Speed bump made of asphalt

Speed bump made of rubber

A speed bump (in British English a speed or road hump, sometimes colloquially a sleeping policeman) is a traffic calming tool designed to slow traffic or reduce through traffic. A speed bump is a bump in a roadway with heights typically ranging between 3 to 4 inches (7 to 10 cm). The length of speed bumps are typically less than or near to 1 foot (30 cm); whereas speed humps are longer and are typically 10 to 14 feet (3 to 4 m) in length.^[1][2] A Speed bump is a bump on a road designed to slow traffic. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2580x740, 634 KB) Summary Section of a ashalt speed bump, private road, Adelaide. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2580x740, 634 KB) Summary Section of a ashalt speed bump, private road, Adelaide. ... The term asphalt is often used as an abbreviation for asphalt concrete. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution‎ (2,048 × 1,536 pixels, file size: 865 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Speed bump. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution‎ (2,048 × 1,536 pixels, file size: 865 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Speed bump. ... This does not cite any references or sources. ... British English (BrE, BE, en-GB) is the broad term used to distinguish the forms of the English language used in the United Kingdom from forms used elsewhere in the Anglophone world. ... This article or section should be merged with speed humps See also: Speed Bump (a comic strip). ... Traffic calming is a set of strategies used by urban planners and traffic engineers which aim to slow down or reduce traffic, thereby improving safety for pedestrians and bicyclists as well as improving the amenity of the street for residents and visitors. ...

Speed Bumps are designed to give drivers an unpleasant jolt and possibly minor car damage.^{[citation needed]} They are generally recommended for smaller communities with speed limits averaging approximately 15mph. ^{[citation needed]}

The use of speed bumps is widespread around the world, and they are most commonly found where prevailing vehicle speeds are expected to be low. Although speed bumps are very effective in keeping vehicle speed down, their use is sometimes controversial as they can cause noise and possibly vehicle damage if taken at too great a speed. Poorly designed speed bumps often found in private car parks (too tall, too sharp an angle for the expected speed) can be hard to negotiate in vehicles with low ground clearance, such as sports cars, even at very slow speeds. Speed bumps can also pose serious hazards to motorcyclists and bicyclists if not easily noticed. 1963 Jaguar E-Type, a classic sports car 1963 Chevrolet Corvette was based upon European sports cars A sports car is an automobile designed for performance driving. ...

History

An early implementation of what might be considered speed humps was reported on June 7, 1906 in the New York Times. It reported that the U.S. town of Chatham, New Jersey planned to raise its crosswalks five inches above the road level, adding, "This scheme of stopping automobile speeding has been discussed by different municipalities, but Chatham is the first place to put it in practice".^[3] The average automobile's top speed at the time was around 30 MPH. The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ... Chatham, New Jersey may refer to two neighboring municipalities in Morris County, New Jersey – Chatham Borough and Chatham Township, or to both of them together. ...

According to a publication by the Institute of Transportation Engineers, the first speed bump in Europe was built in 1970 in the city of Delft in the Netherlands.^[4] Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) is an international educational and scientific association of transportation professionals who attempt to meet mobility and safety needs and was founded in 1930. ... Coordinates: Country Netherlands Province South Holland Area (2006)  - Municipality 24. ...

Road humps in the UK

In the United Kingdom, vertical deflection in highways for the purpose of traffic calming typically takes one of the following forms: Traffic calming is a set of strategies used by urban planners and traffic engineers which aim to slow down or reduce traffic, thereby improving safety for pedestrians and bicyclists as well as improving the amenity of the street for residents and visitors. ...

• A road hump is the most common variety which are usually round-topped.
• A speed table is a type of hump with a central plateau which is both long and broad. It may include a pedestrian crossing. This type are preferred by some emergency services and bus operators
• A speed cushion is a raised portion of road with a flat top only extending over part of the carriageway width. Cushions can be used singly, in a pinch point, or in pairs or triples.
• Rumble strips are an uneven road surface which is now only used in rural areas and retail parks because of the noise.

The Department for Transport defines the regulations for the design and use of road humps. ^[5] This article or section should be merged with speed humps See also: Speed Bump (a comic strip). ... speed table with leading street lines speed table Speed tables are traffic calming devices designed as long speed humps with a flat section in the middle. ... A pedestrian crossing or crosswalk is a designated point on a road at which some means are employed to assist pedestrians wishing to cross. ... View of speed cushions at night Emergency vehicle driving over speed cushions Speed cushions are traffic calming devices designed as several small speed humps installed across the width of the road with spaces between them. ... A curb extension marked by darkened tarmac and black posts A curb extension (or also kerb extension, bulb-out, curb bulge and blister) is a traffic calming measure, intended to slow the speed of traffic and increase driver awareness, particularly in built-up and residential neighbourhoods. ... Rumble strips are strips of painted, ridged road surfaces to warn drivers when they stray from their lanes. ... In the United Kingdom, the Department for Transport is the government department responsible for the transport network. ...

