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[carlos_fandango]

Hi Guys, Is it just me or has the country gone speed bump mad.
Im sick of replacing wishbones, steering and suspension parts. every other month and its not as though I thrash it over them either.

Not to mention that they dont work.
EG. The other night i saw a police chase in progress, the offender was coming towards me like the Thrust2, being airborne at every speed bump, whilst the police bless em, came to an almost standstill at every bump. Not quite believing what i saw i stopped, got out of the car and watched as the offenders dissapeared into the night.

Would it not make more sense and be more economical top all for local councils to build chicane's instead?

What are your thoughts and do you think it is worth taking further?

Carlos.

[carlos_fandango]

Would it not make more sense and be more economical top all for local councils to build chicane's instead?quote]
That should have read "For All" sorry.

[Doodley]

its the bloody pot holes and sunken drains that wind me up. I drive along looking like im drink driving to avoid them to give the poor miggy a break!

We pay all this council tax and they can't even keep the roads in good condition!

As for speed bumps, they are a waste of time, every speed slowing trick is a waste of time, if people really want to go fast then they will! It is always the innocent ones that get peanalized, example, any normal law abiding citizen like us would have to slow right down for those bumps, where as that person in the chase didint care because his car was probably stolen with no MOT tax or insurance!

Rant over!

[TheBoy]

i agree, the poor state of the roads does more damage. As I found out yesterday  

I go over a lot of speed bumps every day, and my wishbones and suspension survives ok  :-/

[Doodley]

yeah I havnt had any speed bump related damage in any of my cars. maybe you are going too fast?!  

[VX1]

Most of the speed humps you can drive straight over if you position the car right. The sleeping policeman type are the worst offender's they make them steep for you to slow down. yes I agree it is the condition of the roads the councils' need to sort these roads out first before putting in speed humps. The trouble is the council's only think about where the next lot of money is coming from and how much they are going to get the next time round, then they resurface the roads then some contractor comes along and digs it up again.

[Kevin Wood]

Speed bumps are counter productive IMHO. They may cause a driver to slow down but they focus his mind on the road 30 feet in front of the car to the exclusion of everything else.

They put speed bumps on a bit of road I use to get to work. Now, this road is rather well to do but unfortunately has become one of the main arteries into a town. Lots of influential residents, I'd imagine, who don't like the level of traffic. It's a 30 limit but a long straight road and it's easy to let your speed creep up.

They've tried speed bumps, then ripped them up. Then they tried chicanes, but approaching drivers used to accelerate to get round before the guy coming the other way. 2 Guys decide to try the same trick and there's a head-on. So, they've now ripped them up.

Meanwhile the surface is shocking, it's all you can do to keep the car in a straight line. They've spent hundreds of thousands of pounds experimenting with schemes that don't work and now, seemingly, there's nothing left in the coffers to ensure that it at least has a safe surface.

Kevin

[cem_devecioglu]

everyday big sums of money go down the drain just for those

*censored*  speed bumps

whoever want to go fast dont care nothing and go..

[Big Fra]

I was told an interesting bit of info about the little speed bumps which sit in the middle of the road. You know the ones where they look like a wee square sticking up?

Anywho, I was told, "Do not, drive straight over the top of these as they are just the right distance to catch the inside edge of the tyres. This can push the tyres out from the bottom, ruining your wheel alignment, your tyres and can also prematurely wear the wishbone bushes, and more importantly, the bottom ball joints. Plus if your car is lowered, or just has tired suspension, you risk smashing your sump, cats, gearbox or diff."

This was from a trusted mechanic.

So, he advised me to slow right down and mount the bump with one side of the car.
It does prove a bit more bumpy, especially as the council have now introduce 6 sets of bumps on a 400 yd stretch of road, right outside the cul-de-sac where I live.

Thanks East Dunbartonshire Council, I appreciate it.

[motmann]

i own/work in a medium size garage, the trend in the last 3yrs for coil spring and or shockabsorber replacement has gone up from 2coils per month to 3+ per WEEK! no particular make/type of car draw your own conclusions guys............

[Golfbuddy]

I've said it before. The cheapest and simplest way to improve road safety would be to remove air bags, seat belts, all road signs and lines. Then, fit a 6" stainless steel spike in the middle of the steering wheel on every car.

Speed would automatically fall and those who weren't confident in their ability to control a car just wouldn't drive. The more dangerous something appears to be the more cautious people naturally are.

[Doodley]

yep, thats what that bloke did, cant think of his name but he died recently, they had a test area in london where they removed all zebra crossings, line markings, signs etc and it was proven that it was safer.

[Martin_1962]

Followed a boy racer Corsa today, his exhaust was rattling away over the bumps - nearly stopping

My car is wide enough to go over them without touching, and if it was damaged - I would sue

[cem_devecioglu]

I've said it before. The cheapest and simplest way to improve road safety would be to remove air bags, seat belts, all road signs and lines. Then, fit a 6" stainless steel spike in the middle of the steering wheel on every car.

Speed would automatically fall and those who weren't confident in their ability to control a car just wouldn't drive. The more dangerous something appears to be the more cautious people naturally are.

 

very radical and practical solution  

[Golfbuddy]

I've said it before. The cheapest and simplest way to improve road safety would be to remove air bags, seat belts, all road signs and lines. Then, fit a 6" stainless steel spike in the middle of the steering wheel on every car.

Speed would automatically fall and those who weren't confident in their ability to control a car just wouldn't drive. The more dangerous something appears to be the more cautious people naturally are.

 

very radical and practical solution  

Radical? Yes! But, it would definitely work.

Too many people think that our roads are a private race track for their own 'sideways action'. One unsuspecting child or inexperienced driver in the wrong place at the wrong time and, no matter how good you are, it's all over. All the safety stuff makes the driving experience feel too safe when it's nothing of the sort. The more safety devices you add the faster and more recklessly some will drive. This is why the number of deaths on our roads hasn't reduced for many years despite the introduction of ABS, SRS, TC, the compulsory wearing of seat belts etc etc etc.

Make it more and more dangerous and people will automatically adjust their driving habits to compensate for the increased risk.

Oops, turned into a rant.