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teabelly
 Post subject: Got the inflatable hump?
PostPosted: Wed Jan 11, 2006 14:45 
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Some guy has invented an inflatable hump that is allegedly able to deflate when cars pass over it slowly. I am sure someone will just burst them within hours of them appearing.... I can't see how they can reinflate to their full height between a slow moving car and some nutter stuck to their back bumper. Do they deflate across their full width, half width or just under the wheels?

I suppose they are marginally better than the concrete monstrosities that are used at the moment.

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BLOW UP BUMPS TO MAKE MILLIONS
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Inventor Graham Heeks is on the road to becoming a millionaire after his one-year-old daughter provided the inspiration for him to create inflatable speed humps.

Graham, a 40-year-old engineer, has spent more than a decade developing the revolutionary sleeping policeman inspired by a squeaky toy used by toddler Saskia.

Now thousands of his humps will be installed in the UK and Europe this year and the Burslem-born engineer hopes for sales of £50 million in five years. The devices can help reduce pollution and noise for residents, avoid vehicle damage and driver whiplash injuries.

They also deflate for emergency service vehicles speeding to save lives.

Graham, who lives with his wife and two daughters in Wrinehill, near Newcastle, said: "The hump is designed to fundamentally change driver attitudes using a carrot and stick app roach.

"Drive within the speed limit and the hump will deflate. Don't and you get the bump." The humphas an air-filled rubber hump, and a pressure valve which can react to vehicle speeds.

The patent-protected valve opens for vehicles travelling over the hump within the road's speed limit, allowing it to deflate. The valve remains closed if a vehicle is travelling too fast.

The humps have been tested in London since 2001 and now Dunlop Transcalm, a joint venture firm which makes the products, is producing the humps for areas including Leeds, Portsmouth, Bristol and the Isle of Wight.

Transcalm has also spoken to Stoke-on-Trent City Council, Staffordshire County Council and other authorities across the UK in the hope of replacing more of the 100,000 traditional static humps.

Motoring groups have welcomed the devices, but pointed out the downside of cost.

At between £2,500 and £5,000, the Transcalm is around double the cost of a traditional sleeping policeman.

RAC spokesman Paul Dodgson said: "Ask any motorist and the number one hate is speed humps. There is also the issue of noise for residents fed up with big wagons. With older cars there is an issue of damage and then issues with pollution and fuel use. On all these counts this invention scores highly.

"The only potential downside is cost.

"Local authorities only have limited money and it won't be every authority that has the resources to go ripping up existing humps for these new devices."
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mpaton2004
PostPosted: Wed Jan 11, 2006 14:50 
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teabelly wrote:
They also deflate for emergency service vehicles speeding to save lives.


Oh how I laughed :)
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Zamzara
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 11, 2006 15:40 
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Sounds like a good idea in theory, since I doubt many people would hit a hump at above the speed limit. As long as the speed limits aren't lowered to 10mph or something absurd, sensible drivers shouldn't have much to fear. I would be a bit concerned the thing might get stuck and seriously damage my car if I hit it at 20mph though.

Also, they seem to be admitting that conventional humps DO cause damage and injury. Do we have source for this as my local council have told me it is impossible for them to cause damage, after my exhaust was damaged on an (illegal) hump.
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JT
PostPosted: Wed Jan 11, 2006 16:34 
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mpaton2004 wrote:
teabelly wrote:
They also deflate for emergency service vehicles speeding to save lives.


Oh how I laughed :)

Yep, it's now official - SPEEDING SAVES LIVES!!! :roll:

Not sure quite how it will reduce noise. Presumably vehicles will still be performing quasi-emergency stops prior to each hump, then gunning it back up to cruising speed immediately afterwards.

Oh hang on, perhaps the noise benefit only comes once everyone realises that the local chavs have vandalised them and there is no longer a need to slow to a crawl for them.

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hobbes
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 11, 2006 17:22 
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Reducing noise - presumably the air has to exit & enter the chamber. But silently? Just how may pedestrians will mess themselves when standing next to a hump that either 'hisses' or 'whumps' to dump the air, or even transfer it to & from a holding tank or secondary bladder. :lol:
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teabelly
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 11, 2006 17:33 
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If these humps are going to make comedy flatulating noises are the council going to compensate people for accidents as they couldn't see where they were going because they were crying with laughter? :lol:

I am sure hours of fun could be had next to one of these with a remote controlled fart machine if the humps won't do the comedy....
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botach
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 11, 2006 17:43 
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Be interesting to see how they contribute to safety after a bit of oil/diesel etc ends up on them, maybe even some petrol ( do they go woof then)

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ree.t
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 11, 2006 18:19 
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How do they know if it is an emergacy vehicle? :?

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PeterE
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 11, 2006 18:31 
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I fail to see how the hump can sense your speed at the moment you hit it, and then deflate instantaneously so you can drive smoothly over it.

