Here's something I bet you never thought about: Speed bumps may be bad for the environment.
Britain's Automobile Association has found that speed bumps (and really low speed limits) may have a negative impact on the environment. They drove a car at a constant 30-MPH, and in doing so, got 58 mpg.
They then slowed it down to run over the speed bumps at the Millbrook Proving Ground, and got some surprising and unexpected results...
What they found out was that the mileage dropped to 31 mpg; in addition carbon dioxide emissions went up. These findings correlate with those of the country's Transport Research Laboratory, which reported that "carbon monoxide emissions are increased by as much as 82% and nitrous oxide levels by 37% on roads with speed bumps."
The AA also found that setting the speed limit at 20-MPH instead of 30-MPH raised car emissions and consumption by 10-percent.
Full story here.
The AA also found that setting the speed limit at 20-MPH instead of 30-MPH raised car emissions and consumption by 10-percent.
Full story here.
estreka says:
05:45 AM, 01/28/08
I'm not sure if that's photoshopped or not, but I have actually seen residential streets with that many speed bumps. It's gotten out of control.
firstwagon says:
08:37 AM, 01/28/08
I prefer fixed speed cameras over speed bumps anyday.
tryan says:
09:01 AM, 01/28/08
Maybe I am missing something....
"..They drove a car at a constant 30-MPH and slowed it down to run over the speed bumps at the Millbrook Proving Ground. In doing so the car got 58 mpg.
They also got some surprising and unexpected results. What they found out was that the mileage dropped to 31 mpg.."
So is it 58 or 31 MPG? Or rather, did the car get 58 MPG at a constant 30 MPH and when speed bumps were introduced, it dropped to 31 MPG? Maybe somebody can show me what I'm missing here...
Regardless, I'm not surprised, some speed bumps I've seen could be aptly renamed speed "jumps" - it's like climbing a small mountain! =)
jerrywimer says:
09:56 AM, 01/28/08
I went to the original article to find out for sure Tryan. It's definitely 58 at a steady 30 (no speedbumps), and reduced to 31 when slowing down for the speedbumps.
This is a big *DOH* to me though. It's one reason I would expect hybrids to do well, especially if the car can cut over to electric only for the slowdown / speedups that occur in situations like this. Highway / steady speed cruising tends to work decently for fuel economy as it is (heck, I've had 23+ mpg with my big ol' 07 Avalanche LTZ 4x4 on a long trip, and as many would tell you, these things can gulp fuel).
rsholland says:
10:02 AM, 01/28/08
Sorry, I was posting while half asleep late last night. I just re-worded it so that it reads better. :)
ateixeira says:
01:05 PM, 01/28/08
We have speed bumps on our road and people still drive way too fast. It's incredible how people go over them at 40mph or so and then still hit the gas. The speed limit on our street is 25, and there is an Elementary School right next door.
You want gas mileage? Drive a consistent 25-35 mph and you pretty much don't have to slow down.
Eliminate them? Not in my back yard.
billt9 says:
02:33 PM, 01/28/08
ateixeira, cars like the Toyota Camry are factory built with ultra-absorbent suspensions.
You can drive a Camry over a speedbump at 60 mph.
Blame the elderly for demanding such capable suspensions!
thebigal says:
05:38 PM, 01/28/08
I hate speed bumps and I can see why this is true... But speed bumps are almost a needed evil because they do work in trailer parks, parking lots ect. Annoying as they are.
The one place I would love to see them removed is the speed "humps" on residential streets that are supposed to limit speeds to 25 MPH. Invariably, you will always have the person who has to crawl over these at 2 MPH and then you have the reverse - the teen thrill seekers trying to get air off them (I know because I tried when I was a teen). Then if your house happens be lucky enough to be located where the city decided to also place one of those humps, you get to listen to the sounds of accelerating vehicles all day and the sound of banging suspensions as well.
firstwagon says:
08:01 PM, 01/28/08
The only place I have seen speed bumps on streets is in school zones and in front of parks where kids play.
I think pulling the licence of people who still race through these areas should be automatic.
Some things are more important then morons getting thrills.
flicmod says:
08:38 AM, 01/29/08
From a design standpoint, speed bumps are on their way out... at least on public roads. The latest "traffic calming" methods are to actually design the road in such a way that forces people to slow down. Things like putting pronounced turns in the road similar to a chicane... or just place object in the roadway forcing people to drive around them. Seems crazy, but it's true:
http://www.trafficcalming.org/measures2.html
I think speed bumps will be used primarily in private parking lots and residential developments.