Speed Control - Speed Bumps

Cathy, if inside a town contact the City; if unincorporated contact the County. Request they add speed bumps and speed limit signs. If they tell you they won't check to see whether they would install if the HOA paid for part of the cost.

Cathy a lot of local community law enforcement agencies are now loaning radar guns to local neighborhood watch programs. Over a set limit the police agency sends a "friendly" letter to the offender. You can also call the local offices for UPS, FEDEX, etc. and complain to the shipping manager, s/he gets enough calls and they'll get on their drivers; letters are even better.

Speed bumps are illegal in Kentucky, except on private roads.

Very few communities here are gated communities with private roads.

Our local fire departments strongly discourage subdivisions from putting in speed humps, but speed humps are legal in some areas. (Not all - the state has not "signed off" on them and are still allowing only a handful.

In cases where they are letting them be put in, the community splits the cost of the hump with the local municipality. I wish I could tell you exactly, but I can't really remember. I BELIEVE the cost to us would have been something along the lines of $1,800 per hump.

However, the residents in our community voted down the project.

I disagree with the notion that the only way to slow down people is to put in speed bumps. That is like saying the only way to stop a kid from stealing again is to cut off their hands. Why start with that solution which creates other problems. As Harold said it slows down emergency vehicles. IF someone is breaking into my house or I am having a heart attack the time it takes to slow down for those speed bumps could literally be the difference between life and death.

Try other methods first, post speed limit signs, and slow down, children at play signs. Talk to your local police department about showing up once in a while to run radar, it will only take a couple of tickets to slow down people for a long time. See if the police will park one of their mobile radar gun trailers on your streets for a period of time. If you have commercial vehicles driving through fast, contact the company, I guarantee you those folks will get talked to. Bring it up at HOA meetings, if you see your neighbor do it chastise them, tell them that you don't want them running your kids over because they are in a hurry. If you see someone speeding roll a ball out in front of them, if they stop tell them thank you because normally a child is right behind a loose ball.

Now, if all those things fall to slow down anyone, then go to speed bumps. You will always have speeders, it is a fact of life, even with bumps.

Speed bumps.
I don't imagine speed bumps should be installed in areas that the speed limits are over 25. Those mph roadside digital readers work for a while. So does parking a empty police car, for a while, so does signs for a while. The only thing I have seen that really slows folks down for a short stretch in a neighborhood is a big sign that says: Speed limit, 25 or whatever. Fine for exceeding limit $200.00 minium. Then enforce it.
This of course requires a cooperative effort between HOA and police. It a tough one to regulate. We have a sign in our underground garage that says (believe it or not) 8 mph, also have speed bumps and golf carts race around the bumps like a demo derby. The area is not well lighted and I can just see some senior citizen like me drive into the garage, see 8 mph, and start looking at the speedometer for 8mph, by the time I found it I would be wrapped around one one the concrete supports.

Hi Everyone,

Thanks, I rec'd a lot of great ideas as well as things to ponder. I will take them all into consideration.

Thanks again,
Cathy

DJ:

Speed bumps don't enforce 24/7, people still speed, hit their brakes hard and then speed off.