RazMan
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 posted on 12/5/08 at 07:56 PM |
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Speedbumps rant
Can someone please tell me what is the point of those square 'middle of the road' speedbumps? I have just spent some of my afternoon
ferrying people around in my taxi and then a mini-bus over a residential route which is smothered in the bu@@ers - I mean they are every 50 yards or
so
The daft thing is that they don't actually have any apparent affect - they don't slow traffic down at all as the normal vanilla flavoured
tin-top just tracks either side of the bumps without even flinching. 30mph, 40mph, 50mph ... it's all the same to a tintop or white van man.
Try and do the same in a kit car with anything less than 200mm clearance and you'll rip the sump off or at least make horrible graunching
noises! I have to use the middle of the road, slowing right down to 15mph, then go carefully over the blighters, usually managing to scrape something
on the way
I mean .... really .... what is the point of them !!
[rant mode off]
Cheers,
Raz
When thinking outside the box doesn't work any more, it's time to build a new box
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nitram38
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| posted on 12/5/08 at 07:59 PM |
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They are for the annoying old bloke/woman who drive in front of you and insist on doing 12 mph! 
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Guinness
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| posted on 12/5/08 at 07:59 PM |
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They slow Delboy down in the Robin? 
Mike
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Griffo
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| posted on 12/5/08 at 08:14 PM |
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I agree, I lost an exhaust (in my rover) to an unpainted one of them that the council had only just put in a day earlier. I was driving in the dark
and next thing i know there is a whipping great lump sticking out the road, i braked but way to late 
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carpmart
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| posted on 12/5/08 at 08:57 PM |
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The big issue with the humpy ones is that as you straddle them your suspension is being loaded in a very strange manner which I can't imagine is
conducive to the components longevity. Its certainly not how it is designed to be loaded and I am certain is being attributed to excess wear. I
think I read on a BMW forum about E39's having some 'shimmy' issues which is being attributed to this type of traffic calming bumps!
You only live once - make the most of it!
Radical Clubsport, Kwaker motor
'94 MX5 MK1, 1.8
F10 M5 - 600bhp Daily Hack 
Range Rover Sport - Wife's Car
Mercedes A class - Son's Car
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dhutch
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| posted on 12/5/08 at 10:10 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by carpmart
The big issue with the humpy ones is that as you straddle them your suspension is being loaded in a very strange manner which I can't imagine is
conducive to the components longevity. Its certainly not how it is designed to be loaded and I am certain is being attributed to excess wear. I
think I read on a BMW forum about E39's having some 'shimmy' issues which is being attributed to this type of traffic calming bumps!
Yeah, they wreck low profiles as well apprently.
- Dads mate had to have a full new set on is a6 after 5k.
- Booked it info its prelimnary first service jobby "sorry mate, all you tyres are a write off"
There not wrong, look fine from the outside, but all the inside tyre walls are fooked.
Daniel
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Peteff
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| posted on 12/5/08 at 10:36 PM |
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The red square ones round here I run over with two wheels on them and two in the gutter and they don't cause a problem if you aren't going
too fast.
yours, Pete
I went into the RSPCA office the other day. It was so small you could hardly swing a cat in there.
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ravingfool
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| posted on 12/5/08 at 11:13 PM |
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I nearly had a heart attack the other day as I was flying round some country lanes at night in the MGB and I came across what looked like one of these
little middle of the lane speedhumps, bloody jumped out of nowhere as i came round a blind corner on a national speed limit road leaving all of a
couple of meters to get down to an MGB friendly speed ( ~ 5 miles an hour, god she hates all kinds of speed bumps) Imagine my relief when it turned
out to just be the lines painted there to scare you.
Still, it was nowhere near anything that needs protecting, in the middle of bloody nowhere and I nearly shat myself, I've only just fitted a new
exhaust to the old girl and I thought I was gonna rip it clean off.
