Pot Holes vs. Speed Humps/Bumps
A number of residents clamor for the need of repairing potholes and are informed that there is no material or monies to purchase material. A couple of “influential” people request an unnecessary speed hump/bump and material appears out of nowhere and they are immediately installed without due diligence. Our elected officials allow and install speed bumps/humps like a plague throughout the county because they are politically motivated rather than safety motivated. They ignore the law and Texas Attorney General Opinion(s) concerning the installation of traffic control devices. Basically they must meet State and National Safety Standards, conform to the Texas Department of Transportation’s manual, appropriate markings and signage, county court is to provide notice and hold a hearing, and have approval from the Texas Department of Transportation. HAVE THESE REQUIREMENTS BEING MET?
National surveys, over the years, have been conducted by OSHA and the National Automobile Association. Had a diligent study been conducted it would have revealed that speed humps/bumps serve a negative impact in communities, especially rural residential areas. One of the basic guideline used to determine if speed bumps/humps are necessary and should be installed on a road is if there is approximately 600-5000 cars traveling that road. Our subdivision hardly fits into that category.
The majority, if not all, of studies conclude that:
- Speed bumps/humps make roads MORE dangerous
- Speed bumps/humps decrease property value
- Speed bumps/humps damage your vehicle
- Speed bumps/humps SLOW DOWN emergency vehicles
- Most accidents happen at intersections, NOT in the middle of a residential street
- Speed bumps/humps cost taxpayers money and increase pollution
- Speed bumps/humps pain for disabled individuals
- Speed bumps/humps DO NOT prevent accidents and injuries
- Speed bumps/humps create additional traffic noise
- Speed bumps/humps create additional road maintenance cost
- Speed bumps/humps deflect vehicles from their true course causing accidents
- Speed bumps/humps cause a shift in cargo
- Speed bumps/humps cause an abrupt road profile creating a hazardous condition
- Speed bumps/humps cause greater gas consumption
- Speed bumps/humps cause drivers to run off road onto shoulder and cause road breakdown
- Speed bumps/humps leave the county open for liability and lawsuits
Those in favor of speed bumps/humps say they keep pedestrians and children safe in neighborhoods. These types of accidents are caused not primarily by motor vehicles speeding or being driven recklessly, but by pedestrians and children walking into the road or failing to look.
David J. Castaneda, Resident Pct. 3
