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Speed Tables


zman9810

Speed Tables  

22 members have voted

  1. 1. Great Idea or Big Mistake

    • Great Idea
      3
    • Big Mistake/ Not Needed
      10
    • Necessary Evil
      9


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Fayetteville has installed several speed tables around town and plans to install more. Obviously the idea is to slow traffic on the streets they are installed on with the additional effect of encouraging traffic to take another route. They are a cost effective method of traffic calming and they satisfy neighborhood residents upset with traffic in their local area. They also are very disruptive to smooth traffic flow and very annoying to some drivers.

I'm curious as to what the posters here think and why. I think they are a big mistake and better methods for traffic calming are available. Better speed limit enforcement, narrowing lanes and intersection islands all would help as short term solutions. Better transportation planning including more throughfares to move existing traffic and alternative means such as trails and public transportation would be long term solutions.

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I lived in a neighborhood that installed speed tables on my street after some 16 year-old kid was killed when he ran off the road into a tree (police determined he wasn't speeding - he just didn't know how to drive). The neighborhood homeowners association over-reacted to the tragedy and installed them without consulting the homeowners. What I experienced living in front of the speed tables is a huge increase in traffic noise and watched as just about everyone simply drag-raced between the speed tables on their way to/from home.

On top of that, which was worse, all I heard was the growling of everyone's engines accelerating - and then slowing - and then accelerating again - in-between each "bump". If it was a big truck or a old jalopy with a bad muffler, it was worse. It was even worse late at night when the noise could literally wake me up. It went something like this: Vroom. Screech. Thump - Thump. Vroom. Screech. Thump - Thump. Vroom. Screech. Thump - Thump. Are you with me! Do YOU want to listen to THAT all night long? My house was super-insulated, so I can only imagine how noisy some neighbors had it.

What happened is that a previously quiet street turned into a very noisy one. And everyone turned into speed racer between bumps. I ended up selling that house because of the speed tables. My advice is if someone suggests putting them in in front of your house - tell them NO WAY!

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In a great scenario for me, the road problems would finally help get more people out of their vehicles and perhaps finally really get some real public transportation going. But I also realize my views are probably not that likely. I don't think we have enough density for it. But I do wish there was other options than to keep expanding and widening more and more roads. It's been mentioned before in the article in the paper and I believe on UP as well. The main roads are becoming more clogged with traffic so more people cut onto other secondary roads. Sometimes in formerly quiet neighborhoods. Honestly the speed tables haven't bothered me too much. What I really don't care for are the speed bumps.

I lived in a neighborhood that installed speed tables on my street after some 16 year-old kid was killed when he ran off the road into a tree (police determined he wasn't speeding - he just didn't know how to drive). The neighborhood homeowners association over-reacted to the tragedy and installed them without consulting the homeowners. What I experienced living in front of the speed tables is a huge increase in traffic noise and watched as just about everyone simply drag-raced between the speed tables on their way to/from home.

On top of that, which was worse, all I heard was the growling of everyone's engines accelerating - and then slowing - and then accelerating again - in-between each "bump". If it was a big truck or a old jalopy with a bad muffler, it was worse. It was even worse late at night when the noise could literally wake me up. It went something like this: Vroom. Screech. Thump - Thump. Vroom. Screech. Thump - Thump. Vroom. Screech. Thump - Thump. Are you with me! Do YOU want to listen to THAT all night long? My house was super-insulated, so I can only imagine how noisy some neighbors had it.

What happened is that a previously quiet street turned into a very noisy one. And everyone turned into speed racer between bumps. I ended up selling that house because of the speed tables. My advice is if someone suggests putting them in in front of your house - tell them NO WAY!

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I lived in a neighborhood that installed speed tables on my street after some 16 year-old kid was killed when he ran off the road into a tree (police determined he wasn't speeding - he just didn't know how to drive). The neighborhood homeowners association over-reacted to the tragedy and installed them without consulting the homeowners. What I experienced living in front of the speed tables is a huge increase in traffic noise and watched as just about everyone simply drag-raced between the speed tables on their way to/from home.

