Speed Bumps - speed ramps Road safety

Speed Bumps – Road safety

In England a sleeping policeman refers to a raised band across a road, designed to  make motorists reduce their speed. This term was created by a physicist named Arthur Holly Compton in 1953 when he designed the first ramp to slow down traffic outside his University, that ramp was similar to the speed bumps that we use today. They may  have various names but  they are still used as a traffic calming device to make roads safe. So make sure next time you visit England you know what people refer about when they mention the term “Sleeping Policeman”.

 

What does sleeping policeman mean in Britain?

Although the earlier implementation of what  might be considered speed bumps happened on June 7, 1906, it wasn’t until 1953 when a physicist and winner of the Nobel Prize Arthur Holly Compton  invented what he called “traffic control bumps” the basic design for the speed hump after noticing the speed  at which motorists passed Brookings Hall at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, where he was chancellor.

The British Transport and Road Research Laboratory published a comprehensive report in 1973 examining vehicle behavior for a large variety of different bumps geometries. At the time speed humps were not permitted on public roads but had been installed on private roads.

According to a publications by the Institute of Transportation Engineers, the first bump in Europe was built in 1970 in the city of Delft in Netherlands. Later that decade in Britain, people adopted the word Sleeping Policeman to call Speed Bumps since they remain in the way, sleeping until a motorist needs a physical remainder not to speed.

 

6’ Economy Recycled Rubber Heavy Duty Speed Bump
SKU Description Length Height Width Weight
SB206FT 6 Ft Speed Bump (1) 6′ Section With no End Caps 72″ 2″ 12″ 48.40
SB207FT 7 Ft Speed Bump (1) 6′ Section + (2) End Caps 86″ 2″ 12″ 55.40
SB213FT Single Lane 12 Ft Speed Bump (2) 6′ Section With no End Caps 144″ 2″ 12″ 96.80
SB219FT Double lane 19 Ft Speed Bump (3) 6′ Section + (2) End Caps 230″ 2″ 12″ 152.20
SB225FT 25 Ft Speed Bump (4) 6′ Section + (2) End Caps 302″ 2″ 12″ 200.60
SB2ECAP End cap 7′ 2′ 12′ 3.50
Premium Recycled Rubber Safety-Striped 
SKU Description Length Height Width Weight
SB3039I 39″ Speed Bump (1) 39″ Section With no End Caps 39″ 2″ 13.7″ 36.20
SB3117I 117″ Single Lane Speed Bump (3) 39″ Sections With no End Caps 117″ 2″ 13.7″ 108.60
SB3137I 137″ Single Lane Speed Bump (3) 39″ Sections + (2) End Caps 137″ 2″ 13.7″ 124.20
SB3234I 234″ Double lane Speed Bump (6) 39″ Sections With no End Caps 234″ 2″ 13.7″ 217.20
SB3254I-2 254″ Double Lane Speed Bump (6) 39″ Sections + (2) End Caps 254″ 2″ 13.7″ 232.80
SB3ECAP-2 End cap 10″ 2″ 13.7″ 7.80
Recycled Rubber Speed Hump
SKU Description Length Height Width Weight
SH1018I 18.75″ Speed Bump (1) 18.75″ Section with no End Caps 18.75″ 1.25″ 2″ 22.20
SH1112I 112.5″ Single Lane Speed Bump (6) 18.75″ Sections with no End Caps 112.5″ 1.25″ 2″ 133.20
SH1128I 10 Ft Single Lane Speed Bump (6) 18.75″ Sections + (2) End Caps 128.5 1.25″ 2″ 148.80
SH1225I 225″ Double Lane Speed Bump (12) 18.75″ Sections with no End Caps 225″ 1.25″ 2″ 266.40
SH1241I 20 Ft Double Lane Speed Bump (12) 18.75″ Sections + (2) End Caps 241″ 1.25″ 2″ 282.00
SH1ECAL LEFT End Cap 8″ 1.25″ 2′ 7.80
SH1ECAR RIGHT End Cap 8″ 1.25″ 2′ 7.80
Heavy Duty Rubber Speed Hump
SKU Description Length Height Width Weight
SH2019I 19.75″ Speed Bump (1) 19.75″ Section With no End Caps 19.75″ 2″ 3″ 48.00
SH2121I 10 Ft Single Lane Speed Bump (5) 19.75″ Sections + (2) End Caps 121.75″ 2″ 3″ 273.00
SH2240I 20 Ft Double Lane Speed Bump (11) 19.75″ + (2) End Caps 240″ 2″ 3″ 561.00
SH2ECAL LEFT End cap 11.5″ 2″ 3′ 16.00
SH2ECAR RIGHT End cap 11.5″ 2″ 3′ 16.00

How do you install a Speed Ramp?

Speed cushions are a type of speed hump installation designed to alleviate the negative impacts that vertical deflections have on emergency vehicle response times. Speed cushions installations are typically made up of several small speed humps installed across the width of the road with spaces between them. They force normal cars to slow down as they ride with one or both wheels over the humps. Meanwhile, they allow fire engines (and other large vehicles) with wider axles to straddle the cushions without slowing down. Installing these Speed Ramps is very easy, all you need is a drill and the right bolts for concrete and then it is a simple as 1, 2 and 3: 1. You mark the place where the Speed Ramp will be, 2. You drill thru the pre-manufactured holes in the rubber bump, and 3. You tight the bolts to secure a perfect installation.  

 

What’s the difference between a speed hump and a speed ramp?

The answer to this question is simple since a Speed Hump is a lighter device made to dramatically slow down the vehicles because of its barrier effect while Speed Ramps are much wider and they’re made only to slow down vehicles without making them fully stop. Both products are made for the same purpose but for different places depending on the speed limits in certain places. At the end of the day they’re both a solution and a sleeping policeman waiting for its chance to help increase the safety on any road.