BOB.T

I've just been flicking through the local paper and saw a story about a 4 year old being knocked down. Basically his mum has had a rant saying she wants the street, which has a 30mph limit atm to be reduced to 20mph and she wants speed humps to be put in. She goes on to say that since another street has had humps put in and a 20 limit, her street has become a rat run with hooligans and boy racers doing up to 50mph up her street and this is a danger to her and her kids.

Then, this is the good bit, she mentions how her 4 year old ran out of the yard, between two parked cars and out into the road and was struck by a car, "fortunately it was a safe driver who was under the speed limit"

So surely the problem here is that she has taken insufficient measures to control her kid, has left him unsupervised and given no idea as to how dangerous roads can be! Added to this is increased traffic flow due to speed humps in another street so what are humps in her street gonna do...add problems to some one elses street!

She also mentions that another boy was hit "a few years ago", so that, by my reckoning is two accidents in 3 years, sorry to sound harsh but whoopy fookin do, that's no reason to spend thousands on fookin the street up, why not get her to spend £100 on a new gate and latch[img]images/smilies/mad.gif[/img]

It's about time the authorities looked at the real issues with road safety, spent some money developing raods that work and gettin shut of chuffin speed humps[img]images/smilies/mad.gif[/img]

Sith

Agreed. The mother has taken the it's not my responsibility. Shouldn't have let the kid run into the road. Gate should have been closed / locked.

Around speed humps I leave the car in 1st gear. Loads of noise.

The Zohan

In some ways this comes back to people taking responsibility for their actions, i think she should have more control over her kid but it may just be a freak incident and she could be the worlds best mum.

Asd for speed bumps and such perhaps the local speed camera department would be better employed covering her street for a few weeks.

Speed bumps - They seem like a good idea, i do wonder just how much damage they are doing to our cars suspension components and tyres. ther are literally hundreds in Northampton, a lot in bad condition with lumps missing. I feel that are putting additional wear and tear in components that would otherwise last longer and could endanger lives if they caused or where an contributing factor in an accident.

Speeding is about education, not just speed bumps, and really how much do they slow people down???

GU5

I thought that a 20 limit wasn't legally enforcable

damian666

You can't really go much faster than 20mph in a 'normal' car without the bump being uncomfortable.

On a bike, you can drive over quicker by standing on the footpegs (dont ask...)

People do slow down for them, but they are like an 'opposite pothole' if there was a hole that deep on the road, people would complain. Why have speedbumps?

[rant on]
Speed cameras too - everyone I know slows for the white lines and accelerates afterward - so that 100-200 yards makes that much of a difference does it? Chicanes become a laugh, piling through as fast as possible, width restrictions work, but not for bikes. If you are going to slow people down or save lives, something else must be done, not 'trap' people into slowing.
EDUCATE PEDESTRIANS AND CYLISTS!! When children get knocked over, it is terrible and undeniably sad. Should they be crossing the road there? Why not use the zebra crossing 100yards down the road? Why cross in front of a bus? I thought everyone knew how to cross the roads! Children need to be taught.
[rant off]

Phew!
Damian

RB5320

as someone who lives on a speed-humped road, I can tell you that they do not slow the d###heads down. They do work on the average driver because at low speeds they are quite severe, but taken flat out cars barely notice them. We regularly have cars screaming past at an estimated 80-90mph.
If a road is considered dangerous enough to warrant some kind of obstacle to reduce speed, then IMO the only effective method is the chicane type, though these are also dangerous if some plonker decides to just steam through.
I also agree with Paul re possible damage caused by speed humps. I now have to contend with about 10 speed humps every time I leave the house. I expect my Powerstation geometry setup is now completely cattle trucked!

Steve

Jen

Speed humps are a nightmare - they cause alot of damage to the Highway and make alot of noise as well as costing money to maintain Thankfully I can still say I've never recommended them

The problem with things like this is - he who shouts loudest gets heard. Councillors (the elected members often with no technical qualifications) can completely override what Officers recommend. i.e. I can write a report saying "speed humps aren't necessary" and cite all the evidence, but they can turn around and say "put speed humps on this road" ...and it has to be done

Oh - and 20mph speed limits are enforcable. Anything with a red circle around it is - why would we bother with them otherwise?

*Sonic*

Jen

Can you send me some of those signs, to put outside my house

Jen

...I'll have to sneak down the Depot and nick a few ...not sure how successfull it'll be as it's hard to sneak anywhere with a full decat

Duck_Pond

There's a road in B'ham where there is a 6 week scheme (which seems to have been there for a lot longer now) in place, where they've attempted to slow traffic down.

A bit strange, because in the 30 years I've lived near there, the surface of the road has been so bad it was impossible to speed anyway.

So now the council have painted half the road red (why? what does that achieve?) and added the single bumps, two a piece, all down the road.

Now this has been really successful. Instead of people trundling along avoiding the potholes, they now try to avoid the bumps, and have been seen curbing their cars (nice piles of broken glass) and also driving up the middle of the road (gap is just wide enough between the bumps to get a car through). I have already been confronted by a taxi going up the centre towards me on a blind bridge hump!

To add to this marvel of planning, there are no proper Speed Bump warning signs; just a note about the bloke who devised the scheme and his telephone number. So while you're peering at this sign thinking "what the f*** does this mean?" you crash into the first bump.

