Sardis Forest HOA

Speed Humps

Dec 22, 2004

22?’ Speed (table) humps have been proposed for Morning Dale and Hinson Roads to slow motorists?’ speeds and reduce the amount of traffic and noise throughout Sardis Forest. A recent traffic study performed by CDOT found that motorists on Morning Dale typically exceed the speed limit by 11.2 miles per hour. Also, there were two-speed-related collisions on Morning Dale last year. Speed humps induce drivers to slow down, and, in some cases to choose another route.


Dimensions: The 22?’ humps CDOT installs are called speed tables by the Institute of Traffic Engineers (www.ite.org/traffic/table.htm). They are long, raised humps with a 10?’ flat section in the middle and 6?’ ramps on either end; the center is 3-4?” high. They would be identical to the newly installed humps on Nolley Court.


Facts/Statistics Related to Speed Humps

1. Speed humps slow speeding traffic. The Institute of Traffic Engineers cites slower traffic has an effect of speed humps: ?“Speeds between humps have been observed to be reduced between 20 and 25 percent on average.?” This is a widely accepted statistic among traffic engineers and city governments.
2. Speed humps may marginally impact emergency services response time. In a study performed by the Portland, Oregon Department of Transportation, fire trucks traveling in areas with 22 ft. speed humps (like CDOT?’s) were de-layed from 0.3 - 3.0 seconds per hump.
3. Speed humps create safer streets for kids. A study released in the April 2004 issue of The American Journal of Public Health, found that children who lived on streets near a speed hump are up to 60 percent less likely to be hit and injured by an automobile than those who live in areas without them.
4. Speed humps divert traffic. In a 1999 study funded by The Federal Highway Administration, speed (table) humps sent motorists onto other roadways, causing a traffic volume decline of 12-18 percent on those streets. This supports the idea that humps on Mor-ning Dale would deter cut-thru traffic and benefit all Sardis Forest residents.
5. Speed Humps reduce the chance of collision incidents. The Institute of Traffic Engineers reports that collision rates were reduced an average rate of 45% on streets where speed humps were installed. Two collisions were reported on Morning Dale last year.
6. Speed humps do not impact property values. A study cited in the January 2000 issue of The Institute of Transportation Engineers Journal, concludes that, ?“When speed humps are the dependent variable, it cannot be demonstrated that installing speed humps will affect property values in any predictable way.?” Home values in the nearby communities of Lansdowne, Foxcroft, and others with speed humps do not seem to be negatively impacted.