Citation

Clement J. ITE J. 1983; 53(1): 35-39.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1983, Institute of Transportation Engineers)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This article presents the results of a study conducted in Thousand Oaks, California with the purpose of documenting real-life experiences with speed humps on residential roads. Speed humps differ from speed bumps; where speed bumps are sudden and sharp 3 to 4 inch rises with a 1 to 3 foot base width, speed humps are gently rounded 3 to 4 inch high protuberances that are at least 12 feet wide at the base. Following a discussion of the test methods and results, tentative recommendations for the use of speed humps are presented, based on the following criteria: (1) If the length of a hump is less than the wheel base of a typical vehicle (10 feet), the hump should be no higher than 3 inches so that vehicles do not bottom out; (2) If the length of a hump is less than the wheel base of a bicycle (3.5 feet), the hump should be no higher than 2 inches so that the toes of a bicyclist do not strike the humps; and (3) The slope of a hump should be fairly gentle to minimize sudden shocks to motorists or bicyclists at low speeds.