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Speed Bumps in Seminole County, where
they are, and WHO HAS A VOICE! Click on the NEW logo at left!
Indian Hills, English Estates, English Woods Area.
Eastbrook Area.
Bear Lake Area.
Tanglewood Area.
Eagle Circle Area.
East I-4 and 434 Area.
South St. Area.
Canterclub Trail Area.
Camden Road Area.
Chuluota Area.
An outstanding series
of articles on Emergency Medical Services (EMS) was recently published by USA
TODAY which contains statistics on the impact of delays in providing EMS to
citizens. While Cities and Counties have consistently downplayed the significance
of lenthening response times by humps and other deflection devices, this major
special report spells out the number of lives that could be saved by even small
increments of improved response. The USA TODAY series is IMPORTANT and should
be read by all citizens. CLICK HERE to read this
outstanding series!
Asst. Fire Chief, Les Bunte (retired now) applies Bowman analysis to find
same dire predictions for residents of Austin, Texas!
Les Bunte, Assistant Chief of the Austin, Texas Fire Department, has
spent years developing a report and has produced an outstanding
thesis on traffic calming. If we are going to talk about traffic
calming, you need the FACTS! Get them here! You need to read this document!
The document is double-spaced and quite easy to read and
understand. Read about Les Bunte by clicking on the
red star above. Download the free 256 page document
by CLICKING HERE 
Check out these reports by Kathleen Calongne of Boulder, CO.
who has researched traffic calming projects in the US and abroad
since 1996. She has compiled her research into a 400 page report
and has boiled it down to 7 pages for you. Click on the stars to
view (and/or print) each document and learn from a writer/researcher,
with a strong interest in issues concerning emergency rescue and response!
All documents revised January 2003.
PROBLEMS and a SUMMARY of PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH TRAFFIC
CALMING DEVICES
POLITICS OF TRAFFIC CALMING PROJECTS
CONCLUSION of Kathleen's 400 page study.
Here's something new that has popped up... not having to do with speedbumps,
but weird enough for me to include it here. Absolutely crazy! Let's say you
are driving around and come up on this gate across the road (the sign says,
"Gate opens automatically") what would you do? I can't help but feel that
most people would do what I would do... drive somewhere else!
This is an issue down in the Florida Keys -- a business man located behind
the gates is suffering because the gates are there... and the city put
those gates in at behind-the-gate homeowners' requests to "keep visitors off
their streets." Never mind the gates open for ANYBODY, it's still a really
cockamamie scheme and a gross violation of citizen's rights! Click on the
picture on left for the whole story!
The American Dream Coalition web site has some outstanding, professionally
written documents by Les Bunte, Jr, Ray Bowman, Kathleen Calongne and others, citing
statistics and facts regarding traffic calming. Documents are MUST READ, and pertain
most importantly, to life and death involving traffic calming devices. Click on their
logo at left for these important documents under "TRAFFIC CALMING!"
Every success against the dreaded speedbumps, no matter how small, is an uplifting experience to us all.
Terry Campbell of Omaha, Nebraska has written of his experience in Omaha
and has offered some worthwhile suggestions in this day and age of effective
budget-cutting. CLICK HERE
to read about Terry's unique experience, and other correspondence.
A whole bunch of traffic calming now on Derbyshire Road and Kewannee Trails! Chicanes, curb extensions, pedestrian refuges, we now have them all! The one thing I can say for these things is that they AIN'T speedbumps! We, who live in the neighborhood are deeply grateful to Seminole County for not laying the speedbumps down. (I feel certain that Derbyshire, with 12 speedbumps in 0.8 mile, probably holds the record as Speedbump Capital of the World!)
CLICK HERE to see
pictures of the 15 new Traffic Calming installations.
A recent Oakland, California paper purporting to
show that speed humps make residential streets safer for children actually shows nothing of
the kind. In fact, the study's data can even be interpreted to mean that humps make streets
more dangerous. Check out a critique of the study now available at the Thoreau Institute
web site at: http://ti.org/vaupdate63.html
It's my understanding that
the speed hump phenomena originated in Britain. It looks now that many of the cities
that have installed them are taking a second look at them! Derby has flattened
146 of them, Birmingham and Westminister no longer plan to install them.
CLICK HERE
to read about the downturn in speed hump use!
Here's a city that pulled up
ALL of its speedbumps! Would that Seminole County would do likewise! Maybe we need
to import some Taliban members! <g> CLICK HERE to read about this daring, forward-looking city!
And... would you believe it? Here's a
city that is laying down speed bumps on ALL residential streets!! How'd you like to live in a city like this? I hope this doesn't give Seminole County ideas!<g>
Many experts believe the speedbumps create more problems than they solve.
CLICK HERE to read about this city. (Free Registration)
When an ambulance service chairman claimed that the lives of an extra 500 heart attack victims could be saved if the
city's roads flowed more smoothly, an environment cabinet member said problems of heavy traffic and speed bumps could be beaten if ambulance staff used bicycles!!
