I attended the neighborhood meeting tonite. Unfortunately I did not have time to address my view on speed bumps as a solution to speeding. Speed bumps are not good! 10 years ago I filed applications for speed bumps to be installed in front of my residence, in another town, state. I was very frustrated with the traffic and even more frustrated that the city would not do anything about it. My frustration was compounded by the red tape and politics involved, along with the stall job my neighbors and I all were faced with. I eventually confronted the person who would ultimately make the decision to approve the speed bumps, and my perspective on speed bumps quickly changed. I soon found out why they stalled this type of agenda, in the hopes the homeowners would drop the idea. Speed bumps are nothing new, but if you talk to people who live in front of or near a speed bump in a residential setting. I have talked to dozens. You will soon learn what the old saying (Be care full what you wish for)is all about. At that time I learned that approximately 75% of all speed bumps are removed within 2 years of the installation. Why? Speed Bumps do only one thing they slowdown, or stop a vehicle momentarily. Then drivers accelerate to the next speed bump. Let me clarify, they drag race to the next speed bump. We are talking tires squealing, engines roaring, petal to the metal. Drivers become even less aware or concerned with their surroundings, and focus only on the next bump and how they need to make up for lost time. Then there is the teenager in moms car, driving at high speeds right over the speed bumps on a dare from friends. Possibly loosing control. Speed bumps become a magnet for children playing in the street, They are more likely to draw children into the street, children look at them as ramps for bicycles, skateboards, inline skates. Many children have been hurt as a result of speed bumps when they loose control of say their bicycle and crash. It is a fact of life and doesn't make sense, but these are the things associated with speed bumps.
Is this any safer for our children? No
Be care full what you ask for. These are expensive to install and they are expensive to remove. The danger factor is even increased minimally, but the aggravations of the people living near them becomes immeasurable.
Emergency departments will be notified of locations of speed bumps, and their response travel will be redirected to a street that may even take longer to respond. Emergency vehicle drivers avoid speed bumps at all costs. So all the way around speed bumps are not the answer to this issue. My solution to the problem then was clear, make a better choice in my next home, be alert to these possible issues and move on. We (20 homes) canceled our application for speed bumps. Kept a better eye on our children and increased our outdoor supervision. Did the cars ever slow down? No, There are no streets that are immune to speeding. I have never met a single person who did not admit to being guilty of speeding down a residential street, and ironically their own streets too. I can not offer a solution at this point, only my knowledge of speed bumps, and my experiences with residential speeders. The best decision I ever made was simply moving to a better home in a better neighborhood, on a less traveled street. I currently live at the entrance to our neighborhood. It's an expressway sometimes. Is it dangerous? At times yes, but it is ultimately my responsibility to make sure my small children are not playing in, around, or near the street, and to alert other children that a car is coming when I see one. and when I see a neighbor who continually drives unsafe in front of my house I follow them home and simply say ''hey can you please slow down in front of my house''. They usually comply. They usually don't even realize that their driving is causing a problem. Communicate with your neighbors, more importantly be nice. Ok I'm done here. Larry