On top of that, which was worse, all I heard was the growling of everyone's engines accelerating - and then slowing - and then accelerating again - in-between each "bump". If it was a big truck or a old jalopy with a bad muffler, it was worse. It was even worse late at night when the noise could literally wake me up. It went something like this: Vroom. Screech. Thump - Thump. Vroom. Screech. Thump - Thump. Vroom. Screech. Thump - Thump. Are you with me! Do YOU want to listen to THAT all night long? My house was super-insulated, so I can only imagine how noisy some neighbors had it.

What happened is that a previously quiet street turned into a very noisy one. And everyone turned into speed racer between bumps. I ended up selling that house because of the speed tables. My advice is if someone suggests putting them in in front of your house - tell them NO WAY!

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I hadn't thought of it from that perspective either. I know that is what happens with the ones on Wilson Ave. around Wilson Park. People just zoom up to them, slam on their brakes, bump over them and then jack rabbit to the next one. Maybe when there are enough around town there will also be enough complaints that the city will look to other methods of dealing with the problem. The ones planned for Rolling hills Drive will spark a lot of negative feedback to the city.
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I hadn't thought of it from that perspective either. I know that is what happens with the ones on Wilson Ave. around Wilson Park. People just zoom up to them, slam on their brakes, bump over them and then jack rabbit to the next one. Maybe when there are enough around town there will also be enough complaints that the city will look to other methods of dealing with the problem. The ones planned for Rolling hills Drive will spark a lot of negative feedback to the city.
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I drove over the one on Rolling Hills for the first time today. I don't think that it really works because the two cars in front of me didn't really slow down at all. However, I drive a sports car so I'm forced to slow down more than the average car. The early 90s Honda Accord in front of me hit the speed table so hard that it's trunk came open but slammed back shut once the car drove over the table. The Rolling Hills table seems larger than the ones by Wilson Park.

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Speed tables aren't generally a traffic-safety issue. They are largely a pedestrian issue.

That is why you won't see them on commercial streets.

Speed tables are intended to protect pedestrians in residential areas.

I would gladly have one on my street, even if were right in front of my house. Generally, most drivers obey the 25 mph speed limit on our street. Every 20th vehicle, especially late at night, we get some hotshot who wants to fly down the street at 60 mph. This is simply not safe in a residential area where people are walking their dogs and children are playing.

Rolling Hills is borderline in this description. Its an aterial or collector street, yet its largely residential. There are bike lanes and many houses front the street. One speed table along its length, IMO, is just fine.

If everyone obeyed the law in these areas and drove conscientiously, acknowledging that they aren't on a friggin expressway, then they would not be needed. That isn't reality, especially in a town with an overabundance of 18-24 year olds who don't give a thought to the concepts of home ownership, child-safety, or peace and quiet.

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The one on Rolling Hills makes no sense. That street while residential is a fairly busy thoroughfare much of the time. And they left enough room that people are hugging the curb and going around them. There aren't very many walkers and bicyclists in the area either.

I do like the ones around Wilson Park because I walk around that area frequently and I think they help keep the speed down a bit. And there are a lot of bicyclists and walkers around Wilson.

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Another aspect of the speed table debate is how do they affect our emergency responders? A fire truck rushing to a fire or ambulance rushing to a wreck would have to either hit these full speed or slow down, which would increase the response time. They say every second counts in an emergency situation. I doubt the emergency personnel themselves would speak out but it has to be on their minds.

They put little poles at the ends of the one on Rolling Hills so you can't drive around it. A sports car like a S2000 or similar car would come close to ripping something off the bottom if it went over that one very fast.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Stop signs would work better if they can put them in. But a Necessary Evil I think they are. I hate them, have dragged the bottom of my non-lowered car, have tried to see if I could get airborn just because, they make noise and temporary drag racers, and many other things are bad about speed bumps. But if they are in areas where the residents request them then they are perfect. Problem is, how often is it that they residents complain about speeding but have no input on how to reduce the speeding and increase the safety.

