“Speed bumps aren’t the panacea that a lot of people think they are because …. somebody has to put up with the noise of people going over them outside their house and, interestingly enough, the people between the speed bumps have to put up with faster traffic. The traffic speeds up to make up the lost time from slowing down. Instead of an even pace in the street, you’ve got traffic braking to go -- bump, bump -- over the speed bump and then speeding up between (them)”.
Source: David Engwicht, best-selling international author on traffic calming, at “Mental Speed Bumps” lecture given in Vancouver, Washington on October 19, 2005. (Filmed by CVTV, who provided videotape.)
"When designed and installed properly, speed humps will reduce vehicle speeds to 15-20 mph at the hump and 25-30 mph between humps in a series."
Source: "A Study on Speed Humps" prepared by the Center for Transportation Research and Education at Iowa State University, Duane E. Smith, P.E. and Karen L. Giese, September 1997
| Speed Hump Location | Design Type | Speed on Speed Humps | Speed between Speed Humps |
| 1 Av NE | Seminole |
|
|
| Freemont Av N | Watts |
|
|
Source: Mid-Block Speed Control: Chicanes and Speed Humps, John C. Marek and Shauna Walgren, Seattle Transportation
"Speed humps cause atmospheric pollution from the speeding up and slowing down of traffic between the humps (see TRL report No. 482 on this subject). For example, TRL reports a 59% increase in CO, about 50% increase in HC and about 25% in CO2 from petrol catalyst vehicles averaged over all types of traffic calming measures, with even higher numbers over more "severe" measures such as speed humps."
Source: The Objections to Speed Humps (Submission to the London Assembly)
Published by the Bromley Borough Roads Action Group (B.B.R.A.G.), October 2003
TRL Report 482 / 2001 “The Impacts of Traffic Calming Measures on Vehicle Exhaust Emissions”, Boulter, P.G., Hickman, A.J., Latham, S., Layfield, R., Davison., P. (AEA Technology), Whiteman, P. (AEA Technology), 2001 - available from Transport Research Laboratory (£50.00)
Reviewed -
"For these newer vehicles some modes of operation, such as rapid accelerations (which may occur on some roads with traffic calming), can result in fuelling conditions which deviate from those required for the optimum control of pollutants. Any such deviation can result in a momentary emission rate that is an order of magnitude higher than the baseline rate."
Source: "Traffic calming pushes up emissions", Air Quality Management, Issue Nbr. 64, April 2001
"Speed bumps increase noise levels 10 to 20 decibels when wheels hit the bump. This increase in noise can be bothersome in quiet residential neighborhoods."
Source: City of Livermore, California, (website, November 2005)
"In Omaha, Nebraska, ... residents complained about the speeding that still existed, as well as about vehicle damage and increased noise levels."
Source: "Effects of Traffic Calming Measures on Pedestrian and Motorist Behavior", Herman F. Huang and Michael J. Cynecki, Transportation Research Record 1705, Paper No. 00-0443
Contact Information for ti.org/calmingrisk.com
Email: calmingrisk@yahoo.com