The bumpy road to work

[inquisitor]

Not a very serious thread, but I am interested to know what people think of the new "traffic calming" measures on the southern perimeter road toward the staff carpark at Gatwick. In the 1.2 miles between the main road and the entance of V carpark the are 24 speedbumps, I estimate there are another 6 towards the end of the road. In my opinion, far from being a "traffic calming" measure, it is a "traffic agrivating" measure, as most people (including the police) now drive down the middle of the road to avoid the bumps.
I wonder if there is a business opportunity, opening a exhaust, brake and suspension centre at the end of the road.

[PILOT-WITH-ALTITUDE]

Perhaps they are there to prepare you for the turbulance .:O

[mcdhu]

What a disgraceful waste of money - presumably by the BAA. Ever since that poor Airtours FA was killed about 5 years ago, they have been clowning around with traffic 'calming' measures without actually achieving anything except making accidents more likely.

Complain as much as possible to the 'Staff Parking, Room 824, 8th Floor, South Roof Office Block, LGW.' or anyone else who will listen. I would hate to have to be the one to say 'I told you so.'

Cheers,
mcdhu

[oic]

This is a truly moronic measure - 24 bumps to the entrance of car park X - I bet whomever dreamt this up does not park anywhere near the place.

All they will achieve is that the next accident will take place in the middle of the road rather than one side or the other.

[PUP]

What happens when it snows? There's no way (snow way?) a snowplough's going to be able to clear the road with those bl**dy things all over the shop!

[Dogma]

I gather it's like playing a game of the proverbial "chicken"

Everyone drives down the middle; first one to twitch goes over the speed bump! :ouch:

[Puritan]

That this has happened is hardly surprising, i.e. on the long straight down to X carpark many people frequently drove at outrageously high speeds !

Mind you, in all my years of being at LGW, I've never seen a Police speed trap on that stretch of road and thus it would seem that the BAA's stance is that, rather than deal with the miscreants, just wack everybody ?! :mad:

[Human Factor]

Looking forward to billing BAA for new suspension on the motor! Couple of grand from each of us ought to do it. :E

[Cakov]

If the speed limit is thirty mph, why did they install speed bumps that you can cross at a maximum of ten?

If you don't like playing chicken, just swerve off the road and drive on the grass like the rest of us. Much safer!

Whichever method you prefer, I'm pretty certain that whoever made the decision to install the speedbumps doesn't have to park in X. Thanks for posting their address. Any chance of a petition to get them removed?

[M.Mouse]

And how many of you have filled in the leaflets asking for comments that are in the racks in each bus shelter?

Let me guess.......

[hobie]

there is only one way to solve this problem ...... all modern cars are highly electronic ..... it would be a relatively simple matter to install hardware that could recognise a given speed limit and automatically restrict the vehicle to the allowed maximum speed ...... this could apply to all roads everywhere ....

imagine you are comfortably driving along a motorway at 70 mph, the maximum permitted speed ..... no cars behind you and there never will be, let alone trying to pass you at illegal speeds ..... magic !!!!

wonder if Mr. B might consider this after banning smoking in all public places ..... pubs ..... clubs ..... work places etc

:p :p :p

[411A]

Well, yes I guess it does, every once in awhile, but really don't think anyone need be concerned.
Last time I was at Gatwick and it snowed, the whole airport ground to a halt anyway, never mind the roads.:ooh: :suspect:

[Finbarr]

This is clearly the product of a spotty-faced youth with a degree in traffic management from Crawley University. The perpetrator should take a look for himself - the traffic is not being 'managed' at all - speeds are the same, all that has changed is the ride is more uncomfortable for the driver/passenger. I feel sorry for the bus drivers who have to use thus road dozens of times a day and even sorrier for the passengers in the back seat of the bus! As has already been said - how long before the first head-on collision? I am pleased I have decided to retire - couldn't put up with this!

[Flip Flop Flyer]

Whereas I'm left wondering how long a thread on similar speedbumps around CPH would last? In other words, what the f. is the relevance on an internatinal aviation site?

Pommies ........

[cirrus01]

No problem when on my motorbike....except to avoid the opposite direction traffic of course........

Why didn't the BAA keep the chicanes, but instead of concrete blocks ( Which sadly took at least one persons life) they could have had a enviromentaly friendly HEDGE barrier....? ???

Doesn't take a genius to work out that people avoid driving into / thru hedges, but should they do so , it will probably only result in a scratched and dented car, and probably dented pride.

:confused: :confused: :confused:

[toon]

Has anyone seen the mess they have 'managed' to make at manchester ? endless roundabouts all leading to barriers and one way roads with no chance of turning around, even the busses stuggle to make the turns, passengers stop on the actual roundabouts because the place is so complicated no one knows where to go so they have put a police car at the arrivals (?) entrance to guide people !!
They could have had wide dual lanes with proper drop of/pick up points but oh no, you do get 10mins free in the carpark !! 4 of which must be used up actually getting from the barrier to the space, a futher 3 to get to arrivals hall !!!
Think your spotty teenager has caught the train from crawley upt't north !!!

