Traffic Safety
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Traffic Safety |
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city government news & events about apple valley employment resources |
Departments >Traffic Safety > Safety Articles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Traffic
& Pedestrian Safety News Articles Speed Bumps Many Apple Valley residents are familiar with speed bumps that have been installed in parking lots to control speed. The concept is that the drivers will automatically slow down at a speed bump to avoid a jarring thump. Some residents have asked that they be installed on City streets in front of their houses. Unfortunately, there are a number of drawbacks to speed bumps. Studies and observations have pointed out numerous concerns including the following: · A bicycle rider can catch a pedal or a shoe tip pointed downward on the bump. In field tests, a bicycle rim was bent upon striking a speed bump. · During other field tests, a motorcycle was launched for a 16-foot long jump, a tailgate was bounced off a new dump truck, and a fireman was launched 1-foot in the air from the back of a fire truck. · Some vehicles were found to increase in comfort as speeds increased, and some motorists have devised unique maneuvers to reduce the thump. · Emergency and medical vehicles are impacted by being required to slow down and because of concerns over patients and medics in an ambulance or equipment on fire trucks being displaced. · Snowplows are extremely susceptible to damage caused by a speed bump. Plowing in the area is seldom complete. · Residents who live near speed bumps have complained about noise from thumping and from the accelerating and the decelerating of vehicles. For these reasons, speed bumps are discouraged in the City of Apple Valley.
While they may have some positive effects on some motorists, they have
negative effects on other motorists, bicyclists, motorcycles, emergency
vehicles, snowplows, other maintenance equipment, and the nearby residents. Content updated on: 03-May-2004
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