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]

They are for the annoying old bloke/woman who drive in front of you and insist on doing 12 mph!

They slow Delboy down in the Robin?

Mike

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

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!

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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!

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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.

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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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.

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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.

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

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Originally posted by speedyxjs
Luckily we have the square ones round near us so my nice wide tintop can just sail over them.

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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).

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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

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....

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!