Logical thoughts on bumpy issue

Madam – In recent months there have been numerous complaints regarding speed humps in our town.

This has prompted me to offer some logical thoughts on the matter.

Foremostly speed humps are placed for the sole reason of road safety – to curb speed and prevent possible accidents. They may well be a nuisance or hindrance to some roadusers mainly due to their haste to get from point A to B as quickly as possible – this is a habitual problem due to punctuality problems, frustration and impatience, or whatever – this displays downright ignorance of the possible consequences, bearing in mind that speed and impatience are the ultimate reason/cause of accidents.

Patience is a virtue. It must be realised that speed humps are not merely placed to annoy road users and that many humps have been placed at the request of local residents who actually witness unruly traffic behaviour.

It is unfortunate that some humps have caused problems by the way of injuries or damages or whatever, but this can mainly be attributed to one of two reasons –

1. Obscure visibility of warning signs or actual hump visibility – in such cases (excluding inclement weather) the local authority must be held accountable.

2. The road user would, in all probability, be to blame for lack of vigilance, concentration or negligence and speed. Distractions will also play a part.

We may add a third possible reason and that is the claim that the humps are “illegal” – whatever that may imply since, to my knowledge, this was never justified.

It is noted that a certain Mr Smit claims that “the humps and bumps are illegal” and that his complaints to the authorities have gone unheeded. It is assumed that a claim such as this would be backed by solid, legal proof to substantiate his claim, therefore he should not have a problem.

The authorities are, after all, not above the law. A no reply can sometimes be construed as guilt or, alternatively simple incompetence.

While on this subject, could someone please define or clarify (probably dimension wise) exactly what a legal or illegal speed hump is?

Regarding the design of speed humps, I would suggest that the relevant authority takes note of the humps placed on the entrance road to Builders Warehouse – not too high but certainly effective.

Speed humps should be approached with extreme caution and with the condition of many roads at present, including the presence of speed humps, vehicles with low undercarriages are certainly not the vehicle of choice.

Some humps may well have contributed to accidents, possibly for reasons given above, but can they really be construed in a negative light with the positive aspects disregarded?

This logical, undeniable fact must be considered and borne well in mind: Positive fact – We will never know how many accidents or possible deaths speed humps have actually prevented – True or False?

NDP Safety First