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Griffo
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| posted on 13/5/08 at 02:13 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by ravingfool
I nearly had a heart attack the other day as I was flying round some country lanes at night in the MGB and I came across what looked like one of these
little middle of the lane speedhumps, bloody jumped out of nowhere as i came round a blind corner on a national speed limit road leaving all of a
couple of meters to get down to an MGB friendly speed ( ~ 5 miles an hour, god she hates all kinds of speed bumps) Imagine my relief when it turned
out to just be the lines painted there to scare you.
Still, it was nowhere near anything that needs protecting, in the middle of bloody nowhere and I nearly shat myself, I've only just fitted a new
exhaust to the old girl and I thought I was gonna rip it clean off.
I wonder how long it will be before someone slams the anchors on coming around that corner and hits a wall/another car/pedestrian because of the fake
speed bump?
I'm ll in favour of them outside schools etc but they are starting to appear everywhere
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brynhamlet
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| posted on 13/5/08 at 06:22 AM |
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I've got a better one, on one of the country roads near me. Transco as was laid a new large gas-line across the road a few years ago and because
the artics use the road as a short cut the road surface has sunk. Result MK drops into it and something grounds. I know the sump has scrape marks on
it so I presume it’s that. Stopped using the road now, which is a shame as I know it well and it has a good combination of types of bends over ten
miles.
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speedyxjs
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| posted on 13/5/08 at 06:26 AM |
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Luckily we have the square ones round near us so my nice wide tintop can just sail over them. Its the long ones that stretch across the road that i
hate. Bottoms out every time
How long can i resist the temptation to drop a V8 in?
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MikeRJ
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| posted on 13/5/08 at 08:51 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by speedyxjs
Luckily we have the square ones round near us so my nice wide tintop can just sail over them.
Thats the issue though...what is the point of these things if it doesn't slow cars down?
Personally I think any obstruction in the road that causes damage if driven over within the speed limit should not be allowed. I also firmly believe
that any damage to vehicles should be paid for by the idiots that put the things there (i.e. dim-witted councils).
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RazMan
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| posted on 13/5/08 at 10:00 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by MikeRJ
Thats the issue though...what is the point of these things if it doesn't slow cars down?
Personally I think any obstruction in the road that causes damage if driven over within the speed limit should not be allowed. I also firmly believe
that any damage to vehicles should be paid for by the idiots that put the things there (i.e. dim-witted councils).
Exactly - I can see that they would encourage traffic to keep to their side of the road and stop overtaking but is that really what their designed
purpose is?
The large 'table top' variety are much less damaging to low slung cars (if taken at slow speeds) and even my car negotiates these without
scraping.
Those really narrow ones that are often moulded plastic are real killers though - they bounce the car into full droop and bottom out on the sump every
time.
Oh dear, I seem to have turned rant mode on again
Cheers,
Raz
When thinking outside the box doesn't work any more, it's time to build a new box
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MikeR
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| posted on 13/5/08 at 11:56 AM |
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i believe the sqaure ones are designed to allow wider vehicles to negotiate them without a problem.
IE an ambulance / fire engine doesn't have to slow down, but joe bloggs in the car does. With Joe slowing down this will slow down Mr. White Van
Man causing a 'traffic calming' effect.
The problem with the other type is that they cause ambulances / fire engines to slow down.
I got really miffed a few years ago as between buying my house and moving in the council added a load of 'traffic calming' measures
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BenB
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| posted on 13/5/08 at 01:40 PM |
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It's the speed cushions I don't like.... If up put one wheel either side I rip off my sump, if I put one wheel up and over the
"cushion" it rattles my fillings and threatens to rip off my sump. The only option is to wait until a gap in the opposite side of the road
and go in the gap between the "cushions". Great....
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trogdor
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| posted on 13/5/08 at 02:07 PM |
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Am not a fan as there is quite a few around where i live, but everyone parks on the road on these roads usually in the way of the speed bumps so have
to pass over the one on the other side, or the one in the middle depending if there is two or three across the road.
Another prob is a swing bridge on the way to work which has huge potholes but all the council do is fill it full of tarmac which lasts about 10 mins
before the holes reappear.
I tend not to slow down for speed bumps, i think it comes from owning a car that cost less than £200. My wife is the same in her £150 audi, though i
think thats more that she knows she doesn't have to fix it if it breaks!
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