speed bumps

Started by TomW19 • 15 replies • 2795 views

💬 Join us to post & get advice from 50,000 HOA & Condo leaders.

⚡ Takes 30 seconds

Already a member? Log in

TomW19 (Mississippi)
Posts: 1

Posted:

We are a gated community. Our speed limit is 15MPH, but of course there are those that violate it. We have alot of children within our community. Has anyone had success with speed bumps? Where did you buy them? Did they work? Thanks

PitA
Posts: 311

Posted:

http://www.bing.com/search?q=speed+humps&src=IE-TopResult&FORM=IE11TR&c

TimB4 (Tennessee)
Posts: 21,059

Posted:

Don't like them.

Instead try Traffic Calming Measures

Other options are:

a) See if you can borrow or rent one of those radar speed limit signs. The ones that have the red and blue lights on top (giving the impression it's a police cruzer) work well.

b) Bright signs that simply say in large print SLOW DOWN (works for awhile).

c) Additional Speed limit signs (sometimes they are placed where one is paying more attention to the road than to signage).

LarryB13 (Arizona)
Posts: 4,099

Posted:

Tom,

I hate speed bumps because the intent is to cause damage or injury. I see them as little more than a lawsuit waiting to happen.

My city has several places where it has used chicanes and traffic circles to effectively slow down traffic without inflicting damage to either vehicles or drivers. They need not be elaborate. In one place the chicane consists of nothing more than T-posts driven into the asphalt and topped by reflectors; the pattern in which the posts were set causes traffic to slow. You could achieve the same results with some large potted plants in the roadway.

LarryB13 (Arizona)
Posts: 4,099

Posted:

Now for a related story. I am not making this up.

Some time ago on the news feed for this forum there was a story about an HOA that wanted to install speed bumps to slow traffic. I posted a response to the story and my response went onto Facebook. There, as here, I wrote in favor of chicanes and against speed bumps.

Some months later there was a photo posted in one of my Facebook groups showing a black person in a courtroom in the 1920's surrounded by a whole lot of white people. I commented to express my contempt at the injustice of the courts towards minorities in those days but my comment was interpreted by some to mean that I thought the black guy must have been guilty of something just because he was black. (Yes, I should have chosen my words more carefully.)

Those who took offense at my comments then found my previous comments about speed bumps and chicanes. Since I do not hang out with the Aryan Brotherhood I had no idea that the White Supremacists refer to black people as "speed bumps." So these knuckle-draggers took to Facebook and denounced me for being a racist as their limited vocabulary does not recognize any other meaning of the term "speed bump." They also took offense at my use of the word "chicane." They were convinced that I was making reference to Mexican-Americans and that "chicane" was a misspelling of "Chicano."

So, just for the record, my use of the words "speed bump" and "chicane" is not used to describe any person or group of persons or any racial group or any ethnic group.

PitA
Posts: 311

Posted:

speed bumps are different then speed humps

speed bumps are 'sharp' and will give a speeding vehicle a really hard sharp 'bump'

speed humps are much more gradual and will slow traffic down 'somewhat'

humps are what you generally see at pedestrian crossings in malls

they are also more expensive than bumps

IMO: an engineer's report should be obtained before installation of either

DonB8 (California)
Posts: 12

Posted:

I live in a small (69 homes) gated community consisting of two main streets and five cul de sacs. Our speed limit is 25 MPH. We have been fighting speeding since the community was formed. We have investigated every possible method of slowing down speeders, and the only thing that is foolproof is the installation of speed bumps. The issue of speed bumps has been discussed many times at our meetings and no one, including the BOD is in favor of them.Recently I ordered a set of four bright yellow plastic yard signs that say "Please slow Down". They are about 12" square and mount on two wires designed to stick in the lawn. I constructed some PVC pipe frames and mounted the signs in the frames, and place them right in the middle of the street so they can be seen from both directions. With the cooperation of neighbors on the other streets, we place them in the street first thing in the morning and remove them just before dark. The streets are wide enough they do not interfere with traffic, and if someone were to hit one, they wouldn't do any damage to a vehicle. They have accidentally been left out overnight on occasions with no ill effect. The bright yellow show up well in the headlights.It takes about two minutes to walk out and place the signs in the morning, and the same time to remove them in the evening.I made up some small sand bags to be placed on the PVC frame on windy days.The signs have made a noticeable difference in speeding in the few weeks they have been in use. I try not to place them the same place every day so people don't become complacent. We have had a lot of positive feedback from our residents.Most speeders are residents who are so intent on the coming days activity's, that they aren't thinking about their speed. The yellow sign in the middle of the street brings them back to reality. I don't have a link to the signs or a picture of them in place since I'm away from home on another computer, but would be happy to relay that information to interested parties. The best part is, I have about $25.00 invested in two signs with frames.It's working for us. Good luck with your speeders....!!

