Speed Bumps and other "Traffic calming" devices.

[Meerkat]

Get them all copies of Traffic (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!

[ducatiz]

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.

[Raux]

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 

[Rev. Millertime]

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.

[RAT900]

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...

[Duc Buz]

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.

[ducatiz]

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.

[il d00d]

Are they legal?  Check out the section on Sarasota

[Slide Panda]

Just buy a supermoto and jump them!  These things just encourage some bad behavior.

Like so?


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.

[Raux]

If you preload the suspension by jamming on the brakes and releasing right befor. a speed bump you can take them pretty fast

[rgramjet]

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.

[ducatiz]

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.

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

[Meerkat]

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.

Park it in your driveway/yard and point in the appropriate direction. Damn pinkos up there have regulated themselves into ridiculousness!

[rgramjet]

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.

[DRKWNG]

I think the bigger question is what in the hell were you doing in an ambulance with your five year old daughter?