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Stop signs would work better if they can put them in. But a Necessary Evil I think they are. I hate them, have dragged the bottom of my non-lowered car, have tried to see if I could get airborn just because, they make noise and temporary drag racers, and many other things are bad about speed bumps. But if they are in areas where the residents request them then they are perfect. Problem is, how often is it that they residents complain about speeding but have no input on how to reduce the speeding and increase the safety.
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Stop signs are another good method of traffic calming- I'd rather stop at every cross street than drive over speed tables or bumps. Like Mark, I have a 4 wheel drive so maybe I notice them more. On actual neighborhood streets where most of the traffic is people who live there and outside people cut through I see the need for increased traffic calming although methods rather than speed tables could be used. It's putting them on streets used by through traffic like on Rolling Hills and Wilson Ave. where there really isn't another logical route to take that disturbs me. Speed tables are also unfriendly to visitors to Fayetteville- I had a friend looking at the park, not see the signs and hit a speed table full speed. She wasn't a happy camper needless to say.

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Stop signs are another good method of traffic calming- I'd rather stop at every cross street than drive over speed tables or bumps. Like Mark, I have a 4 wheel drive so maybe I notice them more. On actual neighborhood streets where most of the traffic is people who live there and outside people cut through I see the need for increased traffic calming although methods rather than speed tables could be used. It's putting them on streets used by through traffic like on Rolling Hills and Wilson Ave. where there really isn't another logical route to take that disturbs me. Speed tables are also unfriendly to visitors to Fayetteville- I had a friend looking at the park, not see the signs and hit a speed table full speed. She wasn't a happy camper needless to say.
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I personally like a fat road, myself. I do not like narrow roads for residential areas. However, that doesn't seem to be a problem around here. I think the design problems are still at issue though both cases. One of the people on winwood said they just didn't like the volume of traffic on the road, not the speed of the cars. No one wants to travel on winwood to cut over to Township from Mission, but it is a necessary evil to travel that path to get there (try going to where Mission meets Old Wire and you'll find out the inefficiency). So I agree it is a bandaid and the design problem still exists. We should expect many more commuters are put off by the speed tables than the amount of residents who like the speed tables.

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The ADG's Gridlock Guru (also known as Robert Smith) had a piece on the speed tables planned for Rolling Hills Dr. in his column Friday. A writer asked why the signs said 20 mph when it's a 30 mph zone- she thought you should be able to drive over it at the speed limit. A city engineer said the sign was like a 40 mph sign at a curve on a 55 mph zoned highway.

Seems there are plans to put three tables on Rolling Hills but the city wants to evaluate what the public thinks before they put in the other two. I'll be sure to register my opinion. The tables there are a break from city policy as it is. The policy calls for tables only on streets with less than 6,000 cars daily and Rolling Hills has 8,500. They did this because the street is considered residential. I think a better solution would be to designate it what it is- a major throughfare with whatever technical name that needs.

I didn't realize it but Fayetteville already has 43 speed tables installed with 13 more planned.

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I voted "Big Mistake, not needed". Correct me if I am wrong but aren't these temporary rubber ramps that are bolted down? Doesn't Fayetteville have enough things to maintain on the City streets already? Sorry, I just do not like these things. :shades:

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I heard today from one of my knowledgeable friends that the City of Fayetteville paid a bunch of money to consultants to study traffic calming and nowhere did speed tables come up as a recommended approach, yet that was what we ended up doing. It's kind of like the Dover-Kohl masterplan....we pay for to get the experts' opinions and then ignore them.

M

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Anyone that doesn't like the speed tables is a) cutting through on streets that are not designed to be used for through traffic and/or b) driving too fast. My neighborhood has been asking for traffic calming for over a decade. I've only heard thankful comments from my neighbors on Maple and Prospect.

Almost all the speed tables in Fayetteville are semi-permanent concrete tables constructed by our streets department. I think the first one on installed on Rolling Hills is a

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Anyone that doesn't like the speed tables is a) cutting through on streets that are not designed to be used for through traffic and/or b) driving too fast. My neighborhood has been asking for traffic calming for over a decade. I've only heard thankful comments from my neighbors on Maple and Prospect.

Almost all the speed tables in Fayetteville are semi-permanent concrete tables constructed by our streets department. I think the first one on installed on Rolling Hills is a

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