CLICK HERE to read about it!!
| July 1, 2002 -- Jessica Wehrman, of Scripps-Howard News Service, called me a few weeks ago and wanted to do an article on speedbumps, and wanted to know if I'd chat with her. Is snow white? Her finished product appears in Scripps- Howard papers across the country. You can read the article at the Naples News site here in Florida. CLICK HERE to read it. (Dunno how long it'll be there!) I think you'll agree she did a good, balanced article, giving something to both sides. |
Recently received an email from Gary Ensmenger in Orange County. Gary
relates some things that are happening there, and makes a whole lot of
sense.
CLICK HERE |
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(A PORTION OF AN ARTICLE IN THE ORLANDO SENTINEL, May 3, 2001, Page D1) TURKEYS BECOME 'BUMP' IN THE ROAD by John Kennedy, Tallahassee Bureau Chief TALLAHASSEE -- Sen. Jim Horne said Wednesday that he's tired of having his Mustang convertible rattled by speed bumps when he drives on a Tallahassee street leading to the airport. So the Senate's powerful budget chairman has done something about it. He tucked into Florida's $48.3 billion budget a provision that orders Leon County to remove the bumps or lose $458 million in state highway money. "Sure, it's micromanagement," conceded Horne, R-Orange Park. "But if you put it up for a vote, I think everybody in the Legislature would vote to get rid of those speed bumps." (BALANCE OF ARTICLE NOT PERTINENT, NOT SHOWN HERE) (Copyright (c) 2001 Orlando Sentinel) Wouldn't it be terrific if Sen. Horne didn't discriminate against the REST OF US in Florida and imposed the same provisions on the entire STATE?!!! Why should Leon County enjoy special privileges? Maybe because the politicians have to travel over the bumps? Do you think our county commissioners here in Seminole County would have these bumps if THEY had to travel over them every day? And Sen. Horne is absolutely correct when he says "if you put it up for a vote, everybody ... would vote to get rid of those speed bumps." Why not have Seminole County PUT it up for a vote? |
Here is an outstanding 2-page brochure with all the facts about speedhumps,
written by Randall Schlecht of Loveland, Colorado, and presented here and
made available for download through the courtesy of ROAD ACCESS FOR DISABLED AMERICANS (RADA) and the author. We wish we could make this brochure available
as a flyer to ALL homesteads in Seminole County! Since we can't, you'll have
to download the brochure RIGHT CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD BROCHURE. When menu comes up, select "SAVE
TARGET AS" or "SAVE LINK AS" and note the directory you are downloading to.
You need the free Acrobat Reader to display the file.
LEFT CLICK HERE for
free ACROBAT READER Acrobat Reader will display the brochure for you and
permit you to print it, if you like.
Fed up. Syl LaFata (right) and Ken Nelson of the [Orange County] No Speed Bumps! Committee have had enough of bumps! (Joe Burbank/ The Orlando Sentinel) |
The Orlando Weekly
of August 16, 2000|
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MD -- Letters, reports:
Death of two blamed on speedbumps!
10,000 citizens irate, sign anti-hump petition -- Nov 98
Two writers write speed humps illegal and arbitrary. |
Click on the star to see the Orange County, Florida web site! The citizens of Orange County are fighting the speed humps installation on Lake Price Road. Their web page has many links to other web pages containing a wealth of information on speed bumps. 
You gotta be kidding!!! FIVE INCHES HIGH?
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Many of us don't think about the special problems that speed bumps provide
as significant access barriers to DISABLED persons. ROAD ACCESS FOR DISABLED
AMERICANS (RADA) has an excellent web page containing much information relating
to these specific problems. It includes some humor, also, as this RV owner
said, "Make sure nobody is on the potty when you go over a speed bump." Also,
a bumper sticker, "Honk if You Love Peace and Quiet!" We are interested in
finding disabled persons who are having problems with the speed bumps. Click
on the star above to look at the RADA web site! |
Ultimate goal! Pulling up the speed humps! (Picture courtesy of RADA) |
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It seems that St. Pete, FL is having its problems with traffic, too. Much
talk about installing speed bumps on Spanish Vistas Drive, a convenient
shortcut for many. One interesting suggestion made was to install "NO THRU
TRAFFIC" signs on the street, cutting off the shortcut. Sounds a lot better
to me than the odious speed bumps! Click on the yellow star above to read the
article in the St. Pete Times! |
AT FIRST GLANCE you would expect traffic calming to raise property prices
wherever it is installed... In fact, there is evidence that traffic-calming
measures may even reduce the investment value of a house or apartment, says
David Rudnick, The Times, September 20, 2000, in "Humps and Bumps Can Drive
Buyers Away." He adds, "Road humps in particular can cause noise and fumes as drivers brake and then accelerate away from them. This may not be immediately apparent when prospective buyers call to see your residence, but if they find themselves stuck behind a bus or delivery vehicle on the way they will notice all right!" Some Real Estate experts say that the nominal loss in value of a house near a speedhump is about 8%. (That's $8,000 on a house worth $100,000!) And it takes longer to sell the house. |
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In 1978, The Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) said this about speed bumps: California courts have held public agencies liable for personal injuries resulting from faulty designs. Increased hazard to the unwary; challenges to the dare-devils; disruption of the movement of both emergency and service vehicles; and undesirable increase in noise, have caused speed bumps to be officially rejected as a standard traffic control device on public streets and alleys. Click on the star to read. Note that the state of California holds public agencies liable for personal injuries and accidents caused by speed bumps. |
Houston, Texas has a wealth of information on speed humps on its web page.
