Speed cushions

[Parrot of Doom]

Whats the advanced line on these?

Personally I tend to drive with the wheels either side, mechanical sympathy in mind. Trouble is, that means wandering around the lane, choosing the best line; and spending less time looking for pedestrian hazards. The option is to slow down and drive over them at 10mph - difficult to do on a busy road (there are several near me, main roads!)

[DanH]

They need bull dozing. Terrible approach to controlling speed. I dare not even straddle them lest I lose my sump.

[7db]

I had a woman lock up behind me as I slowed for one of these the other day. Sump killers, and required the one wheel dead-centre approach.

Bloody awful. There are some that are undrivable in the 7, other than at a very slow crawl.

Really really loud revving stabilises the vehicle as you pass over the hump.

Or does it mobilise local opinion to have them removed? I can't remember which of these two noble objectives it lends itself to at the moment.

[gdaybruce]

Good question. I find that however I tackle them, whether I straddle them, drive over them with two wheels or try to go around them (which is possible with some humps in my neck of the woods) it's almost unavoidable that I end up looking closely at them as I approach, meaning that I'm not looking further ahead for hazards, such as cyclists, oncoming traffic, pedestrians, etc. as I normally would.

When you realise that all the other drivers are doing the same thing, the increase in risk is substantial. It's particularly scary when oncoming cars both take to the centre of the road to avoid the speed cushions; how safe is that?!

[tvrgit]

7db said:

Really really loud revving stabilises the vehicle as you pass over the hump.

Does it really? Well I shall have to try that, here's me destabilising my car unwittingly, all under a misapprehension

[jazzyjeff]

An AIM observer has recommended I dip the clutch going over them - minimises strain on the drivetrain apparently...

JJ

[TripleS]

jazzyjeff said:

An AIM observer has recommended I dip the clutch going over them - minimises strain on the drivetrain apparently... JJ

That's well worth bearing in mind. It does rather depend though whether you're dealing with a speed cushion, which may be quite large in plan view and have fairly shallow slopes, or a smaller 'sleeping policeman' type of thing. I would imagine the latter have more potential to upset your transmission.

Best wishes all,
Dave.

[7db]

I found the fifth contact patch on the downside of a raised junction which was unmarked (ie no paint to show where the hump goes up and down). Was almost invisible with a few leaves around and flat light. Was going considerably less than speed limit, too.

[tlracing]

I tend to dip the clutch as I go over them and, depending on which car I'm in, either straddle if the clearance is enough or ride over if it isn't (and boy is that uncomfortable in my Exige..!).

We have some around here that don't have a smooth, transitional profile, but appear to be 'pre-cast' so they look like a flattened pyramid with the point cut off - doesn't matter what speed, approach, or anything, they're just impossible to negotiate without some degree of jarring impact and bouncing, grrrr

>> Edited by tlracing on Wednesday 29th March 22:48