It's surely only a matter of time before a motorcyclist hits one and comes off, or there's a head-on collision there.

I could go on and on about other stupid ideas that B'ham Council have installed... but it's no use. The people involved obviously get to work on a magic carpet, floating along, oblivious to traffic jams, pot-holes, dented alloys etc etc...

The Zohan

Quote
The problem with things like this is - he who shouts loudest gets heard. Councillors (the elected members often with no technical qualifications) can completely override what Officers recommend. i.e. I can write a report saying "speed humps aren't necessary" and cite all the evidence, but they can turn around and say "put speed humps on this road" ...and it has to be done

Interesting, thanks Jen that explains a lot.

BOB.T

So what's the deal then if we can all see the downside to humps why can't the rest of the world? It gives me the hump

I don't like the chicanes either, we have some mild ones here. They've been put in on a a straight bit of road which doesn't really cause any problems...folk speed on it but it's very rare there's an accident, I can think of about 3 in the last ten yeras! Now instead of just driving in a straight line you're directed at oncoming traffic who are doing the same, you get waaay too close to other cars and get dazzled at night, I dread to think how much it cost!

Anyhoo, I'm off to watch the Scottish Rally now, full strength petrol fumes and excessive noise for the weekend

Wurzel

iTrader: (1)

So it is alright if your kid gets hit by a safe driver??? if the guy that hit her kid was driving under the limit and the holligan that was hoooooning up the road missed her kid then why bother to lower the spead limit

Jerry*

Complete ******* nightmare..

Near me there's a stretch of road roughly 1 mile long that has a 30 mph limit, speed humps every 30 metres or so and a bollard thingy at each end where you have to wait for oncoming traffic because you have to go to the opposite side of the road to get round it... it has to be the most stupid design I have ever seen... since this mess was installed roughly 3 years ago, there have been probably 4 or 5 people killed trying to cross the road.. (hmm.. it must be working then !!?).. its quite a busy road and the speed bumps are small enough that you can position the car wheels at either side of them and not slow down at all (providing your front air dam isn't really low).

The houses are set well back from the road with big grass verges etc too meaning that people and cars do not generally fly out of gateways and straight into the road.

On a weekday morning the queues of traffic at each end can grow to maybe 15 or 20 cars, with drivers growing increasingly frustrated at the time they have to wait for the oncoming traffic. Obviously finding themselves getting late for work drivers -

1) take chances and try and nip round the bollard-thingy when there is oncoming traffic flying towards them (head on collisions have happened !)

2) when they get the chance to get around the bollard they try to make up for lost time and vastly exceed the speed limit over the humped area

3) blast their horns because the person at the front of the queue doesn't take the risk and pull out in front of an oncoming car like they may have done..

and so on...

the whole thing is a farce and quite clearly causes more inconvenience and danger than ever.. its obvious that non-drivers think up these silly ideas and the public get no say in when, why or where they are installed....

I agree Bob, a trip to Focus or any other DIY shop and maybe half a brain may have saved the kid from the accident.

[Edited by Jerry* - 6/13/2003 2:50:39 PM]

Mungo

Kids need to be taught that running into the road is dangerous, and until they understand that, they shouldn't be allowed free rein to run around. I wasn't when I was a kid.
Whatever happened to the Green Cross Code? There are no public service broadcast announcements these days, and although they were a bit cheesy, they got a message across.

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

Interested to see that other towns are infested with speed retardent features, and stupid councillors, as well as the one I live in.
A mate is something to do with road safety here, and he told me the other day that cars and their drivers don't matter any more, it's the party line apparently[img]images/smilies/mad.gif[/img]
So the fekkers can treat us like that, but STILL take billions in tax? [img]images/smilies/mad.gif[/img]
Roll on the day the backlash starts, I'll be in the front rank.
Alcazar

BOB.T

Well, I'm back from rallying now, I have petrol fumes in my lungs again, yay

As above it is interesting to find out we're being shafted all over the country! I fully agree these systems are being dreamt up by tree huggers who don't even drive! I believe there some bollards like Jerry mentions in Leeds where accidents and even deaths have risen since they were installed and yet they are still there

Road planners should post on here before the diggers move in

johnnyFRS

I agree with all the comments about speed humps etc they are a pain in the @ss.
Anyway just to cheer everyone up.
In Welham Green they have removed (yes removed!!!) the chicane thingy, so now there are two free flowing lanes of traffic, lovely jubly.
I don't know why it was removed (was there for years), it used to cause one hell of a lot of congestion in rush hour times.

And just remembered they removed some in Cheshunt area too (although these were on a very quiet road), I think down to causing a couple of accidents (but don't quote me on that).

CheeRS
John

BOB.T

There is a God, long may this trend continue

matty01

RB5320,Thats gotta be a right bitch ,has it affected the saleability of your/nearby houses

Leslie

I agree with Paul, even at low speed the humps put an unecessarily large "G" load into the chassis and suspension which could lead to eventual failures. What Alcazar said is not so surprising I suppose when it comes to the opinions of Roman sandal wearers as far as cars are concerned. But it is of concern, certainly to me.

Councillors of course who don't give a stuff for anyone else anyway will love them because it is a visible sign that they have "done something".

Les

ChrisB

I've just moved onto an estate with speed humps on the main loop road. The humps are split into three to allow buses to get through without going over the bump. Trouble is most cars can do the same