Interesting article on speed bumps by Tom Uttley in today's Telegraph.(It appears that Barnet council are removing theirs) Do they really cost between £5,000 and £10,000 each to install?
P.
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PM - You night like to read the "bus lanes & humps for the chop ?" thread as it deals with this issue.
As regards the cost of humps IIRC when the local council last sprinkled a load of humps in this area the traditional sleeping policemen cost about £1200 each and the much larger speed tables cost anything from £5-15k a piece. Bear in mind the ones we have are made of red brick and look very pretty so I'd imagine the ordinary asphalt ones are a bit cheaper.
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I think that that speed bumps are a complete waste of money. The major cause of danger to school-bound shoolchildren is the parents themselves and their parking either side of the road. The children have to thread their way through these to cross the road. The traffic can't speed through because of the parking. A more elegant solution (though not necessarily the cheapest) would be panda crossings and ban the parking.
Chris Powell
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I've just discovered the weirdest stretch of road. Just West of Maidenhead, going North East is a nice fast fairly wide 2 lane road. Except there is a short stretch with some really posh houses either side. For 500m where the houses are it becomes a 20mph zone with the worst speed bumps I have ever encountered spaced 100m apart. I can't figure it out: the houses are well away from the road, have gigantic front gardens, and the road is fairly wide and straight with good visibility. I can only guess someone in the big houses is on the local council or is a police chief. God help us if this is the future.
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Leif - this has been happening round here for years. It's often more a means by which to divert traffic away from privileged areas than a genuine desire to slow speed at a blackspot. In this area we have a number of very posh private estates all of which employ road humps to add to their exclusivity. You can't help thinking that some people want to create their own 'estates' at public expense and of course if you have the ear of the right councillors this can be easily done. Some yeras ago it got so bad here that a group was formed to campaign against the use of road humps the use of which often appeared more to do with house prices than acident figures.
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Volvoman: today I mentioned this to a colleague who lives near the 20 mph zone which is in Burchett's Green. Turns out that some councillors live in the zone. When the zone was proposed the locals protested but to no effect. Nice to know these councillor's serve the community so well.
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Now where have I heard that before Leif ?
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If you are driving down a road with a 30mph limit, at 29mph, and you car is damaged by passing over a sleeping policeman, speed bump, speed cushion or whatever, wouldn't you have a case against the local authority? You should not have your car damaged by driving it down a road below the posted limit. You can sue for pothole damage so why not speed bump damage? Discuss or write short notes, as the exam season is upon us!
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You know, I was thinking something similar. Someone commented on another thread that the purpose of speed humps is to keep you at a constant 20 rather than slowing down for the hump and then back up to 30. However, if that's the case then why does the limit stay at 30? If they want you to go at 20, make the limit 20...
Of course, the problem is that some humps are worse than others. There are some you can take comfortably at 20 in any car, others you have to drop right down to walking pace and you still get a nasty jolt.
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The answer to this is the ludicrous and tortuous process involved in reducing speed limits. Much easier to install humps.
I'm also surprised at how much they cost. I know for a fact they don't cost that much to purchase - or install. There must be a fairly drawn out process of administration to get them approved for use. I wonder if this cost includes the cost of that process?
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AS: I have wondered the same myself. Some cannot be taken faster than 5 mph and even then they are uncomfortable.
A colleague suggested the correct way to take a speed hump is to drop to first gear making sure your engine is revving loudly while going across. I suggested that since speed humps are for safety, to protect pedestrians, it would be even safer to sound ones horn loudly when traversing a speed hump to alert pedestrians to your presence. In first gear of course. If we all did that routinely, then I think speed humps would go PDQ. (Actually I am not even convinced they work. The loonies either zoom across or sit on my tail kissing my exhaust while I crawl cross.)
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Oooooh Leif!!! Sound your horn whilst negotiating sped humps. I suggested this a few days ago. Trace the thread and see what others in the BR think of this idea!!!!
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