[Fly_Right]

In order to avoid suspension damage and to avoid collision damage, someone in my company who is also in X, suggested we all drive at 10 mph over the bumps. This will soon play havoc with the timetables and the BAA will have to take some notice.
Like all the other hairbrained schemes the BAA have come up with for this road, this one must be scrapped before someone else is KILLED!

[A and C]

As this is a recognised public forum I give formal notice to the BAA that if I am injured is any way by another vehicle because these dangerously positioned speed bumps that encourage drivers to drive along the middle of the road due to the severity of the ramp.

The most danger I face in a working day is the drive along a mile of good road that has been laid with unnessesary hazards that force on-coming trafic into my path.

[M.Mouse]

As this is a recognised public forum I give formal notice to the BAA..........

So this is where formal notices are served on companies.

that if I am injured is any way by another vehicle because these dangerously positioned speed bumps that encourage drivers to drive along the middle of the road due to the severity of the ramp.

Wait a minute formal notice of what?

What a pompous piece of twaddle.

[London Jets]

There is another thread on this subject in the Airlines, Airports and Routes forum I think.

Thes speed bumps are a menace and add a good 10 minutes to my drive into work. They are not nescessary at all, speed calming measures are but what was wrong with the traffic islands that we have had for the past few years???

Questions....

As there was a very unfortunate accident there a few years back involving a flight attendant, what happens if there is another similar accident? How will these speed bumps affect the ambulance, police and fire getting there? can you imagine some poor person in the back of an ambulance going flying down that road over the speed bumps?

While I think the mojority of people at LGW think these are speed bumps are more of a danger than a help, who and why decided to put them there? Is this just another waste of money? will they be changed again in a couple of years time? What are the reasons for putting these stupidly high bumps there? and who is going to pay for my suspension and exhaust???

LJ

[Tallbloke]

Thes speed bumps are a menace and add a good 10 minutes to my drive into work
If the road is a mile long it takes 2 minutes at 30 mph to drive down it, and even at 10 mph it only takes 6 minutes. Even if you used to do 60 down there before, that is only 5 minutes longer.

[A and C]

Yes it was just about as pompous as I could get ! and yet it will probably be the only thing that the BAA will understand !.

I have made reprisentations about this problem via the normal channels , have you ?.

[Hogg]

I was goin down the centre of the road, a quiet morning! and pulled back to my own side and just as well as I came around the bend... 2 police vans sitting watching.

Its the silliest thing Ive seen in ages those ramps.

Doesnt slow anyone down, in fact the opposite as people speed up to get thru the gap before hittin the brakes to move back over!

X car park almost full every mornin now.

[crewrest]

I agree, it's daft, has anyone filled in the forms and sent them to the car parks office? Has anyone contacted the Gatwick News?

Are they going to pay for everyone's (crew/groundstaff/catering/crewbuses/constuction traffic's) new suspension?

They've utterly cocked up the drive into work, the BAA are such jobsworths, if speed was a problem, may some police presence would be good to curb speed rather than clobber all of us.

Flip Flop & M.Mouse if it's such trivia, why are you commenting? (though I don't know either what it's doing still on the front page, maybe since so many people on PPRuNe use that road)

..........and heaven knows what 411A is on about.

Rant over

[fireflybob]

It's not just the suspension system on one's car that takes a pounding from speed bumps (incidentally they used to be called sleeping policemen!).

Where I live there are a proliferation of speed bumps. Recently one of my headlamps failed in the dipped position but then to my surprise a few days later the headlamp on the other side also failed. Both bulbs had gone costing £10.70 each plus VAT!

I am sure that vibration over the speed bumps accelerated the failure of these lights.

I am just waiting for someone to successfully take a local authority to court when it is proved that speed bumps are costing us money by causing items to fail.

I am all for the speed limits being enforced but these measures are quite banal now.

[Final 3 Greens]

..........and heaven knows what 411A is on about. Well, he is just applying his Arizonan snow expertise to the problem :}

[Cakov]

Have just picked up a sheaf of comment cards from the bus shelter to place in our crewroom.

Why not do the same - you never know, the more people write in to complain, the more likely they'll do something about the bumps.

Not that I'm holding my breath, mind.

[RatherBeFlying]

Have not had the "pleasure" of the Heathrow bumps, but there's lots here.

The bumps on the road are humps that do not run all the way to the curb, but do cover the center.

They can be taken comfortably at 40km/h with one set of wheels on the flat spot next to the curb. If parked cars or pedestrian proximity:ooh: does not allow, then cross with as much diagonal as possible.

Check mirror for HM plod before maneuvering energetically:E

For the short and sharp bumps in laneways, A Caterpillar D-10 with the blade set low is the best option:mad:

[airship]

In some countries, I understand "sleeping policemen" are illegal on roads where the number of vehicles per day exceeds a certain number?! :rolleyes:

[MichaelJP59]

Those speed bumps are a nightmare! The really annoying thing is you cannot drive comfortably over them at the speed limit of 30mph, you have to slow down to about 10 and even then it is far from comfortable.

Hope they are recognised for the dangerous disgrace they are and removed from the whole country!

