clinkeman Posted June 5, 2009 Author Posted June 5, 2009 If you know the road you would know that it's highly unlikely to get up to the speed limit on that road in the rush hour. I'm not in the habbit of speeding and don't normally have an issue with speed bumps. After driving over them again (back in my car) in similar circumstances I was travelling at approx 20mph. My Dad lives on the other side of town so it is the first time his car has been over that particular bump. Thanks for the stats and site links, I'll go and measure the heights etc as soon as I work out a method. (Me thinks the laser level will come in handy)
clinkeman Posted June 5, 2009 Author Posted June 5, 2009 I wish they would get rid of speed bupms. they are unsafe and a danger to health. And a danger to my finances and sanity at the moment
Taximark Posted June 5, 2009 Posted June 5, 2009 Its an Alfa, what did you really expect? But I very much doubt it as there are certain guidlines for bumps (height etc.) but if it was outside these then maybe, I did hear that they could be no higher than 20cms, dont know if it right though. Stupid childish reply, let me tell you the amount of people that I've picked up and complained about speed bumps damaging their car/s is increasing by the week, only the other day a nice middle aged couple telling me how they needed to replace two springs on her Z3. These speed bumps are making things worse, not just long term damage to cars however people I have noticed are swerving around them into oncoming vehicles just to avoid them making the situation of safety 10 times worse - I see it all the time, the last near miss was on Southey Green Road for me. P.S Can anyone justify the 5K cost per cushion speed bump too?
Treecott Posted July 7, 2009 Posted July 7, 2009 Hi everyone, Can you let me know what type of speed hump did the damage, was it an actual road hump, or a table, or a cushion. I too have had three coil springs damaged going over speed cushions. I too am trying to claim the repair bill back from the Council. Our speed cushions are the rubberised ones, with bolts holding it to the road surface, so it seems possible it may be the same type. The on/off edge of our speed cushions is off the road by as much as 19mm in places, however the council say they are within the regulations. The edge of the cushion itself is 6mm which IS within the regulations, but it should be attached all round the edges to the road. I am trying to find out if this is the case, i.e. do all the edges have to be attached to the road surface. From the description of the Regulations, it does mention road surface when referring to the length, but it does not state this to do with the vertical edge - anyone got any ideas?
GrannyGranny Posted July 7, 2009 Posted July 7, 2009 19mm is less than an inch. I very much doubt this would have contributed to the failure of 3 coil springs. These types of speed humps can easily be straddled and if taken at a sensible speed are harmless. A dropped kerb has an upstand of 25mm for comparison. You never hear of coil spring failure whilst negotiating a dropped kerb! Have you had a look at the failed springs. Sometimes they can be weakened by rust. This happened on a Mondeo I had.
Treecott Posted July 7, 2009 Posted July 7, 2009 I appreciate what you say, however when they should be flat to the road, hitting it at 25mm off the road, even at a very low speed (which is what I do, normally between 5 & 10mph) the whole car shakes and your head nearly hits the roof. This to me cannot be right. I know that coil springs rust, and I hold my hands up and say that may have contributed to it, but nonetheless, these things have no doubt contributed to the springs demise.
keeholden Posted July 7, 2009 Posted July 7, 2009 your car shakes at 5mph hitting 19mm of lift? crap car if you ask me. My car is stupidly low, at its lowest i'd say about 3" of clearance underneath the gearbox cradle. I've never had any problems and my street is full of speed bumps. my springs are also ridiculously stiff and i've never had a problem with my head nearly hitting the roof. the damage was caused by the speed bump as you were driving too fast, mr OP. speedbumps are used to slow you down, to reduce the risk of death or serious injury to people crossing the road. if you find it so difficult to slow down a bit then go a different route. yes speed bumps cause wear on coil springs, not excessive, just makes them go a bit quicker. not exactly expensive to replace, only a 15 minute job per spring. i can almost gauruntee a reduction in complaints if a family members life was saved thanks to a speedbump, or worse because of no speedbumps
stanleeder Posted July 7, 2009 Posted July 7, 2009 My daily commute, and that of my other half, involves negotiating 21 speed humps/cushions to reach the main road and the same 21 in the other direction coming home. Those speed humps/cushions have been in place for 7 years or more now. I estimate that's around 15,000 speed humps per car per year. In all that time how much damage do you suppose those all those humps have caused to our cars? Absolutely none at all.
AJ sheffield Posted July 7, 2009 Posted July 7, 2009 Its amazing how many times I have seen people drive on the grass verge to avoid speed bumps or road narrowing measures.
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