Says its speed humps save one child's life in 400 years, but causes the
death of many others in so doing. Includes emergency vehicle statistics
from all over the country, and a veritable plethora of reasons WHY YOU DON'T
WANT SPEED HUMPS! You can even pick up a neat bumper sticker for a buck! Click
the red star to check it out!
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AATC -- Americans Against Traffic Calming -- has a most complete collection
of speed hump problems, tells how many towns have gotten rid of speed humps, a
story of English buses that won't travel on road with speed humps -- a veritable
gold mine of information from all over the world! Click on the red star to see
it! |
This guy says he blows his horn over every speed bump -- says he has to
do his part to announce his presence to any little urchin within earshot that
he is coming down the road (We don't know if that is a good idea). Read his
comments by clicking on the yellow star.
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From England, comes these charges against speed humps! Dumb, Dirty, Decibels,
Damage, Destructive, Distraction, Diversion, Dazzling, Discomfort, Danger,
Discriminatory, Disabling, Delay, Dicredited and Deadly. One of which
dileniates the death of a girl in 1994, caused by speed bumps. You gotta
check this one out -- click on the red star and see!
The STOP CHICKEN LITTLE Speed Hump Information Site -- in Portland,
Maine -- one of the worst traffic calming disasters in the nation!
And it could happen here in Seminole County, too! (This web site
is temporarily down.) |
Seminole County Commissioner Maloy now reports in an email that 90% of the
citizens in a neighborhood is now required before speed humps are installed.
It now seems that we are safe from the annoyance of new installations, however,
we've got to get rid of the bone-jarrers that we presently have. Click on the
star to read Commissioner Maloy's email.
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"BUMP AND GRIND" by Katy Reckdahl is an article appearing in
Minneapolis/St. Paul's CITY PAGES. It seems like "An urban
design trend rattles tempers and suspensions."
Click on yellow star above to read it. |
We are not a fan of ANY form of Traffic Calming -- a negative
approach, at best... BUT it is important to realize that there
are OTHER forms of TC... which are less catastrophic than speedhumps!!! We
don't need to affect emergency vehicles! Click on each thumbnail
below to see a large picture of other forms of TC:
 
 All photos courtesy of Portland, Oregon web site at: http://www.trans.ci.portland.or.us/Traffic_Management/Trafficcalming/ Click Here to visit that site! |
And now here is a serious suggestion which I think is economically feasible... RADAR DRIVER FEEDBACK SIGNS
like this one! I don't know how much speedhump design and installation with parts and labor
would come to, but at a cost of less than $2700, I'd think the cost of the signs would be somewhat
comparable. The signs work on a 12 volt battery or can be hooked to standard AC power. The
signs are the most vandal-resistant signs on the market. Seems to me that the powers that be
should get a hold of Richard Garrett at RGarrett@radarsign.com or web page www.radarsign.com and get more
specific information. I commend Seminole County for trying to avoid the installation of new speed bumps,
but here is a possible replacement for those bodacious speedhumps that are already laid down --
particularly on Derbyshire where there are 12 speedhumps within 0.8 mile! This could be a WIN-WIN
situation for everybody! Click on the blinking sign on the left to see the economics of these little
radar signs!!
The finest motorist's page on the web, bar none! The National Motorists
Association... a two-fisted, knock down-drag out organization that is
largely responsible for getting rid of the 55 MPH speed limit in the
country. It advocates, represents, and protects the interests of American
motorists. If You Drive, the NMA Represents You! The NMA has stands on
a number of motorist problems -- take the time and read many of the pages
linked there -- This is one organization that protects you! Click on the
yellow star and check it out! 
The Answer guy in Houston has all the answers. Here's a baker's dozen of
more reasons to get rid of speed humps! Click on the red star to view them. 
This is a little bit off topic for this page, but I
gotta say that unnecessary multi-way stop signs waste millions of
gallons of gasoline every day!!! And it seems Orange and
Seminole counties sure have their share of them! Would you like to
see what the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices --
Millennium Edition says about the requirements for the placement
of multi-way stop signs? If you'll look at these requirements, you'll
imagine that most of them in residential areas in your neighborhood are
unnecessary and should be removed! I can name quite a few!
CLICK HERE!
to read a short blurb about the requirements for placing multi-way stop signs!
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Drop me an email! JGidusko@cfl.rr.com |