disappointed they are that the carriageway repairs in Dunstan Road have
resulted in smaller road humps"
(http://ruthwilkinson.mycouncillor.org.uk/2011/09/14/bring-back-our-humps/)
She says that officers will visit the site on Monday to carry out a review.
I'm not a great fan of road humps. As a cyclist they are at best uncomfortable
and at worst dangerous. As a motorist the worst ones bump the car around
however slowly you drive over them. Bus and emergency service vehicle drivers
and passengers dislike them. You can't fit a drip into a patient in an
ambulance while it's driving over speed bumps.There are regulations specifying
height and gradient limits, but it's not unusual for these to be ignored. So in
the interests of investigative journalism I road-tested the new speed bumps
today, by bicycle and by car.
My conclusion is that the Council has wasted its money on the remodelled humps.
The new road surface is nice and smooth, but the new humps are less noticeable
than most of the unrepaired holes and bumps in other parts of Dunstan Road. A
slight rise and fall is all you'll notice. Contrast this with the two remaining
original bumps nearest the JR Hospital end, which are as abrupt and vicious as
any you'll find outside Howard Street (E Oxford).
Whether or not speed bumps really do reduce accidents and injuries I don't
know, but if we're going to have them then at least they should have some
effect on traffic. Personally I'd prefer them removed entirely, but if the
Council decide to rebuild them, please can they make sure they comply with the
latest specifications.