BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

I think there has been griping about them here do to problems with clearance of low cars. I could also see them being annoying when plowing snow. I used to commute by these ones: http://goo.gl/maps/vokzP People would drive to the very edge, but they did seem to slow down at least upon the hump. Here's a random article I pulled up: http://www.maine.gov/mdot/csd/mlrc/technical/shsb.htm I do like the idea of traffic calming designs. Not sure where they've been implemented in the region though

It doesn't have to be bumps.

Locally, there are the humps on Gold Way. I think this was a demo project, but I'm not sure what if anything we've learned.

I HATE speed bumps. It rewards people to drive big SUVs and empty pickups. My car sits LOW and I would have to slow to a crawl to get over a dumb speed bump. I want people to slow down as much as any cyclist out there, but bumps aren't the answer.

gold way works fine. speed humps are a traffic calmer that does not make a 1975 Subaru disintegrate.

^This isn't part of my normal commute so I’m not being facetious - has the mean traffic speed on Gold Way decreased? Is it quantifiable? Even if only anecdotally, does the road seam safer now than it was before the humps went in?

I like what Ahlir said (visually). Beyond that, I have vast quantities of other thoughts on the matter that basically distill down, like a fine brandy, to - fuck Penndot. So I'll just go with that.

I've been through melwood/gold way only a few times. But it when I did go, it was nice and mellow. The main reason was that the traffic volume was so minimal, but it also felt reassuring that they were there behind me presumably cutting the tendency to gun it, especially around the wiggling turn (mostly) to the right under the bloomfield bridge. It's also entirely possible that the humps played a part in reducing its use a shortcut to traffic on liberty.

I did not ride on Gold Way before the speed humps, but I do have the impression that they slow people down.

I go through Gold Way pretty often. The bumps may have calmed traffic through the stretch where they are, but it seems to me that the press around it has also alerted people to the short-cut (most of which is bump-less) and increased through traffic. It's always been a pretty mellow route, regardless. There are other places where I think such bumps would do a lot of good, mainly on side-streets and perhaps in business districts before cross-walks. Places where people should be slowing way down anyhow. My street has a narrow 90 degree turn with a 15 mph sign, and it would be great if people were prevented from speeding through it in the wrong lane using the street as a short cut. It's completely inappropriate behavior for a residential area with playing children. Speed bumps seem to be the only easy solution. Chicago has tons of side street speed bumps. They seem to make a huge difference. And they get plenty of snow, so plowing can't be much of an issue.

Random notes: - Speed tables mitigate some of the issues with bumps; done right one axle will always be up on the raised part. - Experientially, Gold Way does not feel all that different compared to before the bumps. It's still as narrow and vehicles continue to bomb down it as fast as they can manage (I don't feel all that much safer with cars doing 30mph as opposed to 45mph). - I took a closer look at the area a little while ago. Setting a bike path from the (Baum) end of Melwood to pretty-close to the bridge should not be a major undertaking. There's flat terrain along Gold Way that looks just right for a path. Also, some speed bumps between the first clump of houses and the built up part of the street would be nice. [ Does anyone know what those street planners / cartographers were smoking? Is it still available? Do you know where I could get some? ]