Ask for a Speed Hump — Not a Speed Bump — to (Quietly) Slow Traffic

Biking and walking is much more comfortable when motorist traffic is slower, plus safety is improved; lower speed reduces both the likelihood and severity of crashes. Sometimes motorists must be reminded to slow down — usually because the road design encourages them to drive too fast.

Changes to the road design that encourage slowing down to the speed limit are called traffic calming in engineering circles. These changes are often needed because roads are intentionally designed to encourage driving faster than the speed limit — by NJDOT policy, generally 5-10 mph above the posted limit. (This chart is on PDF page 19 in the state’s Roadway Design Manual.)

Residents concerned about traffice speeds may ask for speed bumps when talking to an engineer or public official. The response is often along the lines of “people always want speed bumps until we put them in. Then they want them removed because of noise”.

Try asking for a speed hump instead.

This is a speed hump, not a speed bump

A speed bump causes significant noise when hit by a vehicle, but a speed hump has an easier slope while still gaining the same elevation. It slows traffic without the noise.

Tags: , , , , , ,

Comments are closed.

Archives

Categories

Tag Cloud

bicycle bicycle commuting bicycle safety Bicycle Tourism bicycling Bike/Ped Path Bike Commuting bike lanes bike path bike racks bike ride bike safety biking Community Bike Ride Complete Streets crosswalk D&R Canal Downtown Princeton Junction East Coast Greenway Historic Bike Trail League of American Bicyclists Learn to BIke Livable Communities Main Street Mercer County mercer county bike commuting Mercer County Park multi-use trails National Bike Month NJDOT pedestrian pedestrian safety Plainsboro Princeton Princeton Junction train station Ride of Silence Route 571 safety sidewalks Smart Transportation speed limits traffic Trolley Line Trail walking West Windsor