Speed bumps, road humps or even sometimes known as sleeping policemen, traffic schemes involving raising a small area of the road surface are the most common and the most effective traffic calming feature.
While they can be effective, they are not always the best solution to a speeding problem. Some of the disadvantages are:
- they can be difficult for cyclists or motorcyclists to navigate
- local residents can complain about noise and sometimes vibration caused by lorries
- the road humps, street painting and sign change the character of a street
- they can be painful to drive over for the elderly or those in pain
- they can cause serious problems for the emergency services, both reducing speed, and causing discomfort for ambulance patients
A speed cushion is an alternative form of road hump which may help reduce these problems. Speed cushions are a smaller, square bump in the road which does not cross the whole road, meaning that buses and lorries are wide enough for their wheels to pass either side.
Sometimes it is better to look at other solutions, such as lighting, pedestrian crossings, speed enforcement, signage. That is why it is helpful to report speed concerns to us instead of making a more specific request.