When the traffic police want to check the speeding drivers without imposing any financial penalties on them they got a great idea of placing speed bumps on the road. The speed bumps are one of the traffic calming features that the traffic police use.
These are the raised areas that run across the entire breadth of the road and they effectively help in slowing down the traffic on that road. There are many types of speed bumps depending on the purpose of the street bumps.
- Commercial
These are placed on the streets and the parking lots and are made of high impact materials. The materials used to construct such traffic calming features are concrete and asphalt. Generally, they have colored stripes all along their surface which is reflective in nature and so the visibility is good even in the low light conditions.
- In residential areas
The areas that have problems like high racing by youngsters and the problems of high speed traffic, tend to have these types of traffic calming features. Although these speed bumps are smaller in size and are made of low impact material such as recycled plastic or recycled rubber they are effective in slowing down the traffic. These speed bumps may also be painted in yellow or orange colour.
- Multiple ways
These are low rise traffic calming features that are multiple and are also known as rumble strip. This rumble strip is a great way to slow the traffic at the places that are near a roundabout or a turn.
The speed bumps are definitely a great way to control the speed of the traffic in the city but it also poses some problem for the vehicles that have low ground clearance. As the vehicle with low ground clearance passes over a traffic calming feature its shock absorbers make the car go further down and this may cause the body of the car to hit the bumper and get damaged. The two wheelers are the worst hit in this case as they may lose control and meet with an accident.
In order to avoid such a situation there are provided some breaks in the continuity of the speed breaker. The two wheelers can pass through these breaks and avoid any kind of mishap. Also many a time there is a sign erected before the speed breaker so that the drivers may be warned beforehand and the accidents are avoided.
There are certain guidelines that must be followed while constructing the speed bumps:
- The speed breaker must run across the entire breadth of the road or it could be in section leaving a small space in the middle for the two wheelers to pass through.
- There should be left some space on either side for rainwater drainage
- The height of the raised road bump must be between 3 to 4 inches
- The depth of the speed breaker must be less than one foot
- The speed breaker must have either embedded reflective strips or must be colored in orange or yellow for easy visibility.
Generally, it is the duty of all the people who are using the road to be cautious and careful enough while driving but many at times people may just not follow the rules and this is why the traffic police may need to implement certain methods that will force the people to slow down and this avoids accidents to a large extent.
The speed bumps are a great way of controlling speed of traffic and to make people aware of their duties. The traffic police personnel may not be available at all locations but this technique of controlling the speed of the vehicles helps them do the job even at those locations with ease and effectively.
Mary Mathis
Latest posts by Mary Mathis (see all)
- How To Build Budget-Friendly Luxury Kitchens? - April 21, 2016
- Speed Bumps: Topmost Way For Adjusting The Speeds Of Vehicle Traffic - March 29, 2016
Recent Comments