19 March 2012

How effective are the Flinders Way speed cushions?

| johnboy
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flinders way

Territory And Municipal Services want to know what you think about the speed cushions they’ve laid down on Flinders Way between Murray Crescent and Mugga Way:

“The investigation showed that Flinders Way, between Murray Crescent and Mugga Way, carried around 6 300 vehicles per day with 15 per cent of motorists travelling at 63 kilometres per hour or more.”

Mr Gill added that these excessive speeds were found to be the main cause of accidents along the road, particularly those accidents near intersections.

“The findings of the investigation influenced our decision to install speed cushions which was a decision supported by local residents, who were informed of the proposed traffic calming measures by letterbox drop and were invited to provide feedback.”

Roads ACT will now evaluate the effectiveness of the speed cushions through data analysis and community feedback.

Sometime real soon there should be a new engagement for this added to time to talk.


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Pork Hunt said :

Full speed eh? Most vehicles these days are good for say 180-220 kmh.
I drive a British 4wd which is speed limited to 132 kmh so, sadly, I cannot share your thrills…

Your disingenuous comment aside, as most of us don’t operate vessels from the bridge with polished brass controls to the engine room, I only attempt what you term “full speed” for the yumps on Flinders Way where La Perouse crosses. Before and after that, “full speed” is an approximation of the prescribed speed limit.

luv_this_city11:02 pm 19 Mar 12

Gungahlin Town Centre now has a bunch of these to match the new 40 KM/h speed limit, however some drivers just swerve around (so now driving in the middle of the road) to avoid. So as with other posts they would need to be wider to be more effective.

I wonder if many accidents happen at the intersections – there is terrible visibility turning right from La Perouse into Flinders – its a terrible intersection?

Russ said :

The tyres on my vehicle span the lump perfectly meaning I can negotiate them at full speed, so I don’t mind them, unless I’m stuck behind someone.

The problem with all these traffic-calming measures is that the people who are most likely to speed in these areas are those who work or live nearby and are thus highly familiar with the road, and quickly adjust their technique to maintain their desired speed.

It’s only people who seldom use the road who slow down appreciably, but they’re not likely to be speeding anyway.

Full speed eh? Most vehicles these days are good for say 180-220 kmh.
I drive a British 4wd which is speed limited to 132 kmh so, sadly, I cannot share your thrills…

Sgt.Bungers said :

They’re a rubbish bandaid solution to a poorly designed street.

IMHO step one into having motorists slow down in residential streets, is to ensure that such two way, single carraigeway streets do not share the same speed limits as major dual carriageway urban roads in the A.C.T (ie 60km/h).

All single carriageway roads through residential areas and commercial areas in the ACT should have a 50 km/h speed limit by default, except for in extenuating circumstances.

I cannot fathom the logic of Roads ACT for posting what is essentially a residential street with a high 60 km/h speed limit, then putting a plethora of speed humps in to slow motorists to a recommended 20 km/h… they’ve left the ajoining Monaro Cres relatively untouched, yet this road is wider than Flinders, and has a 50 km/h speed limit. Consistency is not something that Roads ACT is concerned with.

Hear hear!!!!!! I don’t understand why they do this. This sort of thing should only be used before pedestrian crossings and on entry to shared zones. Other traffic calming measures would be much more effective.

johnboy said :

plastic jobby that bolts onto the road.

gives the suspension a real workout until you learn to thread the wheels between the cushions at which point you’d hardly know they’re there.

So at least it does focus the drivers’ minds.

So does that then make them speed humps or chicanes?

The tyres on my vehicle span the lump perfectly meaning I can negotiate them at full speed, so I don’t mind them, unless I’m stuck behind someone.

The problem with all these traffic-calming measures is that the people who are most likely to speed in these areas are those who work or live nearby and are thus highly familiar with the road, and quickly adjust their technique to maintain their desired speed.

It’s only people who seldom use the road who slow down appreciably, but they’re not likely to be speeding anyway.

I often drive a delivery truck down Flinders way, and can confirm that they succeed in forcing me to slow down, and also in making my life a little more unpleasant.

What about scooter riders and motorcyclists, (or bicycle riders for that matter too). Some of the cushions are so close together I am sure they are very dangerous for two wheelers, especially in the wet. I often wonder about the levels of the IQ or common sense of the people who work in the Canberra roads decision making area.

They’re a rubbish bandaid solution to a poorly designed street.

