I have been recently labeled the neighborhood heathen due to my vocal opposition to "traffic calming devices".
The local residents association wants to riddle our streets with speed bumps, islands and possibly a circle or two. I am against any and all of these measures especially with the congestion that will increase due to Walter Reed moving to 355.
Ive stated, on the sometimes heated listserve debates, that taxpayer dollars are being wasted. These things interfere with snow plows and slow emergency vehicles before and after pickup (not to mention my vision of someday owning a Lamborghini!!!). Can anyone think of any other reasons to not install these unnecessary obstructions?
Its like the sheep are looking for a better way to corral themselves. These are two lane residential streets, speed limit is 25 and there are plenty of stop signs. We already have the flags and extended sidewalks in a couple locations.....ug.
We threw out those silly children at play signs with a flag on them... slowed traffic down a bunch... but the old neighborhood put in "speed humps" and the plows stopped going down their road.... so I back you on not wanting them. Plus, they are annoying.
Another point I made is what are all {{{{THE CHILDREN}}}} going to do when some day they come to a real intersection sans any sort of traffic calming device or flag to wave about?? They will have no skilz!
One day, several years ago, I was riding my first monster with my wife on the back so I had a bit less ground clearance. I also had a low slung Sil full system exhaust. A speed bump caught my header and put a dent in it even though I was going real slow. I mean, the exhaust system cost close to $1K. You could use my testimony as an argument. I'm sure your neighbors will change their minds when they realize that the bumps could damage an Italian Moto/work of art.
Roger - good luck with it. The citizens of MoCo seems determined to put those damned things in everywhere. I had them in my neighborhood over in N. Potomac (which is really W. Gaithersburg) and the contractor put them in so high that several cars were seriously damaged and the HOA had to pay to have everything removed and redone. When I come through Potomac, they're in one section near Carderock and it's miserable.
Our current neighborhood streets are SO freakin narrow that you can't speed particularly well except in a few places (where they put in a very small kind of bump-ish thing) so I"m hoping to escape that fate.
I think reminding them that snow plows will demolish them and everything will have to redone continually MAY be your most persuasive argument.
Get the circles at every intersection.... but no bumps...
THEY ARE FUN at speed ;D
all they need is for 1 person's Lamborghini or other high end exotic carbon fiber sports car to be damaged on those and the HOA/County to have to pay for it....hell...even a Callaway Vette is low enough to do it and be a nasty expense...
in dolci and I's current neighborhood, 1 traffic control device that seems to work a little bit and is less obstructive or intrusive or destructive is in certain intersections...they raise up the entire center of the intersection between all 4 of the crosswalks about 2-3 inches at about a 20% grade....
Screw the road bumps. Why not just let the cops do their job and write tickets. Slows down traffic, no stupid bumps and the city gets revenue from the citations. [thumbsup]
Install a magic roundabout.
Just buy a supermoto and jump them! These things just encourage some bad behavior.
Quote from: fastwin on September 14, 2011, 02:16:43 PM
Screw the road bumps. Why not just let the cops do their job and write tickets. Slows down traffic, no stupid bumps and the city gets revenue from the citations. [thumbsup]
+ 11ty billion.....our township is always whining about needing more money....they could fund a skyscraper for town hall if they would just write summonses for all the stop sign blow-thru's in our town
Quote from: rgramjet on September 14, 2011, 10:20:22 AM
I have been recently labeled the neighborhood heathen.
You
really expect us to believe this?
Remember, I've met your neighbors.
:D
BLAST! Once again, my reputation precedes me.....
I thought speed humps & bumps are wheelie assistants?
JM
They installed a speed hump on my block in september, removed it in May the following year, and left the signs up.
Im pretty sure that whole process cost about $30,000. thats a lot of freaking tax payer money that was thrown up into the air for no reason.
im sure they will install it again
Get them all copies of Traffic (http://www.amazon.com/Traffic-Drive-What-Says-About/dp/0307264785 (http://www.amazon.com/Traffic-Drive-What-Says-About/dp/0307264785)) and point out that people actually drive faster between the "traffic calming devices." There are several approaches to traffic control described in the book that actually do work, but most actually make things worse. Good Luck in Commieville!
There really is no fighting it
The snowplow issue is a good one though. The streets nearby me that have the bumps didn't get plowed. People pregnant doged. County said FU we aren't going to ruin the plows. Bumps left.
in our towns they added entry and exit chicanes. we live in a small village. one in a series of 4 between 2 larger towns.
it's 50kph in town (between the town entry sign and town exit sign) and 100kph between the towns. the second.. rarely followed or enforced, which isn't the issue, but before the chicanes which you HAVE to take at 50 in a car it would take half a town for people to slow down...
bonus is you don't have to slow on the bike [Dolph]
The city installed speed bumps in my friends neighborhood 3 years ago... a small narrow pile of blacktop that only made launching radio controlled cars more fun for the kids. Everyone in his neighborhood either drives full size pickups or full size SUVs, didn't slow them down a bit.
