US/NC/Durham/neighborhoods/Pinecrest Road/speed humps

This page is about the issue of getting (or preventing) speed humps on Pinecrest Road.

Introduction

Whenever discussion takes place, a clear majority of those present seem to favor speed humps, but apparently there is an anonymous minority who are quite deadset against them.

From discussion thus far, the proponents of speed humps are not talking about the 1970s-style "short, sharp shock" round bump 1-2 feet wide, of the sort often found in older shopping centers such as Lakewood and which tend to punish you for going over them at any speed, but of the newer gradual-rise-and-plateau style (I believe one city official stated that the rise, plateau, and fall were each 8 feet) which only "punish" at speeds above 15-25 MPH.

Status

2005-10-28: The following information emerged from the firehouse meeting on 10/27, as remembered by my questionable memory; listen to the audio recordings posted in the parking ban page in order to hear what was actually said.

Funding is not an obstacle at the present time; if a petition is signed and the street is approved for hump installation, then Pinecrest would simply be added to the list to be taken care of at the next round of hump installation, which happens once or twice a year.

However, the city wanted to take the process in a particular order so as to avoid misunderstandings. In the past, apparently, residents (on other streets, I presume) have signed petitions, been qualified and received approval, and had the paving equipment show up -- only to be met by an angry resident saying "oh no, you're not putting a hump there!, or even by a lawyer challenging the city's right to install humps on the street at all.

The city's current methodology, then, is:

• "qualify" the street, i.e. measure traffic flow and determine if the x-MPH-over-the-limit criterion is met (I seem to recall that it was something like "the 85^th percentile speed must be at least 7 MPH over the posted speed limit")
• draw up a detailed plan showing exactly where the speed bumps will be, so that alternative positioning can be worked out in the event that anyone has a problem with the proposed location
• and finally, give the go-ahead for circulation of a petition, with the understanding that the petitioners are agreeing to the detailed plan worked out in the previous step

As part of the discussion over the proposed parking ban, the City of Durham began collecting traffic data for Pinecrest Road a week or two ago. Apparently the average speeds were sufficiently above the posted speed of 25 MPH to qualify Pinecrest Road for speed humps, so the "qualify" step has now been done.

To the best of my recollection, it was implied but not stated that plans for proposed hump location would be drawn up. I'm not sure if someone in the neighborhood is checking on this. In any case, that is where the "ball" is at present.

Arguments

Favorable

In general, the favorable arguments are concerned with slowing down and reducing through traffic, with safety of children and pets as a prime concern.

Unfavorable

The arguments against speed humps tend to address the following more or less factual points:

• they slow down access for emergency vehicles (see DFD Traffic Issues Criteria for some specifics)
• they cause irritating repeated sounds of acceleration (and sometimes braking, when commuters are particularly obnoxious) in the general vicinity of each hump
• they cause gradual damage to cars (including those of residents)

The following debatable points have also been raised:

• they are ugly
• they reduce the charm of the neighborhood
• they reduce property values

Favorable Counterpoints

• "ugly": Early attempts were definitely ugly, ("The first humps the city installed were garishly painted, and each was accompanied by signs on each side that said HUMP. The signs were rumored to be prized by teenaged vandals, who enjoyed the sexy overtones of the word.", says one Pinecrest resident), but newer speed humps are much more subdued.
• "charm": this is purely an aesthetic consideration, and thus difficult to debate. The humps certainly are un-charming in much the same way as a fence around one's house; on the other hand, they help to preserve that same charm by reducing commuter traffic and slowing down "getaway" vehicles in the event of a crime (or alternatively drawing attention to such vehicles if they don't slow down for the speed humps).
• "property values" are important if one intends to resell one's house anytime soon, and are probably therefore more important to shorter-term residents – but this concern does reflect the idea that we all want the neighborhood to remain a pleasant, desirable place to live. As far as I know, however, speed humps do not decrease property values on the roads along which they are installed; they make the neighborhood feel safer and more cozy and even a bit "gated community"ish (which may have its own positive and negative aspects, but surely cannot be said to drive property values down).