- Michael

[srjumbo]

The person to write to is
Louise Ash
GM First & Last Impressions
Room 824 South Roof Office Block
Gatwick Airport
RH6 0NP
I've spoken to a couple of Gatwick policemen (not sleeping) and they are as pi##ed off with these things as the rest of us.
I'm sending Ms Ash a bill for damage to my car, can I suggest everyone else does the same.

[Double Entry]

I have it from a very reliable source that apparently the BAA have worked out that the speed bumps will keep the speed of drivers (who don't go down the middle) down to 13.7mph. However, how this complements the 30mph speed limit is anyones guess.

Write and complain.

[Devils Advocate]

That's crap - I'm still able to drive over them at 30mph and don't even notice them ( albeit in a Shogun ) ! ..... though I too now mostly go down the middle. :E

[flyer4life]

If the road is a mile long it takes 2 minutes at 30 mph to drive down it, and even at 10 mph it only takes 6 minutes. Even if you used to do 60 down there before, that is only 5 minutes longer.

Nice maths but it doesn't tell the whole story. The wait between buses is much longer now. A few days ago I saw a bus slowly overtake a car that was going 10mph over each bump, no doubt forced to in an attempt to catch up with the schedule... just the kind of extra safety BAA intended I'm sure!

I now have to allow half an hour to get in the crewroom, even though I live only four miles away! Ridiculous.

Perhaps it's a sinister ploy to force us off the roads and onto the wonderful public transport.

I agree with the comments that a few idiots driving at 60mph have ruined it for all for us. Mostly C/C youngsters in Peugeot 206's I seem to recall! ;)

[buffy747]

I don't think we can put the blame down to 'c/c youngsters' as 'the idiots driving at 60mph'
I am c/c and certaintly never drove down that road at 60mph!!

I quite agree with putting in our bills. My car is quite low and the suspension and exhaust bills will not be cheap !!
:mad:

Buffy

:p

[Anti-ice]

They are a very dangerous idea.

I think 5mph is more of the order of the speed you need to go over them, needless to say you are incurring alot brake wear , and using more fuel to accelerate in between.

The only way to go down there now is down the middle.

I drove down their the other day , was negotiating a speed ramp , and some teen spiv accelerated past me almost straight into the car park bus which was doing 40mph+ in the other direction:mad:
The bus almost swerved into me:mad:

Mindlessly , the bus drivers have been told they HAVE to stick to their timetable.
These buses will be a writeoff within weeks , as they literally lift off the ground and slam down trying to keep time as they have been ordered.

It is beyond a joke,i suggest all employees who use it, submit all suspension repair bills to BAA - this will run into £,000's and slow all traffic down by driving as slow as possible till the bus drivers go on strike.

I bet you they take them up by year end .

Whoever thought up this brilliant idea , needs to be hung drawn and quartered.
It IS beyond a joke.

[Tudor]

What is also worrying is the amount of people these buses carry at peak times. If a bus were to be involved in a head-on collision (or any collision for that matter) the results would be horrific. The situation on the South Terminal bus early on in the morning is ridiculous-the drivers are having difficulty closing the doors due to the volume of people crowded on. What is equally ridiculous is the North Terminal buses ply the same route with a handful of people on yet they won't drop off at the South! The whole LGW staff transport systems needs an overhaul but unfortunatlely it might take another accident (or, God forbid, another death) before anything is done about it.

[A and C]

In my view the BAA have manufactued a situation that will result in a death after all the road is now configered so that all the traffic is channeled down the middle of the road , a head on accident is bound to happen.

The important thing from the point of view of the BAA is that when this inevitable "accident" happens they will stand up in court and say that they had introduced a traffic calming system to prevent this and that if drivers went over the bumps at 10 MPH ( insted of trying to avoid the bumps in the middle of the road ) the accident would not have happend.

The BAA had to be seen to be doing something and so as long as it was leagal and they aviod being taken to court for it then from a BAA standpont it is a good idea !.

The bottom BAA line is that the safety of staff comes a poor second to the management covering there backs and the message to staff is that YOU ARE EXPENDABLE as long as the BAA keeps out of the courts.

[NW3]

On my drive to work, there's one road I go down near Paddington station, with a load of bumps on it (it's called Randolph Crescent if you're interested!) - the first two are massive, and you have to go over them at about 5 or 10 mph to avoid trashing your car. The second two, however, are smoother - you can go over them safely and comfortably at about 25 or maybe 30 mph, but any faster and you will probably do your car a nasty.

It seems to me that BAA could have got some bumps installed which effectively set the limit at 30, as opposed to setting it at 10 and p*ssing everyone off.

I think you can prove anything with stats if you try hard enough, but if you do tot up the total number of man-minutes wasted per day, it's gotta be big.

NW3

[hobie]

"President Bush" passed through a road equipped with speed bumps, during his visit to Ireland last weekend ......

and guess what? .......

just before he arrived all the "Bumps" were dug up and the road returned to its original smooth condition!!!

well he is a "President" !!!!!

:ok: :ok: :ok:

[Memetic]

Perhaps it's becuase his long american car is low to the road with all it's armour plate so would not make it over the bumps should speed become necessary?

http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/motoring/2004/0623/1086274504753.html