I'll get some photo's of this when I'm home from work in daylight, but first, a little background.
I live on a small estate off Yew Tree Lane, an eventual no through road which has 7 schools surrounding it, including nursery, infant, special, junior and secondary schools. Also close by is a small row of shops, a long row of houses and entrances to other estates, a golf club near the top. A bus route runs along it and enters some of the top estates. Generally speaking, it's a busy road at school opening and closing times, not busy at all at others.
Last year, a three year old girl was killed by a car driver (no fault of his) when she escaped from her mother getting off a bus and ran into the road. The car was doing no more than 10mph and was slowing for traffic coming in the opposite direction. To my knowledge this is the ONLY fatality on this road despite the lemming-like behaviour of children from the Junior and Secondary schools.
Over the summer, the council have placed, in a distance of about 500yds, 3 sets of double speed bumps, 1 single speed bump in a narrowed road section, a zebra crossing (placed right next to a bus stop and the entrance to the shops and a housing estate) and may possibly extend this further up the road. At the bottom of this road is a busy set of traffic lights.
I have already told OH that we will be avoiding that part of the street, taking a slightly longer route through a, currently quiet, housing estate. I can only see others doing the same. This will lead to congestion on the estate and at the other exit to this estate, a road where a bus crashed into a bookies two weeks ago, killing a customer.
I don't see how this will help the situation near the schools, which was already bad between 8-9am and 3-4pm and I fear it will only get worse. Narrowing the road, for example, on a major bus route will create chaos as priority is given to traffic in one direction only. The speed bumps are already causing hassle because homeowners already park cars outside houses. There is also a school crossing patrol on the street.
We've already had to question the height on the speed bumps as the impact is quite fierce even at a low speed, and we've already scraped the exhaust over them on one of our first experiences with them.
So, what're your thoughts on a) our description above and b) traffic calming measures in general?
It's typical council behaviour. A problem occurs. A daily mail reader screams rabidly "Something must be done!". The council wastes money. The daily mail reader slips back into their coma. Nothing changes (apart from the location of the problem)
It's typical council behaviour. A problem occurs. A daily mail reader screams rabidly "Something must be done!". The council wastes money. The daily mail reader slips back into their coma. Nothing changes (apart from the location of the problem)
The End.
Actually, to be honest, I don't remember any howls from Mail reading locals (if there are any, they're usually Sun readers, which I didn't think existed). I think it was a reaction to a death which had nothing whatsoever to do with speed, and all they'll succeed in doing is making the situation far worse.
well, its very sad indeed about that poor little kid, and also the driver, how awful.
I agree about the councils reaction, they HAVE to be seen to do something otherwise, i assume, they get a cut in funding, so its probably more benficial to them to have all these measures put in place, at huge expense so that they continue funding for next year and of course look like they are doing something.
Considering the details of the accident, tarffic calming simply wont makea difference unless you pedestrianise the area, but i suspect then all the mothers and fathers would be up in arms, in fact, i have seen some dangerous driving by these people-drop kid off, pull straight out and away as quickly as possible. its a shame, our roads are a mess, but i suppose you cant argue against the old argument FOR these traffic calming measures.
It's the usual over reacting 'won't some think of the children' brigade.
The problem with speeds bumps is that people slow down for them, then speed up between them and this actually increases average speeds down in a street and the risk of accidents as cars are constantly speeding/slowing... there's no consistency any more. It also increases the emissions coming from the vehicles.
Then there is the potential for damage to vehicles due to constant driving over these bumps, even at reduced speeds.
In my old area, bus companies constantly complained about excessive wear and tear to suspension on buses used in areas with new sped bumps. In my old town, some of the bumps had deteriorated so badly that you had to drive on the opposite side of the road and go up the speed bump diagonally to avoid scraping the bottom of the car... These speed bumps are on 90% of the roads in my old town... Crazy as it does nothing to slow down drivers who speed anyway.
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So, what're your thoughts on a) our description above and b) traffic calming measures in general?
Discuss
Rob
You are suffering from town planner disease.
They should all be subcontracted i.e. so you can get rid of them when they have finished a task. Keeping them in full-time employment is a recipe for disaster, as any fule kno.
Didn't the Tories say in one of their manifestos a few years ago say that they would scrap/remove speed humps?
If they pledge this again, they will win the next election by a huge margin.
Paula
PS. My tyre fitting place said that speed humps cause the tracking to go out all the time on cars and this is why I get BaBaKa retracked every 6 months as my annual mileage is very low. Imagine what it must be like for high mileage vehicles. There is a case here for motorists to claim off their local councils, I feel.
OK, I am going to call Elmbridge Borough Council and see what they say.
Last edited by Paula : 9-24-09 at 5:54.
Reason: Ps
Didn't the Tories say in one of their manifestos a few years ago say that they would scrap/remove speed humps?
If they pledge this again, they will win the next election by a huge margin.
Paula
PS. My tyre fitting place said that speed humps cause the tracking to go out all the time on cars and this is why I get BaBaKa retracked every 6 months as my annual mileage is very low. Imagine what it must be like for high mileage vehicles. There is a case here for motorists to claim off their local councils, I feel.
OK, I am going to call Elmbridge Borough Council and see what they say.
A friend of ours said that the mechanic he takes his car to for repairs told him that he once had a car in from an area with a proliferation of speed bumps that had to have a full suspension rebuild. He also said that almost all cars that he tested from that area had various major suspension defects. I dare say if you were able to research it enough, you'd find out how many people actually do claim from councils when their car needs repairing because of them, successful or not.
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). I think it was a reaction to a death which had nothing whatsoever to do with speed, and all they'll succeed in doing is making the situation far worse.
