Do speed bumps slow down response times ?

marky · 16-08-2005, 20:57

If a person was having a heart attack or other life threatening thing would speed bumps make a difference between life and death?

ive put a lot of thought to this and i think yes it would
including pros and cons what are your views please

Roy MM · 16-08-2005, 21:01

In Bury Mark they drive up the middle of the road, the bumps are split in the middle.

marky · 16-08-2005, 21:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roy MM

In Bury Mark they drive up the middle of the road, the bumps are split in the middle.

i think they are the bus friendly ones
i saw an amulance today about 20 mins ago creeping over speed bumps outside my house

Roy MM · 16-08-2005, 21:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by markymoan

i think they are the bus friendly ones
i saw an amulance today about 20 mins ago creeping over speed bumps outside my house

Gigg lane's not a bus route lol

Chimaera · 16-08-2005, 21:10

Well round here they slow down the wider vehicles (eg ambulances!) but the Pizza Hut delivery chavs drive down the middle of them at well over our 20 mph speed limit. We're also a one way road, not that they pay attention to that either.
I thought that patients had to be stabilised before they could be moved, then they wouldn't need any drastic procedures done on the way to hospital. In that case the speed bumps shouldn't make that much diffference? You couldn't speed down our road if you wanted to - it's a very narrow road and you have to be pretty careful!
Not that I like them in any case - although given my job I think I'm supposed to.

Xaccers · 16-08-2005, 21:13

As someone who's been in the back of an ambulance with broken ribs, I was stabilised, but boy did those bumps hurt, even going over them slowly, and it delayed getting to hospital

marky · 16-08-2005, 22:23

I was talking about getting to the person over the speed bumps
before they stabalise them

(response time)

bearing in mind they have a lot of delicate equipment

Chimaera · 16-08-2005, 22:30

Well when we have any sort of 'traffic calming' measures going in any of the roads round here, copies of the proposed plans are submitted to the relevant agencies (including the emergency services) to ensure that the measures will not impede their response times. They have objected at times to the position and size of road humps on occasions, and changes have been made to accomodate their requirements. Having said that, I'm sure it must slow them down.
Round here we have the 'cushion' type in pairs across the road, so in theory emergency vehicles should be able to straddle them. In practice it doesn't work because of parked cars on both sides of the road.

Stuart · 16-08-2005, 23:37

Round here, they seem to be gradually removing the "sleeping policemen" they threw down everywhere in the late 80s and early 90s*, and, where traffic calming measures are geniunely need (ie not in most of the roads), they are replacing them with the "cushion" types Chi mentions.

*As a side note, I heard rumours that they were even going to introduce sleeping policemen up my road. Seeing as my road has a grand total of about 10 houses, takes 30 seconds to walk from one end to the other, and is a cul de sac, I would actually be impressed by any car with the sheer acceleration needed to speed up it.

Raistlin · 17-08-2005, 01:01

Perhaps ambulances need the same sort of suspension that my car has.....

Speed bumps? What are they?

It's a Xantia with the trick pneumatic suspension, the car actually stays level as you go over the bumps - they've got to be really severe for me to even feel them

Xaccers · 17-08-2005, 01:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raistlin

Perhaps ambulances need the same sort of suspension that my car has.....

Speed bumps? What are they?

It's a Xantia with the trick pneumatic suspension, the car actually stays level as you go over the bumps - they've got to be really severe for me to even feel them

That's why in france/corsica they have modified xantias as small ambulances

**Mick** · 17-08-2005, 01:26

It's been said many times that speed bumps are an hindrance on the emergency services, particularly Ambulances. But not only this, its been in the news also about cracks appearing in the exterior walls of nearby houses because of HGV's taking to the route of the speed bumps. Nasty.

marky · 17-08-2005, 01:31

the best of it is they dont serve a purpose
the idiots drive faster

i just dont know
i'm just

17-08-2005, 05:48

All speed bumps cause the emergency vehicles to slow down, I once witnessed an ambulance in Mansfield going over some speed bumps at 10mph with it's light flashing. I hope the person got there ok.