Due to resentment amongst residents who complained of damage to cars and tyres they scraped against the large sharp-sided speed cushions it has been documented that residents are rising up against the speed hump. In one area it was reported that they cheerfully looked on as the labourers worked away, happy in the knowledge that years of noise, irritation, car damage and back pain were being brought to an end - the work men were digging up the speed bumps, at a cost to the tax payer of £ 460,000. ^[6].

Reports have been made of cyclists being killed due to speed bumps in the UK. ^[7].

Speed bumps in some areas have been removed after protests by local residents. Such protests cite the lack of any consultation as one factor ^[8].

Disadvantages

Local authorities have cited disadvantages to speed humps: Local governments are administrative offices of an area smaller than a state. ...

• The city of Modesto in California, U.S. produced a fact sheet which contains the following disadvantages:^[9]
  • Slow response time of emergency vehicles;
  • May divert traffic to parallel residential streets;
  • There is a possibility of increased noise and pollution for residents living immediately adjacent to the speed humps.
• The British town of Eastleigh state the following as disadvantages:^[10]
  • Can cause damage to some vehicles;
  • Can increase traffic noise especially when HGV’s pass by;
  • Signs, street lighting and white lines are all required and may be visually intrusive;
  • Can cause discomfort for drivers and passengers;
  • Can cause problems for emergency services and buses.

The Association of British Drivers is critical of speed humps claiming: ^[11] Riverbank is a city located in Stanislaus County, California. ... A fact sheet is a presentation of data on any subject in a format emphasizing brevity, key points of interest or concern, a fairly minimalist design aesthetic, and a general desire to convey the most relevant information in the least amount of space. ... This article is about the town in Hampshire. ... Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) is a generic and formal designation in British English for classification of large road vehicles intended to carry goods. ... The Association of British Drivers (ABD), founded in 1992, is a British motorists advocacy group. ...

• Drivers are distracted by the bumps, therefore ignoring other hazards such as children;
• Humps can impede or slow emergency vehicle access to areas.

Other sources argue that speed bumps:

• Increase pollution as traffic travels in a lower gear using significantly more fuel per mile;
• Are a substitute for a lack of enforcement;
• Increase noise by both traversing over the bumps and by using more engine revs than normal;
• Cause spinal damage^[12] or aggravate chronic backache.

In 2003, the chairman of the London Ambulance Service, Sigurd Reinton was reported as claiming that delay due to speed bumps was responsible for up to 500 avoidable deaths from cardiac arrest each year. He later denied the statement.^[13]

A potential may exist for liability or at least a law suit for when a driver damages his car by going too fast over speed bumps ^[14].

Dynamic speed bumps

Dynamic speed bumps are a recent innovation which differ from conventional speed bumps by only activating if a vehicle is travelling above a certain speed. Vehicles travelling below this speed will not experience the discomfort of a conventional speed bump. Dynamic speed bumps may allow the passage of emergency vehicles at higher speeds. An emergency vehicle is any vehicle that responds to an emergency. ...

In a design by British company Dunlop Transcalm, a rubber housing is fitted with a pressure valve which determines the speed of a vehicle. If the vehicle is travelling below the set speed the valve opens allowing the bump to deflate as the vehicle drives over it, but remains closed if the vehicle is travelling too fast. The valve can also be set to allow heavy vehicles, such as fire trucks, ambulances and buses to cross at higher speeds. Dunlop Transcalm claim that their dynamic speed bumps reduce or eliminate negative effects of speed bumps such as increased noise and pollution, uneven traffic speed, and impeding emergency vehicles. Each 'smart hump' reportedly costs between £2,500 and £4,850. ^[15][16] This does not cite any references or sources. ... This article is about pressure in the physical sciences. ... // These water valves are operated by handles. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... A fire engine of the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service, England. ... An ambulance in San Jose del Cabo, Mexico A Helicopter used as an Ambulance. ... Autobus redirects here. ...

See also

• Jiggle Bars - A series of precast concrete blocks 50 to 100mm wide, projecting 15mm above the road surface. Produce a rumbling noise and a jolt to the driver.
• Rumble strip
• Speed hump
• Speed table

Rumble strips are strips of painted, ridged road surfaces to warn drivers when they stray from their lanes. ... This article or section should be merged with speed humps See also: Speed Bump (a comic strip). ... speed table with leading street lines speed table Speed tables are traffic calming devices designed as long speed humps with a flat section in the middle. ...

References

1906 (MCMVI) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... is the 66th day of the year (67th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• London Assembly, London's got the hump, April 2004. An examination of speed humps conducted by the London Assembly’s Transport Committee.
• Rubber Traffic Calming Devices
• Traffic Logix Guide to Developing Traffic Calming Program