I fully support the many calls for limiting or preventing the use of e-bikes and scooters for the safety of our children. Anything we can do to improve the safety of our children is a must.
There is another measure I would like to bring up that can also have a great impact on the safety of our streets, and that is the installation of speed bumps.
Now, speed bumps are often criticized. Some argue they are annoying, damage cars, or slow emergency vehicles. While those concerns deserve consideration, the evidence overwhelmingly shows that the safety benefits far outweigh the inconveniences.
Part of the growing support for restricting e-bikes and scooters is because of the danger that excessive speed creates in residential areas. The same logic should apply to cars. If we are willing to limit children’s ability to travel too fast in the interest of safety, why shouldn’t we also support measures that slow thousands of pounds of steel driving through neighborhoods where children play?
Speed bumps are one of the simplest and most effective ways to reduce speeding. According to the Federal Highway Administration, they typically reduce the speeds of the fastest drivers by about 5 to 10 mph. That may not sound like much, but it can make the difference between a close call and a tragedy.
Studies have consistently found that speed bumps reduce crashes. In fact, Federal Highway Administration studies have found crash reductions ranging from roughly 33% to 48% after speed bumps were installed. Speed matters because a pedestrian’s chance of serious injury increases dramatically with every additional mile per hour. Research from the AAA Foundation found that at around 23 mph, the risk of severe injury is about 25%. By 31 mph, it rises to 50%, and by 39 mph, it reaches approximately 75%. Simply slowing vehicles by a few miles per hour can save lives.
One of the most common complaints is that speed bumps damage vehicles. Properly designed speed bumps are intended to be driven over safely when motorists travel at the appropriate speed. If someone is repeatedly hitting them hard enough to damage their car, perhaps that says more about how they are driving than about the speed bump itself. In many ways, that is exactly why such measures are needed.
Emergency response times are a legitimate concern, which is why speed bumps should be used where appropriate, not on every road, but especially on local residential streets and within residential developments where children crossing the streets and playing is much more prevalent. The goal is not to inconvenience drivers. It is to encourage safe driving where it matters most.
No one enjoys slowing down for a speed bump. But if the choice is between adding a few seconds to a driver’s trip or reducing the chance that a child is seriously injured, the choice should be an easy one. A few seconds of inconvenience is a small price to pay for a safer neighborhood.
Concerned resident
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Would love them too, still don’t see a solution in regards to having the plows not ripping them up.
What about installing removable speed bumps that could be removed say November-April?
Of course let’s make everyone’s daily commute even longer, with more traffic, how about you don’t let your kids play in the streets, stop trying to get the government to parent for you. E-bikes drove at excessive speeds on sidewalks everywhere mowing down the pedestrians rightfully there.
E-bikes of all sortsdon’t belong on sidewalks at all. They should probably be made illegal. At least until some actuall laws and enforcable penalties are passed.
I personally would love the government to finally parent those who drive recklessly on Lakewood’s streets. Yes, the street grid fails to accommodate the population growth–but that does not excuse dangerous driving.
Philadelphia’s streets often have speed pillows, which are elongated–and plowable–speed bumps/humps that a car can safely and comfortably traverse at speeds up to 25 MPH.
Something has got to change for the benefit of all those who use Lakewood’s roads and sidewalks.
Very well written! The fact that you used legitimate data and not emotions gives it the ground it needs to stand. I just want to say that you’re extremely right about only putting them where necessary and building them properly. If they are put everywhere without thought and/or not built properly, people will not like them and they will get taken away. If they are done in the right way they can do a lot of good.
Yes, but also… well actually.
Everyone should be taught essay writing, it teaches how to construct and present an argument; it also teaches some logical shortcuts, and in turn, let’s you recognize those shortcuts.
Let’s examine the “data” from the FHA and AAA:
There is an implicit claim, where we link up the data about speed bumps (#1, #2) to that injury risk (#3).
But we cannot do that. You need a study looking at the risk of injury in regards to speed bumps to draw any conclusions about that claim.
Also, if we critically examine examine it, we should not expect this claim to be true. Because you simply cannot install speed bumps in a 30+mph zone.
That’s not to say we shouldn’t install speed bumps. (We should also study the effects of injury with respect to speed bumps.) I would also advocate for installing them where they make sense, such as parking lots and 10mph zones. Except, traffic engineers know about speed bumps, yet they aren’t widely deployed. I would want to understand why that is before making a recommendation. Sometimes there is a good reason, other times it’s just because “That’s how everyone does it”.
