New type speed humps
Discussion
I live in South Ayrshire and the other day I was driving through some backroads of a housing estate to avoid the main traffic of the town centre (this was in Prestwick for anyone that knows the area). To my disgust they have laid some new speed humps every 50yards or so, but not just any type of speed humps a new type that I have never seen before which makes it actually impossible for me to go over them without damaging my car!
The type in question don't even stretch all across the road, they are square and comprise of two 3foot square humps, lumps or whatever u wnat to call them lying in the middle of both directions. Now if you go over them like ur ment to with the hump under the car it reaches about hlaf way up my front bumper and would majorly rip it off, if you try and straddle the two you not only block the opposite direction but its basically like putting the car on stilts. The only option was to put one wheel on the middle and the other wheel down the side in the gutter (where a glass bottle had been smashed) and almost hitting the kurb and with one side of the car drastically higher then the other.
The other major thing about these is they are not visible and having not been in there area for a wee while (away at uni) then I was lucky i went along during the day or there is no chnace i would have known these to be here. To negociate these safetly you must go over them at about 1-4mph or the car would lift off.
And the thing that really gets me is the fact that there not even needed, a quiet short stretch of road split up by a STOP junction half way down at a crossroads which means speeds are kept down, and also between the pavement and the road there is a rather large grass border. There is a school reasonably close by but not very and its a secondary school at that!
I am totally apalled that they would even think about doing this, another waste of money on the councils part, it damaged my car and the noise level must be increased hugely! THere are about 10 of these things in total as well!
Richard
The type in question don't even stretch all across the road, they are square and comprise of two 3foot square humps, lumps or whatever u wnat to call them lying in the middle of both directions. Now if you go over them like ur ment to with the hump under the car it reaches about hlaf way up my front bumper and would majorly rip it off, if you try and straddle the two you not only block the opposite direction but its basically like putting the car on stilts. The only option was to put one wheel on the middle and the other wheel down the side in the gutter (where a glass bottle had been smashed) and almost hitting the kurb and with one side of the car drastically higher then the other.
The other major thing about these is they are not visible and having not been in there area for a wee while (away at uni) then I was lucky i went along during the day or there is no chnace i would have known these to be here. To negociate these safetly you must go over them at about 1-4mph or the car would lift off.
And the thing that really gets me is the fact that there not even needed, a quiet short stretch of road split up by a STOP junction half way down at a crossroads which means speeds are kept down, and also between the pavement and the road there is a rather large grass border. There is a school reasonably close by but not very and its a secondary school at that!
I am totally apalled that they would even think about doing this, another waste of money on the councils part, it damaged my car and the noise level must be increased hugely! THere are about 10 of these things in total as well!
Richard
Theyre called "speed cushions" and are the latest in line of stupid measures put in place by even more stupid road planners on behalf of the absolute stupidest of all: the council.
Theyve put frikkin hundreds of em round here and the only way to avoid ripping out the underside of the car is to avoid those particular roads
causing me to burn more fuel, or driving up on the blasted pavement where the kiddies play...pfff
Im pretty sure that the local authorities are just anti car and really do hate us motorists.
Question is, whos gonna stump up the cash to fix the roads when everyone is walking?
Theyve put frikkin hundreds of em round here and the only way to avoid ripping out the underside of the car is to avoid those particular roads
causing me to burn more fuel, or driving up on the blasted pavement where the kiddies play...pfff
Im pretty sure that the local authorities are just anti car and really do hate us motorists.
Question is, whos gonna stump up the cash to fix the roads when everyone is walking?
If these things will damage your car - protest!
www.abd.org.uk/speed_humps.htm
and also see this in the S forum:
www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=32331&f=11&h=0
(S's have more ground clearance problems with their exhausts than any other car I've ever known
)
Edit: They've put some of these poxy things in near me.. I occupy the centre of the road - have to in order to get the S down it (to my local garage!). Everyone else can just get out of the way - I don't give a fcuk!