First winter, we gouged the shit out of them with a payloader while clearing his driveway (damn bucket kept falling every time we approached one, must have been a stuck hydraulic valve). 2nd year we made sure water got into the cracks in the winter and they all ended up breaking into multiple pieces. When the city got the quote to remove and replace the bad ones... they all went bye bye!
I've noticed that in every neighborhood that people pregnant dog about the speed of traffic, they fail to notice it's the residents of said neighborhood that are doing all the speeding, not usually outside traffic.
Quote from: Rev. Millertime on September 14, 2011, 09:56:06 PM
I've noticed that in every neighborhood that people pregnant dog about the speed of traffic, they fail to notice it's the residents of said neighborhood that are doing all the speeding, not usually outside traffic.
absolutely the case in my zone, Navigators and Explorers filled with soccer kids doing 50 plus down suburban neighborhood streets, cellphone glued to mom 's ear...right through the stop signs with a tap maybe on the brakes....flying past kids playing on the sidewalks etc...
I've noticed that in every neighborhood that people pregnant dog about the speed of traffic, they fail to notice it's the residents of said neighborhood that are doing all the speeding, not usually outside traffic.
+1
My neighbors say "Damn kids", and they have a hard time believing the issue is the adult residents.
Quote from: Duc Buz on September 15, 2011, 07:34:54 AM
My neighbors say "Damn kids", and they have a hard time believing the issue is the adult residents.
It is probably cheaper to set up a speed camera temporarily in the neighborhood. One of those trailer things. They are rent-able I believe. Take photos of the speeders in and send a pic and speed to them.
Don';t need to get permit to put it up, and probably a week's worth of photos would be enough to nail everyone.
Are they legal? Check out the section on Sarasota
http://www.ite.org/traffic/documents/AB00H4304.pdf (http://www.ite.org/traffic/documents/AB00H4304.pdf)
Quote from: DW on September 14, 2011, 03:59:23 PM
Just buy a supermoto and jump them! These things just encourage some bad behavior.
Like so?
DRZ 400 SM supermoto super moto jump (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYu7DQn5vAI#)
There's some around here (Shirlington/Fairlington). The ramp up on either side and have a 5-6' flat section between. Even as gentle as they are, there's still plenty of gouges from vehicles undersides on them.
They also have cut outs where they are at the normal road bed level, for emergency vehicles. I see regular folks using those cut outs all the time - which requires them to straddle the double yellow.
And there seems to be little to no difference in folks speeds in the sections with the bump vs the ones without. I see folks slow for the bump and jam on the gas between.
So they really seem to have no effect on folks speed and you get more people crossing a double yellow.
If you preload the suspension by jamming on the brakes and releasing right befor. a speed bump you can take them pretty fast [Dolph]
Quote from: ducatiz on September 15, 2011, 07:39:53 AM
It is probably cheaper to set up a speed camera temporarily in the neighborhood. One of those trailer things. They are rent-able I believe. Take photos of the speeders in and send a pic and speed to them.
Don';t need to get permit to put it up, and probably a week's worth of photos would be enough to nail everyone.
It's now illegal to park a trailer on residential streets overnight in MoCo. Includes boats, utility, enclosed, whatever. Again, its to make sure the children are safe. [roll]
Quote from: rgramjet on September 15, 2011, 10:58:37 AM
It's now illegal to park a trailer on residential streets overnight in MoCo. Includes boats, utility, enclosed, whatever. Again, its to make sure the children are safe. [roll]
One can probably get a variance for something like a traffic metering trailer.
Has anyone actually done a traffic study? It just seems very ad hoc. In my old neighborhood they put up islands at the intersections -- they make a car have to make a real 90 deg turn instead of cutting the turn by crossing the lane. it REALLY slowed down traffic, but the funny part was how often people ran over the islands for the first year, busting a tire. and it was always a local resident
Quote from: rgramjet on September 15, 2011, 10:58:37 AM
It's now illegal to park a trailer on residential streets overnight in MoCo. Includes boats, utility, enclosed, whatever. Again, its to make sure the children are safe. [roll]
Park it in your driveway/yard and point in the appropriate direction. Damn pinkos up there have regulated themselves into ridiculousness!
This evening, while riding in the back of an ambulance with my 5 year old daughter, I asked the emt if speedbumps pose any type of delay or hazard.
He said hell yes. If he is in a situation where seconds count and they have to slow to a crawl to not jostle the patient, that wasted time can make a huge difference.
I think the bigger question is what in the hell were you doing in an ambulance with your five year old daughter?
Is she ok?!
She did a sumersault and sliced the shit out of her leg on a toy. 17 stitches.
The lidacaine injection was hideous but she was very brave.
She walked out of the hospital like nothing was wrong. Thanks for asking.
Quote from: rgramjet on September 15, 2011, 08:40:56 PM
She did a sumersault and sliced the shit out of her leg on a toy. 17 stitches.
The lidacaine injection was hideous but she was very brave.
damn, glad that was over quick. 17 stitches in a 5yo? brave girl.