Pat Regan: Dump the Bumps in Southport

More good reasons why Sefton's lazy Council need to wake up and shift these ineffectual eyesores

Speed Bumps are killing us, said Capital’s ambulance chief

A top London Ambulance Service boss previously advised that speed bumps are killing hundreds of residents by delaying 999 crews. He said, “For every life saved through traffic calming, more are lost because of ambulance delays.”

Minutes and even seconds save lives and an ambulance that is struggling away on time - consuming speed bumps is NOT saving lives!

Dump the Bumps – doing more harm than good!

https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/dump-the-bumps

Let’s check some points that many expert observers have made, including professional engineers, community action groups and safety campaigners.

So, ignoring council-based spin, what can the bumps do? They can…

Progressively and even at low speeds, damage the inner shoulders of car tyres where the impairment cannot be seen until it’s too late. This may sometimes lead to sudden blowouts and potential tragedies later in the vehicle's excursions.

They can, again even at low speeds, cause damage to vehicle suspension units and steering systems. They may eventually break car road springs. This may sometimes lead to high speed crashes later in the vehicle's excursions.

They undermine motorcycles and bicycles, occasionally throwing the rider into the path of another vehicle, which creates crashes.

They are principally deadly to motorcyclists and cyclists when covered with leaves, and in adverse weather conditions such as snow, ice and heavy rain.

They increase noise levels from vehicles slowing down then speeding up.

They have caused elderly and infirm pedestrians to trip and have accidents requiring medical aid.

They inhibit or restrict the use of snowploughs to clear snow. They are obscured by snow and leaves etc making them a serious hazard.

They attract children on bikes and skateboards who play at doing dangerous stunts on them.

They attract careless drivers to actually go faster, as some type of macho challenge to their ego.

Speed bumps can also produce rising maintenance costs, because the road surface before and after a bump may develop potholes following a period of time. This results in increased upkeep. In addition to fully resurfacing the road it is often necessary to remove and replace the bumps. The sides of the bumps also wear out and eventually need repair. This all adds to the overall cost, which us taxpayers have to fund.

Above: a dangerous pothole that has developed on a speed bump in Ainsdale's Orchard Lane.

http://pat-regan.blogspot.co.uk/2016/06/speed-bumps-wrecking-our-roads-and.html

They cause on-going minor road tremors that may damage the sub-structure of the road. They can also cause increased noise from heavy vehicles, and in extreme cases, subsidence of the road and buildings alongside due to the ground pressure waves that are created. How many residential properties have been destabilised since speed bumps were introduced?

They damage vehicle sumps, wrecking engines and causing dangerous oil spillages.

They can inhibit the passage of long wheel base vehicles and may damage fragile consumer goods as well.

They dangerously impede the easy passage of emergency vehicles such as fire engines, ambulances and police cars.

The Chairman of the London Ambulance Service, Sigurd Reinton, previously advised that speed bumps are killing hundreds of Londoners by delaying 999 crews. He said, “For every life saved through traffic calming, more are lost because of ambulance delays.” There are about 8,000 heart attack victims in London every year, and London has a particularly poor survival rate. One reason is undoubtedly because even a small delay increases the death rate immensely. For instance, 90% of victims survive if treated within 2 minutes but the figure falls to 10% if treatment is delayed for 6 minutes. So for every additional minute of delay caused, up to an extra 800 victims of cardiac arrest could die. This compares with a total of 300 people who die from traffic accidents.

Passengers on public transport may also be at risk due to buses etc having to negotiate speed bumps. An elderly woman died after falling on a bus after it went over a speed hump, an inquest heard.

http://www.expressandstar.com/news/2014/09/22/woman-died-after-fall-as-bus-struck-speed-hump/

Speed bumps are painful to many people with medical conditions. Transport Research makes clear, speed humps only work when they are uncomfortable. Regrettably, many people who suffer from medical conditions such as back or neck problems (very common medical complaints), recent abdominal surgery or other disabilities find them tremendously painful. Therefore, these bumps may increase health problems that already exist.

Speed bumps cause accidents and injuries. For instance there was the case of the motorcyclist who hit a speed bump in Wood Lane, Isleworth in 2001 at low speed. He was throw from the bike and suffered severe injuries from which he is now paralysed.

They encourage drivers to stay away from one area and clog up other routes, which may create gridlock.

They also increase pollution in countless areas due to vehicles slowing down and then speeding up. This is turn creates greater fuel consumption. In January 2008, research commissioned by the AA showed that speed humps cause fuel consumption to increase significantly. Researchers at the Millbrook Proving Ground found that a car capable of over 58 mpg when driven at a steady 30 mph, delivered only 31 mpg when it had to slow down to negotiate speed humps and then speed up again.

Have you noticed how many bulky 4x4 cars are on the roads today? Speed bumps seems to inspire the usage of larger 4x4 type vehicles with higher ground clearance to negotiate the bumps, which in turn may be more polluting.

Typically, lazy councils like to make knee-jerk decisions and inflict these costly and dangerous traffic devices on trusting communities ‘without’ giving any feasible alternatives.

What we have here is not ‘speed control’ but officialised public ‘mind control’ by stealth.

Residents demand removal of speed bumps in Derbyshire.

http://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/Residents-removal-speed-humps/story-19375300-detail/story.html

A North London Council said no to the bumps because they cause deaths.

Some time ago Barnet Council said it will flatten its 1,000 'sleeping policemen' because they are "ineffectual", claimed councillor Brian Coleman. Speaking to BBC London's 94.9fm, he said: "The problem with traffic bumps are that they are ineffectual, damage vehicles and cause 500 road deaths a year in London. They are unpopular with residents - they want them in their own roads but not in others - and are really a waste of money.”

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/3003788.stm

WAKE UP SEFTON AND STOP PUTTING LIVES AT RISK!

The question is, when is Sefton Council going to finally wake up and get rid of the speed bumps once and for all?

In places like Ainsdale we have a specialist dementia care centre (Brookdale), a health and wellbeing centre and many properties in which elderly people reside.

Ambulances have to tolerate time-wasting speed bumps down Meadow Lane and Sandbrook Road, etc meaning delayed 999 response times to reach patients in dire need.

https://www.facebook.com/brookdaledaycentre/?fref=ts

Have YOU fallen for authoritarian traffic-control spin, or have you alternatively signed the ‘Dump the Bumps’ petition yet?