IMHO step one into having motorists slow down in residential streets, is to ensure that such two way, single carraigeway streets do not share the same speed limits as major dual carriageway urban roads in the A.C.T (ie 60km/h).

All single carriageway roads through residential areas and commercial areas in the ACT should have a 50 km/h speed limit by default, except for in extenuating circumstances.

I cannot fathom the logic of Roads ACT for posting what is essentially a residential street with a high 60 km/h speed limit, then putting a plethora of speed humps in to slow motorists to a recommended 20 km/h… they’ve left the ajoining Monaro Cres relatively untouched, yet this road is wider than Flinders, and has a 50 km/h speed limit. Consistency is not something that Roads ACT is concerned with.

johnboy said :

plastic jobby that bolts onto the road.

gives the suspension a real workout until you learn to thread the wheels between the cushions at which point you’d hardly know they’re there.

So at least it does focus the drivers’ minds.

I really appreciate this style of speed bump. The tracks of most cars straddle them, so they have no impact on suspension, but you still have to slow down to align the vehicle. A great compromise if you ask me!

p1 said :

thatsnotme said :

p1 said :

Spofforth Street, in Holt has recently had 13 of these installed over a 1.4km stretch.

I’m really curious about what makes Spofforth St so special. Over time it’s been closed to any heavy vehicles, then had its speed limit reduced from 60 to 50 (despite being a wide, open road, with nothing but a golf course on one side, houses well set back from the street on the other, and being far safer than other 60km/h streets in the area), and now these speed cushions. I’m just waiting for the gates closing off the street to anyone who doesn’t live on it.

I think that the construction of the new part of MacGregor to the west of the bit that has been there for forty years, had increased the amount of traffic taking that road. Although I suspect it was the construction vehicles during the building of the suburb taking the shortcut that was most annoying.

I can only assume someone with either some serious sway, or a penchant for writing letters that annoy people has been complaining about the traffic.

If the idea was to deter West MacGregor residents from shortcutting to William Hovell then I’d say mission accomplished, but 13 ‘speed cushions’ seems woefully excessive.

You actually feel those things less the faster you go

thatsnotme said :

p1 said :

Spofforth Street, in Holt has recently had 13 of these installed over a 1.4km stretch.

I’m really curious about what makes Spofforth St so special. Over time it’s been closed to any heavy vehicles, then had its speed limit reduced from 60 to 50 (despite being a wide, open road, with nothing but a golf course on one side, houses well set back from the street on the other, and being far safer than other 60km/h streets in the area), and now these speed cushions. I’m just waiting for the gates closing off the street to anyone who doesn’t live on it.

I think that the construction of the new part of MacGregor to the west of the bit that has been there for forty years, had increased the amount of traffic taking that road. Although I suspect it was the construction vehicles during the building of the suburb taking the shortcut that was most annoying.

I can only assume someone with either some serious sway, or a penchant for writing letters that annoy people has been complaining about the traffic.

Things that force drivers to slow down for them often result in the drivers then accelerating away from them, so noise and aggro.

p1 said :

Spofforth Street, in Holt has recently had 13 of these installed over a 1.4km stretch.

I’m really curious about what makes Spofforth St so special. Over time it’s been closed to any heavy vehicles, then had its speed limit reduced from 60 to 50 (despite being a wide, open road, with nothing but a golf course on one side, houses well set back from the street on the other, and being far safer than other 60km/h streets in the area), and now these speed cushions. I’m just waiting for the gates closing off the street to anyone who doesn’t live on it.

Spofforth Street, in Holt has recently had 13 of these installed over a 1.4km stretch.

johnboy said :

plastic jobby that bolts onto the road.

gives the suspension a real workout until you learn to thread the wheels between the cushions at which point you’d hardly know they’re there.

So at least it does focus the drivers’ minds.

Ahhh, thats what they call those things near Oconnor shops that are great fun to launch the mountain bike off 😛

Supported by local residents? I live in that exact area, I have not spoken to one person who is in support of these pita things. They are excessive, useless and just plain annoying. Further more, I never recieved anything about it in the mail, they just appeared one day.

That and most people in the area dropping thier kids off at Grammar drive SUV’s and just drive at the things full pelt anyway.

What’s a speed cushion? Is it an actual puffy cushion or just a flat lump of tar?

plastic jobby that bolts onto the road.

gives the suspension a real workout until you learn to thread the wheels between the cushions at which point you’d hardly know they’re there.

So at least it does focus the drivers’ minds.

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