Your “local residential streets” are exactly where your emergency service vehicles need to get through. Quickly. And let’s ignore the snake-effect traffic congestion that happens from speed bumps. Every single traffic study conflicts with every other one. You can cherry pick specific results and statistics out of all of them and make the data you want.
Never going to happen. My block has been reaching out to the Township, police department, and Mayor for months. All we got is a small speed sign. They responded with a diplomatic answer and completely ignored our follow up calls and emails.
Are they waiting for someone to get killed before they wake up and do what’s right or are they going to continue ignoring the reckless driving in this town? Maybe it’s time people petition the State Police to come in and do the job Lakewood police should be doing.
The safety of our residence should not be political.
The main issue is snow removal and the lack there of where the speed bumps will be placed, which is what I was told by higher ups in our government when I suggested the same thing. Though your thoughts are well meaning, the main issues here are a lack of respect for your fellow residents and the complete lack of traffic law enforcement. If people would drive through other neighborhoods as they would their own, there would be no problem. If the police would issue tickets instead of warnings or looking the other way, that would be the ultimate deterrent. Growing up here in the 60’s and 70’s you would get a ticket for this behavior. I personally know of one officer that actually gave his own wife a speeding ticket!
It sounds like a good idea, but somehow we always end up with the type of speedbumps they have by satmar off cross (and I can assure you that those are specially designed to destroy the subframe of your car even if you’re driving a measly 5 mph ikyk).
Why can’t they give us those big speedbumps they have on ridge before the cemetery?? If you slow down to 20 mph you barely feel it…
Jut to explain to people, when his says big speed bumps, he means wide ones – instead of a strip just a foot or two wide, they’re 5-10′ wide (haven’t measured but you get the idea – much more comfortable when going over)
It seems the author of this piece is unaware of the difference between a “speed Bump” & a “speed Hump”
What’s the difference – are they done narrowly purposely? The wide ones force you to slow down too, but are much more comfortable when going over, and maybe are safer for the car too, as some have noted. (It’s also a question about those sports cars that are very low to the ground. We assume engineers take that into account – I’ve seen them going over extremely slowly, but no scraping then.)
the angle of the incline has an affect as well
Very good idea.
Excuse me but if parents did their job and got their kids out of the streets which are meant for cars and not kids everything would be very safe. Please stop passing the buck by placing parents responsibility onto the drivers
What about speeding vehicles and the countless selfish drivers on their phones? They would have to slow down and pay attention, novel idea eh?
The answer is not speed bumps, the answer is narrower roads. You can’t speed down a narrow road.
Ever been to West Gate?
Narrower roads? Are you funny? Streets in this town are so narrow that many times you need to move iver to the side to allow oncoming traffic to pass.
In one place they put a 25MPH sign with solar blinking lights around it every block.
The answer to safer streets is removing all the bad drivers on our roads. After that, speed bump installations won’t be necessary.
Yes, that’s the dream. But, practically, that would be a costly endeavor. I think Philadelphia’s “speed pillows” (elongated–and plowable–speed bumps that can safely and comfortably be driven over at speeds up to 20 or so MPH) are the ticket (no pun intended). Also, illegal driving has to be seen for that which it: illegal. And inconsiderate driving has to be seen by members of the community for that which is it: contrary to the dictates of the Torah. It’s okay if you want to think of me as an unreasonable moralist or a killjoy. The reckless driving, however is actually killing people. So, who’s the true killjoy!?
If ICE can be deployed to catch illegal aliens, why can’t cars owned by dangerous and irresponsible drivers be confiscated by the police.
We already have potholes except they’re generally a surprise.
I own my vehicles, I keep them for 20 years and run them to 300,000 miles of which I drive very slow and careful over speed bumps. Unfortunately most vehicles around are leased of which the lessors maintain and care about them like a tenant of a rented home. Most leased vehicles are driven to the ground and “finished” at 30,000 miles. Before returning them the lessors give them to a cheap body shop to clean them up & the leasing company revives them a bit mechanically and sells them to suckers. Many are driven by teens or impatient adults of which I see them “fly” like maniacs over beat up roads and speed bumps, they just don’t care about the vehicles or safety. Speed bumps may help a bit, but it will not change things.
We asked about it for our street in Jackson and was told it’s too expensive. We have people driving 40-45 in a 25. The school busses are sometimes the worst.
Agree school busses tasked with taking our kids to school are at times a danger to our kids they speed thru narrow residential streets without a care.
They need heavy speed bumps.
Every little thing counts there are enough ppl that would slow for a speed bump so it helps a certain percentage.
Anything and everything that we can do to make streets safer is a good thing.
I grew up in a city outside of the tri state area and it was regular that residential streets had speed bumps.