Originally published December 12 2005
New speed bumps recognize safe drivers
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
New speed bumps will hinder speeding drivers, and will reduce delays for emergency services and law-abiding drivers by flattening. The bumps should be in London and Birmingham by early next year.
Now Dunlop Transcalm, the British company that manufactures them, says that it is negotiating with several local authorities to replace unpopular static humps.
About 1,000 of the first Transcalm humps are expected to appear in London and Birmingham by early next year.
The company claims that the device will revolutionise traffic calming, particularly in residential areas, on bus lanes and near schools and hospitals.
Although the new humps will hinder speeding drivers, they will reduce delays for the emergency services, which say that static humps cost lives.
Residents on roads with humps complain about the noise and pollution caused by stop-start driving, and motorists complain about damage to cars and increased fuel consumption.
Each smart hump costs between �2,500 and �4,850, which the company claims is comparable to some static humps, but which motoring groups argue is double the average cost of a standard "sleeping policeman".
The smart hump was designed by Graham Heeks, a British engineer who dreamt up the concept after examining squeezable children's toys.
It can be customised to suit different speed restrictions and to allow larger vehicles such as ambulances, fire engines and buses to pass without delay.
The valve opens for vehicles travelling within the speed limit, allowing the hump to deflate, but locks if a vehicle is travelling too fast.
"What we've developed is the first traffic calming solution to offer a carrot and stick approach, rather than the traditional stick approach irrespective of a motorist's speed," Mr Heeks said.
The RAC did a survey asking motorists what three things they would like to change about driving today.
"I think that if this new device does what it says it does then it will solve many of the problems that drivers have with speed humps, such as noise, car damage, pollution and use of fuel.
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