Joe Dog

The City of Anchorage has a program up and running now where citizens can request that temporary speed humps be installed for traffic calming. As the City web site says, "Temporary speed humps will be installed on a priority basis based on speed and volume of the identified roadways. Due to the overwhelming requests for temporary speed humps, requests under consideration will be limited to through streets - cul-de-sacs will not be considered.

I have three on my commute and they are no problem at all on a bike but seem to be effective at slowing auto and truck traffic. Here's a photo and a link if anyone is interested.

https://www.muni.org/traffic/TrafficCalming.cfm

sestivers

I don't agree with those or the normal speed bumps. All they do is encourage drivers to attempt to make up "lost time" between the bumps. This leads to increased gasoline consumption, and higher wear-and-tear on vehicles leading to energy consumption on what would otherwise be unnecessary maintenance.

joejack951

I have to disagree. I think speedbumps do work. Years ago, speed bumps were installed in my parents neighborhood both to slow drivers down and to discourage drivers from cutting through as a shortcut to get between two highways. There used to be tractor trailers that would come through the main neighborhood street at over 30 mph. That just doesn't happen any more due to the bumps. And, on my commute to work there are two speed bumps along a 25 mph road that runs between to neighborhoods. It is rare to see a driver trying to "make up lost time" while going over them. Most drivers slow way down, go the same slow speed between the bumps, then get back up to speed at a normal rate afterwards.

Do you happen to live in a larger city where people generally drive more aggressive? Maybe the solution in your case is a stop sign that randomly has a police car waiting nearby.

CRUM

Up here in Maine we have a system of natural speed bumps that pop up every Spring. They are called frost heaves and let me tell you if they bother to sign one, you better slow down. Or be prepared to go back for your exhaust system.

sestivers

Nope, just recalling the way I've seen many people drive through parking lots. Right now I live in Japan, where speed bumps are unnecessary because it's nearly impossible to drive faster than 35 mph.

sbhikes

I live on a street with speed humps and I can tell you they don't do a thing to calm or slow traffic. Just yesterday a guy in a pickup truck wailed through the bumps on our 25 mile street (bumps are marked at 15) at about 45 or 50. And it's a school zone no less.

I see that all day long. Traffic doesn't slow. They figure out pretty soon that at 40 you can't feel the bumps. Worse thing is a lot of these pickup truck guys have nails, screws and other construction materials that fall out the back when they go over the bumps. I'm constantly cleaning these things up in front of my driveway and all along the street because I'm sick of getting flat tires on my motorscooter.

joejack951

Maybe we have bigger speed bumps? Seriously, I've seen a lot of different sizes of bumps. There effective ones and ineffective ones. The effective ones will launch a car in the air if taken at the speed limit. The ineffective ones get easier the faster you go.

RonH

Speed bumps are used in lots of neighborhoods in the Atlanta area and for the most part really do work in slowing traffic without impeding the cyclist.

Dahon.Steve

Agreed.

The problem I see with the speed bumps in the picture are they are not BIG enough. I was on a street yesterday with speed bumps like those in the picture and an SUV rode over like it was nothing more than rumble strip while maintaining the same speed.

I've seen very effective speed bumps made of a long steel strip that's about 18 inches long and 10 inches high! Believe me, that steel speed bump brings traffic to 3 mph because it will cause major damage if you even think of hitting that at 25 mph!

I still believe these measures are happening because the motorist is getting too aggressive and traffic too congested. Towns that were designed like grids are being taken advantage of by the motorist who is getting tired of driving slow speeds on the main boulevard. Cul-de-sacs have the benefit in that the motorist can't drive "thru" these mazes or maintain speed because the design of the town prevents the motorist from using it as a short cut.

Dahon.Steve

It's not only the reduction of speed that towns are installing speed bumps. People are just sick of all the noise from motor traffic combined with the polution. It's a major quality of life issue and towns want to force the traffic right back onto the main highway/boulevard regardless if the traffic is horrendous.

noisebeam

This is so true. Speed bumps are evil. Our city has the same deal about 'citizen request' speed bumps and they put them on my 25mph street. Now I have to listen to the constant roar of engines getting up to speed between them. It is so freaking annoying and wasteful. Also drivers focus on the bumps instead of looking out for children or cyclists - they fixate on them with tunnel vision (as I have observed from my bike) Not only that they are not as gradual as the bumps shown in pic above, so you need to slow to 15mph to cross them - why are 15mph bumps put on a 25mph street. Why not post the street as 15mph and enforce it on occasion so folks know its real.

Al

foehn

Down in a neighboring city there is a cul-de-sac that has a warning sign that reads "UNDULATIONS." The first time I read this I thought WTF but as I kept driving on I found what that sign meant. The street had large, wide speed bumps, spaced pretty close together; the streedt "undulated" and if you went slow everything was hunky-dory, but go fast and you were in for some serious damage 'cuz you are bucking all over. Works in this case.

I have read that seriously narrowing streets and making them more swervy and curvy works wonders at slowing traffic down. Unlike water, which goes faster through a narrow spot, traffic slows down when forced narrower (I guess because most people don't want to crash and a driver is forced to pay more attention to the driving of the street. . .). Another city has done just this on a road and you do drive more slowly; I know because I have driven the street and have observed traffic there.