What is life like with your car? Let us know and win £500 in John Lewis vouchers | No thanks
Humpty Dumpty shattered a wall
We live in a quiet, privately-owned cul de sac linked to a minor road. Some months ago we were consulted about the installation of speed bumps on the minor road. I replied and quite clearly stated there was no need for speed bumps. As with all local government consultation we received no reply and they went ahead and installed the speed bumps literally 5 yards from the entrance to our cul de sac and in front of my garden. The minor road has now changed from being quiet and unnoticeable to a noisy nuisance. Vehicles that slow down for the humps now noisily accelerate away and those that do not slow down drive over with a noisy clatter. More worryingly, cracks have appeared in my garden wall adjacent to the speed bump and I presume that it has been caused by the vibration of vehicles not slowing down. Would that be possible, and if so what advice can you give us.
Asked on 22 May 2010 by K.B., St Helier, Jersey
Answered by
Honest John
Definitely. That alone is grounds to have the speed humps removed.
The fact that cracks have appeared in your wall is evidence of the tremors sent though the ground by vehicles mounting and crashing back down off the humps. It is patently obvious to any structural engineer (and to all but an idiot) of the damage these obstructions cause to the sub-structure of the road as well as to the vehicles passing over them. One of the most crass stupidities of the previous government was to subvert funds from repairing roads to installing speed humps, speed cushions and other impediments on roads. Yet large amounts of taxpayer’s money were allocated to this folly. I even receive e-mails from the elderly (that these things are supposed to protect) complaining of having tripped over them and broken limbs.
Hit the council with an estimate for demolishing and completely
re-building your wall with deeper foundations and I think you'll soon see the end of this pestilence in the Queen's highway.
The fact that cracks have appeared in your wall is evidence of the tremors sent though the ground by vehicles mounting and crashing back down off the humps. It is patently obvious to any structural engineer (and to all but an idiot) of the damage these obstructions cause to the sub-structure of the road as well as to the vehicles passing over them. One of the most crass stupidities of the previous government was to subvert funds from repairing roads to installing speed humps, speed cushions and other impediments on roads. Yet large amounts of taxpayer’s money were allocated to this folly. I even receive e-mails from the elderly (that these things are supposed to protect) complaining of having tripped over them and broken limbs.
Hit the council with an estimate for demolishing and completely
re-building your wall with deeper foundations and I think you'll soon see the end of this pestilence in the Queen's highway.
Similar questions
I read with interest your article about road humps and tyres recently. I live in the lovely village of Ickleford and Hertfordshire Highways are about to install 11 road humps over less than a 1-mile stretch...
Something I never thought to see: A busy road in Stevenage that was well-humped for about 1/2 mile has just had them removed and those sections of the road resurfaced. So what was real penance for me to...
Attached are pictures of some incredibly bad speed cushions in Cardiff. I think they exemplify the type of badly maintained humps about which you rightly complain each week. Several cars passed very close...
.jpg)
