Comments on: Road Design for Creating More Space

By: Valda Murphy

Valda Murphy — Sat, 07 Jul 2012 08:45:16 +0000

Along with every little thing that seems to be building within this particular area, your opinions happen to be very exciting. However, I appologize, because I can not give credence to your whole suggestion, all be it radical none the less. It appears to everyone that your opinions are not totally rationalized and in fact you are your self not even completely certain of the argument. In any event I did appreciate looking at it.

By: Rad Wagon

Rad Wagon — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 09:24:48 +0000

I vaguely agree with Johnathan, although do note that when driving as you attempt to fit your car over the square bump you do actualy slow down. In The Netherlands they use road going from side to side to slow cars down, which is quite effective.

As far as going past them on a bike, they can be okay, but most of the time they are awful. I have ot run the guantlet of one set that has just become terribly potholed with no sign of any fixes quite regularly here, as well as negotiating a badly enforced contraflow lane.

http://radwagon.co.uk/2011/06/bateman-street.html

By: Jonathan

Jonathan — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 12:33:38 +0000

When I am driving I hate speed bumps – more to the point the speed humps that are broken into square sections are little more than pointless, with a reasonable sized car your wheels go either side of them – therefore they do not cause a reduction in speed – but the manoeuvre to get your wheels each side means you divert from your normal position on the road.

As a cyclist these broken speed humps are so dangerous as to beggar belief – I have lost count of the times I have a car go within a hairs breadth of me because they need to get their wheel each side of a hump. I would rather they went past me at 40 with a few cm more space!

All speed bumps do is damage cars and waste fuel as cars accelerate / brake between them, they are not that fantastic to go over on a bike either! Really the only answer is the education and training of all road users, not that that will work often – Muppets will be Muppets – I am resigned to it.

By: Steve

Steve — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 11:16:09 +0000

There seems to be a fondness for traffic islands to slow traffic/prevent overtaking as well, which end up being worse for cycling than the obvious pinch points. Even worse is when a cycle lane is interrupted for exactly such a hazard, like here in Ipswich, where there’s a whole series of these:

https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=ipswich&hl=en&ll=52.032292,1.133982&spn=0.001419,0.002009&sll=53.800651,-4.064941&sspn=11.175283,16.45752&hnear=Ipswich,+Suffolk,+United+Kingdom&t=h&z=19&layer=c&cbll=52.032369,1.133659&panoid=Pk4Q2M4bc-64w7udd2TRVA&cbp=12,20.8,,0,-0.72