BruceF1 (Connecticut)
Posts: 2,535

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By TomW19 on 05/19/2015 8:53 AM
We are a gated community. Our speed limit is 15MPH, but of course there are those that violate it. We have alot of children within our community. Has anyone had success with speed bumps? Where did you buy them? Did they work? Thanks

I would check with your local emergency services (police, fire, ambulance, paramedics) before installing speed bumps. Some claim they damage their vehicles and equipment. Others may outright prohibit them.

BonnieG1 (Nebraska)
Posts: 1,186

Posted:

Quote:

We haven't had any experience with speed bumps but a Board member mentioned installing them in our parking lot when it is resurfaced probably next year. Someone mentioned the difficultly these would cause when we had to remove snow in the winter.

StephanieM7 (Texas)
Posts: 7

Posted:

If you wanted to go ahead and install the speed bumps, who makes the decision? Is this something that the majority of the board can act on? Or do you need a majority of whoever is present (as long as quorum is met) at an official meeting? We also deal with severe speeding. We have 1 speed bump (I call it a speed stick that was done before the property management co took over). some hate and others want a second one. We have people saying its damaging to the vehicles while others are more concerned with the safety of the children (we have TONS of small kids in our small sub). How/Why do you vote on a speed bump but not every time the common grounds grass gets cut?

TimB4 (Tennessee)
Posts: 21,059

Posted:

My suggestion, before you install any speed bumps/humps, is to solicit opinions from the membership. They are the ones who will have to live with the consequences of having them or not having them.

MikeS1
Posts: 521

Posted:

For the first time ever, I'm going to agreed to disagree with my friend Tim on this. We tried installing the 15mph signs and the "children at play" signs and they did not work AT ALL. Our county has some traffic calming measures that you can petition fof if you qualify amd your streets are state streets, but ours are privately owned streets. We surveyed the homeowners and most everyone agreed that we needed a solution. Our solution was the removable Speed HUMPS (not bumps). The unbolt and remove them in the winter and then reinstall them in the spring. They have worked out just great. They are not asphalt. Emergency vehicles have no problem with these. Since they were installed, we did not get any adverse feedback. One of them is near the school bus stop and the parents love this. Check out the rubber type with yellow stripes that you bolt down the pavement.

TimB4 (Tennessee)
Posts: 21,059

Posted:

Mike,

We are not in disagreement. I said that I personally don't like them. I offered alternatives. I recommended membership involvement in the decision.

You stated that you tried alternatives and they didn't work.
You stated that you involved the membership who agreed something else needed to be done.
You stated what you did that worked (which I will take note of - as it may work in our development).

Seems like we agree.

MikeS1
Posts: 521

Posted:

You're very correct! --Sorry Tim. Also, I'll note that people use the term "speed bumps" almost exclusively, but what we have is what the industry calls "Speed Humps".
The speed humps are designed to keep folks below 15mph and have a longer more gradual arch to them, while Speed Bumps are designed to keep traffic down to around 5mph.
We have had NO complaints.

PitA
Posts: 311

Posted:

/b] Also, I'll note that people use the term "speed bumps" almost exclusively, but what we have is what the industry calls "Speed Humps".

speed bump = 5 mph

speed hump = 15 mph

JohnC46 (South Carolina)
Posts: 14,265

Posted:

I drove through a neighborhood that had "speed somethings". They paved, the same as the road. They were a good 5-6 feet deep and a few inches above the road surface. They were marked with a few painted white lines as you approached them. They did make you slow down but they were not bumpy nor jarring as you drove over them. I would have them installed if needed.

🎯 You've read this entire discussion

Join the conversation with 50,000 HOA & Condo Leaders:

✓ Ask follow-up questions
✓ Share your experience
✓ Get expert advice
✓ Access 350,000 discussions

Create Free Account →

⚡ Takes 30 seconds

Already a member? Log in here