Safe Speed Forums

I have never understood the point of placing speedbumps of such a size that traversing them at the speed limit for the area is not safe to person/vehicle/vehicular control. If the point is to make traffic travels slower than the speed limit then why not lower the limit?!?

It goes back to the concept that excessive regulation is making speed limits a target, particularly when they lower them so rediculously low as 20mph! If someone with a legal vehicle drives over a road hump at a legal speed and damages their vehicle, themselves or worst of all someone else, then surely the council that constructed the mid-road obelisk could be held responsible!

You can't blame them for damage, as they just come back with "you must have been SPEEDING over the bumps then."

The local councillor's newsletter trumpeted the success of the bumps saying that since installation the average speed has reduced from 27mph to 18mph

This would be fair comment, except for the fact that the limit was 30 before the bumps were introduced, therefore traffic was behaving responsibly!

Of couse not only do we have the ludicrous 20mph limit as a basic rate in towns now, but the local camera partnership will be rubbing their hands with glee that they will catch many more motorists. Can you imagine having points on your licence for doing 22mph???

Piece in the Courier today about the increase in Taxi's in the Fife area failing the Hackney test this year, due to "mostly brake and suspension problems" Several local councillors, and the council themselves "hit out " at the taxi companies for slipping standards.. I felt this email to the editor was appropriate.. be interesting to see if they print it...

RE: the story regarding the increase in taxi's in Fife failing the hackney test.

Rather than blasting taxi companies for poor standards of vehicle upkeep, maybe the council should blame themselves for the increase in test failures. It is interesting that the "slipping standards" in vehicle condition this year coincides with the Council's overzealous placement of speed bumps all over fife, which cause exaggerated wear in tyres and suspension components.

Rather than using the bumps sensibly where they are most needed and of benefit, we now have them absolutely everywhere, and the constant bumping up and down day in day out most of us now have to endure can only lead to accelerated wear on cars.

Rather than being upset at the taxi companies, I see these statistics as a worrying indication of the true cost of Fife Council's vastly overused speed bump policy.

Placing these bumps in areas where there is not an undue speeding problem means there are no winners, apart from the local fast-fit centres, who must be rubbing their hands with glee.

Smart letter. Some potential losers too if a ball joint pings out at the wrong time.

Think of all the potholes that could have been repaired with all the tarmac used to construct speed bumps. Such a terrible waste of good tarmac and potholes can be lethel.

It quite amazes me when I see a brand-new, fresh hump constructed on a road that otherwise looks like the Somme.

Like most everyone else here I detest humps for many, many reasons.

Nearabouts, we once had a calming system involving humps and chicanes. After much protest they were removed wholesale and replaced with one plateau type hump with a zebra crossing on top of it and a multitude of mini roundabouts. The result is nearly perfect. The rounabouts keep the speed down without jarring bumps and the zebra crossing is safe despite the hump it is on being easily and comfortably negotiated at 20mph when clear, in a Xantia admittidly.

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Jim

Citroen Xantia: Tears and Joy

If speed bumps were designed to keep us to the speed limit why is it that that most bumps cannot be driven over at the posted speed limit?

The fact is that the bumps are designed to reduce traffic speed to 20mph or less, even in a 30 limit. It is a back door rout to dropping the speed limits

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Speed camera policy Kills

The only cars I know of that can take humps at the posted speed limits reliably are Citroens with hydropheumatic suspension Once, I took a hump at 50mph and if anything it was smoother than at 20mph. before you all get agitated, the hump in question was on a private road, out of office hours

I know, I have one such Citroen and most of the time hardly notice humps, as long as I approach in such a way to ensure the Hydractive system does not switch to hard mode just before the hump

My 205GTi is a different matter entirely. If I have been driving the Xantia for an extended period and then go out in the GTi, my head practically hits the roof on the first hump...

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Jim

Citroen Xantia: Tears and Joy

I'm pretty sure I recall some legislation/guidelines regarding humps, that pretty much all of the ones I have seen violate.

Does anyone know where this is published?

IMO if the speed limit is 30 you should be able to travel down the road at 30 if it is safe to do so. If in the process you damage your car by driving over a speed bump at 30 you should be able to claim of the council.

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Speed camera policy Kills

Which is the situation as I understand it!