As this newspaper reported on Tuesday, the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, following consultation with the Guyana Police Force Traffic Department, recently installed 33 more speed humps on several minor streets around the city as a means of curbing speeding and reducing the high incidence of vehicular crashes, which often result in serious injury or death.
Universally, speed humps, also called ‘sleeping policemen,’ have been proven to deter excessive speeding, which translates to fewer crashes. Studies done worldwide—there are no indications that any studies have been done in Guyana—have shown that speed humps and speed bumps (the two are not the same) are perhaps the most effective traffic calming methods known.
According to research, speed bumps are the more abrupt of the two and can rise to as high as four inches off the road, forcing serious speed reduction. Vehicles go over them at a rate of between zero and five miles per hour and often must come to a complete stop before negotiating them. Drivers feel two bumps when they go over them. Speed humps, on the other hand, are said to be modular and allow for vehicles to pass over them with less of a jolt. These can be crossed at speeds between 15 and 20 miles per hour and drivers feel one slow rise and then a lowering when they go over them. In view of the research, Georgetown’s ‘sleeping policemen’ are perhaps more bump than hump, but they are absolutely necessary.
Signage with words like ‘slow,’ ‘major road ahead’ and ‘reduce speed’ and even speed limit signs are only moderately effective, as there are always those drivers who are willing to take a chance on the major road being clear or the pedestrian crossing not being in use. With speed humps and bumps, drivers have to slow down or risk wrecking their vehicles. Given that choice, maybe only drivers involved in a police chase would not reduce speed.
Prior to the recent increase in the number of traffic-calming structures, drivers in Georgetown would have encountered them in a few streets in Campbellville, Bel Air and a few other residential areas, on Waterloo Street close to Quamina Street and in more recent times, close to the four-corner junction at Shiv Chanderpaul Drive, North Road, Peter Rose Street and Church Street. While some experienced drivers have questioned the wisdom of placing speed deterrents on the major roads—Church Street and North Road—others have noted that they offer respite from the steady stream of traffic on these roads, particularly at rush hour, and force moderation and better adherence to speed limits. There are still too many drivers who appear to be unaware that major road is not spelled ‘race track’ and that even if you have the right of way, moderation is key to safe driving.
The Waterloo Street speed impediments are possibly the most effective in the city, mainly because there are two of them. Probably because there is the St John’s College on that street, one of the speed bumps was placed just before the school and the other right after, closer to the corner. This forces drivers to stop before they get to the school, after which they can only coast to the next bump as it is such a short distance away. It means that they would be in stop mode at the major road, which is Quamina Street.
Incidentally, internationally, in order to effectively reduce speed, two speed humps are usually placed on roads at between 50 ft and 275 ft apart. The decision for placement is taken after scientific tests and configurations are done, which determine, among other things, the speed at which vehicles will cross the humps, given that they are known to cause damage to vehicles.
What is also obvious from the research available is that speed bumps, humps and cushions (another device, which accommodates safe passage of emergency vehicles) are increasingly being made of recycled material. The most common materials used are rubber from old tyres and plastics. One of the advantages of using these materials is that they can be pre-made and then put in place, usually in minutes, which means that the road does not have to be closed to install them. In addition they can also be fabricated with reflective colour strips, so that there is no need to paint them at any time – the colour spans the life of the hump/bump. It has also been found that the rubber and plastic speed impediments are less likely to damage vehicles and they last longer than asphalt and concrete humps/bumps. It also goes without saying that the use of recycled tyres and plastic makes these structures environmentally friendly.
For these reasons, perhaps the Ministry of Public Infrastructure can look into using recycled materials for the next spate of speed reducers. Because although it has said that it does not intend to install any more at this stage, once the speedsters become au fait with the streets that have structures meant to restrict them, they will find alternate routes and then it will be necessary to adjust those as well.
