural if so, you can get "above ground" cattle grids. Imagine two cattle grids set in a frame butting up to each other, but each is raised in the middle along the long edge where they meet on very strong springs to a height of about 30cm. When a vehicle goes over it flattens. Could be handy for stopping kids going off their bikes onto the main road too.
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Rebecca, if you live in a small close presumably most of the 'visitors' are either the friends of residents or the residents themselves. Why not just have a word in everyone's ear and get them to pass the message on. So far as 'white van man' is concerned, whatever you do be prepared for lots of noise especuially in summer when you want the windows open - I wouldn't be wanting the 'humps' outside my house !
It's funny but I've noticed that quite a few people who complain about speeding around here are themselves serial speeders and don't think twice about speeding down other residential rat runs. It's as if they don't realise they're doing it - it's always someone else who's to blame ! It's rather like all those hypocritical parents who go on an on about all the cars and pollution affecting the kids but at the same time think nothing of driving their precious offspring to/from the local school, parking on the zig zags, blocing drives/access/bus stops etc. etc., leaving their engines running while they wait at the end of the school day and then proceed to do 'u' turns and all sorts of dangerous variants right outside the school gates because they simple can't be bothered to drive another few yards and turn round safely ! What they either can't or don't want to see is that they and people like them are the cause of most of the problems they
complain about !
BTW - I don't know if any of the residents where you live fit into this category but I bet a few do so don't expect them to want to slow down to go over your humps.
Sorry - rant over.
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Rebecca
Some councils run an initiative called \'Home Zones\'. I am not sure how you go about applying for one but the basic idea is you come up with a design and if they feel it is worth following up they send out a road engineer who then advises you on how best to improve / alter your design for the desired effect.
This doesn\'t involve any money and can result in an asthetically pleasing traffic calming solution. I know they do it in York so it might be worth checking out their website. I think it is www.york.gov.uk
Good luck.
Hurman
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Be aware that if you install any type of hump or resticting obstruction you will more than likely be liable if it causes damage to a vehicle or injures a person going over or round it. Make sure you have plenty of liability insurance as it is a sad fact in todays compensation culture invoiroment someone will have a try saying they broke their suspention or jarred their back looking for easy money, and with all the no-win no-fee deals they can't really lose, but you can, BIG-TIME if your not covered. It may cost a lot of money for the premium but could cost you even more if you don't.
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Thanks again for all the responses.
Unfortunately appealing to drivers' better nature, and confronting others hasn't worked. And yes there is one resident Grandfather who is a regular culprit. A quiet word on a couple of occasions hasn't had much effect. The sign hasn't helped. Resurfacing the drive and putting in Tarmac bumps is prohibitively expensive at £5,000-ish. Cost is a major factor to be considered. My Husband is the only resident who really wants a gate...but there's too much room after where the gate would go for drivers to speed up again, so there doesn't seem to be much point!
I will go back to the others with the Dutch inspired idea of using planters etc to make a chicane effect, but the log idea is still a firm favourite I'm sure...
Luckily we already have liability insurance, but we will need to find out what we might need in terms of warning signs etc.
Keep your eyes open for log speed bumps and please report back any comments! Thanks again.
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