(Sorry Don & Mrs Don if you encounter me coming the other way - I'm sure Mrs Don will understand, having to get her Chim up and down Pack Lane every bloody day
)
>> Edited by CarZee (moderator) on Friday 4th April 12:20
www.abd.org.uk/speed_humps.htm
and also see this in the S forum:
www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=32331&f=11&h=0
(S's have more ground clearance problems with their exhausts than any other car I've ever known
) Edit: They've put some of these poxy things in near me.. I occupy the centre of the road - have to in order to get the S down it (to my local garage!). Everyone else can just get out of the way - I don't give a fcuk!
(Sorry Don & Mrs Don if you encounter me coming the other way - I'm sure Mrs Don will understand, having to get her Chim up and down Pack Lane every bloody day
) >> Edited by CarZee (moderator) on Friday 4th April 12:20
We have those things on our road, and I've found that the faster you travel over them, the less uncomfortable it seems to be - not sure why though 
15mph = quite a jolt, 30mph = no problem.
Unfortunately others have discovered the same thing, and some people absolutely pelt down there. I presume the aim of them is to allow fire engines/ambulances (with their wider tracks) to be unaffected at any speed, as they can straddle them, but WVM has noticed he can do that too - and as for motorbikes slaloming between them...
15mph = quite a jolt, 30mph = no problem. Unfortunately others have discovered the same thing, and some people absolutely pelt down there. I presume the aim of them is to allow fire engines/ambulances (with their wider tracks) to be unaffected at any speed, as they can straddle them, but WVM has noticed he can do that too - and as for motorbikes slaloming between them...
DrSeuss said: We have those things on our road, and I've found that the faster you travel over them, the less uncomfortable it seems to be - not sure why though
This is to do with your particular suspension settings.
Your car will be able to deal with a particluar speed hump profile perfectly at one particluar speed.
Too slow and the car wallows all over the place, too fast and you leave your axle back down the road.
Different cars have different speeds. I reckon Toyota LandBrusiers can tank over them at 60 and not feel a thing.
Andy
Used to be able to take them like they we'rent ther in the Pug 306 XSi but in the Elise I have to be extra careful and in the girlfriends Mini - Stop get out lift car over and then drive 20metres to next one and repeat.
I'm still wondering what happened to the air cushin ones that deflated at the correct speed? Any info on these would be much appreciated.
I've got so hacked off with these thigs I'm now becoming tempted to run for council and get the b'stards to remove them.
I'm still wondering what happened to the air cushin ones that deflated at the correct speed? Any info on these would be much appreciated.
I've got so hacked off with these thigs I'm now becoming tempted to run for council and get the b'stards to remove them.
I live in South Ayrshire and the other day I was driving through some backroads of a housing estate to avoid the main traffic of the town centre (this was in Prestwick for anyone that knows the area). To my disgust they have laid some new speed humps every 50yards or so, but not just any type of speed humps a new type that I have never seen before which makes it actually impossible for me to go over them without damaging my car!
The type in question don't even stretch all across the road, they are square and comprise of two 3foot square humps, lumps or whatever u wnat to call them lying in the middle of both directions. Now if you go over them like ur ment to with the hump under the car it reaches about hlaf way up my front bumper and would majorly rip it off, if you try and straddle the two you not only block the opposite direction but its basically like putting the car on stilts. The only option was to put one wheel on the middle and the other wheel down the side in the gutter (where a glass bottle had been smashed) and almost hitting the kurb and with one side of the car drastically higher then the other.
The other major thing about these is they are not visible and having not been in there area for a wee while (away at uni) then I was lucky i went along during the day or there is no chnace i would have known these to be here. To negociate these safetly you must go over them at about 1-4mph or the car would lift off.
And the thing that really gets me is the fact that there not even needed, a quiet short stretch of road split up by a STOP junction half way down at a crossroads which means speeds are kept down, and also between the pavement and the road there is a rather large grass border. There is a school reasonably close by but not very and its a secondary school at that!
I am totally apalled that they would even think about doing this, another waste of money on the councils part, it damaged my car and the noise level must be increased hugely! THere are about 10 of these things in total as well!
