A treatise on speed humps

[hbelkins]

http://www.kentucky.com/2013/10/01/2853769/lexingtons-speed-humps-are-controversial.html

If they are only four inches tall, wonder why school buses won't use streets that they're located on?

[hotdogPi]

The back wheels always have more of an effect, since they are so far away from the front. The kids love it though.

[Brandon]

http://www.kentucky.com/2013/10/01/2853769/lexingtons-speed-humps-are-controversial.html

If they are only four inches tall, wonder why school buses won't use streets that they're located on?

Snow plows go over the ones in NE Illinois all the time.  What's with Lexington, KY snow plow drivers?

As for school bus drivers, most of them can't drive for shit anyway.

[Scott5114]

I detest the damn things. There's better ways to slow traffic down. And I don't want to risk an ambulance coming to get me being slowed down by some stupid speed bumps.

[english si]

In the UK, we've moved (in new installations on public roads) to longer humps (often at pedestrian crossings raised. Sometimes crossroads are raised) and narrower humps (note that these are also longer than humps used to be) that mean that you need to align yourself to dodge them (stops overtaking of cyclists and does slow traffic down a little, which is kind of the point - you don't need them slowing right down, just a bit).

About 10 years ago, the London Borough of Barnet (leafy, rich, suburbia) had its transport funding withheld by Red Ken for removing humps (a key complaint of residents) when resurfacing roads. Barnet said that any suing for damages due to humps or potholes would result in the council suing the Mayors office as it is the Mayor's offices fault that the roads are pothole-infested humped abominations. It then took the ambulance service saying that both humps and potholes cost lives (bringing about the possibility of criminal charges and big money civil cases) for the Mayor's office to back down and let Barnet have money. It wasn't unconditional though, and Barnet needed to replace humps with other, ambulance-friendly ways of slowing traffic down to get the money. However, it did mean that new installations of traffic calming in London (and elsewhere, IIRC) had to have emergency services approval before proceeding.

[agentsteel53]

what's wrong with overtaking of cyclists?

speed bumps should be set so that they are tolerable at the signed speed limit.  if I'm going 25 in a 25, I should not be bottoming out. 

the worst are, of course, unsigned, unmarked speed bumps.  they're prevalent in Mexico but can also be found in the US, mainly in shopping malls.  if you get the wrong lighting and shadows, they are completely invisible.

I would say narrowing lanes is the easiest form of speed control.  I know I drive slower on roads with 9 foot lanes.  (insert your own I-405 joke here.)

[Henry]

what's wrong with overtaking of cyclists?

speed bumps should be set so that they are tolerable at the signed speed limit.  if I'm going 25 in a 25, I should not be bottoming out. 

the worst are, of course, unsigned, unmarked speed bumps.  they're prevalent in Mexico but can also be found in the US, mainly in shopping malls.  if you get the wrong lighting and shadows, they are completely invisible.

I would say narrowing lanes is the easiest form of speed control.  I know I drive slower on roads with 9 foot lanes.  (insert your own I-405 joke here.)

That's exactly what I was thinking!

[english si]

what's wrong with overtaking of cyclists?

In places that is a bad and dangerous thing - eg the example I gave, where there's a bus stop nearby and the road narrows for a short while (not wide enough for a segregated cycle lane in each direction).

Narrowing lanes has the same effect of blocking overtaking cyclists, except for longer lengths. Unless you have room to safely add a segregated cycle lane as well.

[agentsteel53]

In places that is a bad and dangerous thing - eg the example I gave, where there's a bus stop nearby and the road narrows for a short while (not wide enough for a segregated cycle lane in each direction).

fair enough.  that said, if I came across a speed bump situation I don't think that without further guidance I could fathom that it meant "do not pass cyclist".  I would be much more in favor with an explicit lane-narrows stripe and/or sign that guided the cyclist leftward (in the US) enough for me to realize what's going on. 

if there is just a speed bump, I'm going to assume the default "rich folks love the sound of scraping transmission pans".

[english si]

fair enough.  that said, if I came across a speed bump situation I don't think that without further guidance I could fathom that it meant "do not pass cyclist".  I would be much more in favor with an explicit lane-narrows stripe and/or sign that guided the cyclist leftward (in the US) enough for me to realize what's going on.

The humps themselves make it obvious that you either try and overtake the cyclist and have to slow down go over the hump, or you line yourself up and the hump (which is low, but steep) goes between the wheels.

The hump can be done at nearly the 30mph speed limit, but I imagine that University Road was humped in order to make it a de facto lower limit - that said, the UK still has some residual idea that speed limits are legal limits, and not necessarily a safe driving speed

if there is just a speed bump, I'm going to assume the default "rich folks love the sound of scraping transmission pans".

Speed bumps in the UK are more likely to exist in poor areas. With the exception of car parks, near schools, etc.

Richer areas prefer chicanes, stopping up rat runs so that only cyclists and pedestrians can get through, etc.

[agentsteel53]

I'd rather have a chicane than a speed bump, but I'd rather have a "virtual chicane" over that... just stripe it narrower.

while in the US there are plenty of places where the geography demands that the speed of travel be much lower than the legal speed limit (curvy mountain roads signed at 55 come to mind), I think there's something dishonest about artificially lowering the safe speed of travel to below the legal speed limit.

[Alps]

I noticed that while following the posted bike route for the Hudson River Greenway coming south from the Bronx (via Seaman Ave.), the speed bumps were actually easier to traverse than the regular pavement, especially on the (very patched) concrete part near the southern end.

[Thing 342]

Good god I hate Speed Bumps. In order to get out of my school's parking lot, you have to go over several bumps that are easily 8" high (and thus cannot be traversed at faster than 3mph). Said bumps have already taken a toll on the suspension on my one-year-old car.

[Alps]

Good god I hate Speed Bumps. In order to get out of my school's parking lot, you have to go over several bumps that are easily 8" high (and thus cannot be traversed at faster than 3mph). Said bumps have already taken a toll on the suspension on my one-year-old car.

They are no more than 4" high, and probably 3". If they were 8", you'd have to drive an SUV.

[Takumi]

Your car isn't stanced, is it?

[DSS5]

I lodged a complaint with NCDOT about this thing in Linville, NC. My problem with it is that there are no signs, road markings, or even street lights leading up to it, making it impossible to see at night. The speed limit is 25. As I found out, if you go even 25 over it you're going to have a bad time.

[mass_citizen]

I lodged a complaint with NCDOT about this thing in Linville, NC. My problem with it is that there are no signs, road markings, or even street lights leading up to it, making it impossible to see at night. The speed limit is 25. As I found out, if you go even 25 over it you're going to have a bad time.

good god what a monstrosity