I'll believe it when I see it. Has anyone experienced these things in operation?

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pogo
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 11, 2006 18:45 
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ree.t wrote:
How do they know if it is an emergacy vehicle? :?

Some form of transponder maybe?

I wonder how long it would be before you could get an "after market" transponder fitted to your car if these gadgets actually were deployed? :lol:

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botach
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 11, 2006 18:59 
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Thinking about it --how does this thing work out who's going too fast and who isn't - got to be some grid in the road prior to the device - like that used on a truvello+ some sort of computing device - got to be off road else it'll get hammered by traffic. Wont be long in that case till chav has a go at either the bump or the sensor, or the case holding the electronics - seem to remember that silicone don't like it too hot ( no hints) :lol:

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hobbes
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 11, 2006 19:04 
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Fatally flawed - how long until somebody drives a spike / 6" nail into it, and/or jams the mechanism down? Another pointless waste of taxpayers money!
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stevemcol
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 11, 2006 20:25 
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Hobbes. You're not prone to knee jerk reactions then!
Can't imagine such a device would be launched if it wasn't robust. I'll certainly wait until I've seen the finshed article before I go off on one.

Anything has to be better than steep solid bumps
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johnsher
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 11, 2006 20:57 
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stevemcol wrote:
Can't imagine such a device would be launched if it wasn't robust.

and the government has such a good track record in the 'robust testing' department.
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stevemcol
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 11, 2006 21:31 
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Well, street furniture, traffic lights, bollards etc, round our way at least, don't tend to fall to bits after a couple of weeks.
Fairly robust then. Even GATSOs require dynamite or an angle grinder to destroy. Would be nice to think these collapsible humps are equally tough.

If they do work, they would provide perfect traffic calming down residential streets.
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pogo
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 11, 2006 21:35 
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stevemcol wrote:
Well, street furniture, traffic lights, bollards etc, round our way at least, don't tend to fall to bits after a couple of weeks.

I'll bet they do if a few trucks drive over them... :twisted:

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hobbes
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 11, 2006 22:16 
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stevemcol wrote:
Hobbes. You're not prone to knee jerk reactions then!
Can't imagine such a device would be launched if it wasn't robust*. I'll certainly wait until I've seen the finshed article before I go off on one.

Anything has to be better than steep solid bumps


No, I'm not particularly prone to knee jerk reactions. I'm just saying that if there exists a way of breaking something....it'll be found & exploited.

The ONLY reason normal speed humps 'work' is they are just immovable lumps with no moving parts (unless you own a JCB :twisted: ). Drivers themselves may not do the attacking, but local kids/yob element will undoubtedly get their kicks from it. I've seen 10's of thousands of pounds worth of damage done to the new bus shelters in my city, (several HUNDRED panels of toughened safety glass about 4'x4' at 15mm thick), and thousands of pounds worth of new trees snapped for the hell of it....and these things "just sit there", but because they CAN be damaged - they automatically WILL be.

Even if it's not a burstable 'bladder' arrangement, and it uses pneumatic pistons to hinge/raise/lower the hump the potential for destruction is there!

If it moves, it new or novel....and the public have access to it....yup, it'll be broken.

Cynic? Moi? :D

*Many things are launched without being fully tested. eg. The LTi 20/20 :x ...Mr Gates' software.....everything requiring a 'product recall'....etc etc
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diy
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 12, 2006 11:09 
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I'd be concerned that their 'speed' sensor was able to detect scooters and motorcycles. Many traffic lights fail to detect scooters and scooters with their small wheels are particularly vulnerable to humps.

I wonder how it copes with different temperaturs.

I think its a good idea as it could be extended to be time based too. i.e. humps during the hours of school start and finish and clear at the weekend.

However, I suspect the first accident caused by one will see the end of the scheme.
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ree.t
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 12, 2006 22:11 
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diy wrote:
I wonder how it copes with different temperaturs.


The more you think about the complex it becomes :roll:

you would have to mointor the pressure, an let air in and out when needed.

wouldn't effect the speed needed for the hump to deflate.

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The patent-protected valve opens for vehicles travelling over the hump within the road's speed limit, allowing it to deflate. The valve remains closed if a vehicle is travelling too fast


Lower speed in the summer as the pressure is higher?
faster in the winter as the pressure is lower?

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Sam Dentten
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 16, 2006 13:45 
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http://www.transcalm.com/index.asp

If nothing else the company's site neatly makes a case against solid humps. :)

But I still have a problem with the notion of a speed bump which causes an impact & consequent damage to a car, even if they are travelling too fast. Suspension geometry/component damage has the potential to make cars less safe,(uneven tyre wear/handling braking distances etc often without the owners knowledge.

Its all very well giving a speeding driver a 'bump' to remind them of their heinous crime, but does someone else -another innocent roaduser pay further down the line when the offender's car is damaged & can't stop in time?

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