Richard
The reason they're like that is so emergency vehicles can drive over them at speed. As a Transit driver I can verify they don't slow you down much
Not that I'm trying to justify road calming in any way, I still think it sucks.
dick dastardly said: We've had them down here for about a year. It's fine if you just drive straight over them, so that the whole thing just goes straight under your car. How low is your car? What is it? Mine is low but clears them fine, they look a lot worse than they are.
Used to be able to do that to some round here. Either drive straight over them or go through the middle, however they have now widened them
Total empathy.
Round here, in a particularly dire province of scrotial provenance, probably not dissimilar to Ricardo's housing estate, I too have encountered quite the most mind numbing multiple scattering of said 'speed cushions' and regular speed bumps.
The effect is to send varying types of vehicle all over the carriageway in numerous deseprate attempts to avoid the inevitable scraping and breaking of expensive, hard-grafted for car parts...
I wonder: do you think that the bastards who sit in the council departments who plan then implement these vile impediments actually do it deliberately? I mean, they must enjoy the mealy-mouthed conceptulising of these schemes to 'get back' at the car driving fascists for whom they hold nothing but blind, loathesome, albeit entirely misplaced contempt; these 'non-disadvantaged fat cats' who frankly, need teaching a lesson or two?
Round here, in a particularly dire province of scrotial provenance, probably not dissimilar to Ricardo's housing estate, I too have encountered quite the most mind numbing multiple scattering of said 'speed cushions' and regular speed bumps.
The effect is to send varying types of vehicle all over the carriageway in numerous deseprate attempts to avoid the inevitable scraping and breaking of expensive, hard-grafted for car parts...
I wonder: do you think that the bastards who sit in the council departments who plan then implement these vile impediments actually do it deliberately? I mean, they must enjoy the mealy-mouthed conceptulising of these schemes to 'get back' at the car driving fascists for whom they hold nothing but blind, loathesome, albeit entirely misplaced contempt; these 'non-disadvantaged fat cats' who frankly, need teaching a lesson or two?
wont hitting a speed hump at any decent speed knacker your suspension, irrespective of what vehicle? The only time i've gone at full pelt over a speed hump was in a skateboard... great for getting air on an otherwise flat piece of road 
if you want to make progress then speed humps are a pain, but if you enjoy hard acceleration and crackling exhaust sounds in a road that would otherwise have you doing a dull 30mph, then speed humps are amusing: slow down to 1mph, accelerate like a bastard to 30mph, lift foot off accelerator *crackle* *pop* brake to 1mph, accelerate like a bastard to 30mph, lift foot off accelerator *crackle* *pop*
how the local housing estates must regret asking for "speed calming" measures to be laid down! (note to self: must grow up)
if you want to make progress then speed humps are a pain, but if you enjoy hard acceleration and crackling exhaust sounds in a road that would otherwise have you doing a dull 30mph, then speed humps are amusing: slow down to 1mph, accelerate like a bastard to 30mph, lift foot off accelerator *crackle* *pop* brake to 1mph, accelerate like a bastard to 30mph, lift foot off accelerator *crackle* *pop*
how the local housing estates must regret asking for "speed calming" measures to be laid down! (note to self: must grow up)Brighton Council are trying to put these things in my road. The residents are having none of it. A petition has already been submitted. The plans on display have one of these things right outside my front door! If it goes in, I'll be hiring a pneumatic drill...
Apparently (says council engineer I spoke to) it will cost £10k to put in just 3 of these things.
What really takes the pi$$ is that there are only houses on one side of the street - the other is an allotment, no pavement, just a bloody big hedge! No one will ever crosses the road, no need to!
I'm obviously paying too much council tax.
Apparently (says council engineer I spoke to) it will cost £10k to put in just 3 of these things.
What really takes the pi$$ is that there are only houses on one side of the street - the other is an allotment, no pavement, just a bloody big hedge! No one will ever crosses the road, no need to!
I'm obviously paying too much council tax.
Yep even if you find the harmonic to go over them without slowing, one day, in a few years, your suspension is going to be completely shagged.
They've had these in Surrey for ages
Worse though are the bloody chicanes, they are often not properly lit and and force you to deviate towards the pavement and anyone on it. It may be that councils are ditching them though as there were some in Walton on Thames that appear to have been removed.Gassing Station | General Gassing [Archive] | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff