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The bumpy road to work

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The bumpy road to work

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Old 9th Jun 2004, 10:25
  #21 (permalink)  
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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.
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Old 9th Jun 2004, 18:50
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Mr Mouse

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 ?.
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Old 10th Jun 2004, 13:20
  #23 (permalink)  


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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.
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Old 10th Jun 2004, 13:34
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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
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Old 10th Jun 2004, 13:37
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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.
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Old 10th Jun 2004, 14:43
  #26 (permalink)  
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..........and heaven knows what 411A is on about.
Well, he is just applying his Arizonan snow expertise to the problem
 
Old 10th Jun 2004, 16:52
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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.
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Old 10th Jun 2004, 17:34
  #28 (permalink)  
 
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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 does not allow, then cross with as much diagonal as possible.

Check mirror for HM plod before maneuvering energetically

For the short and sharp bumps in laneways, A Caterpillar D-10 with the blade set low is the best option
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Old 10th Jun 2004, 18:00
  #29 (permalink)  
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In some countries, I understand "sleeping policemen" are illegal on roads where the number of vehicles per day exceeds a certain number?!
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Old 11th Jun 2004, 08:10
  #30 (permalink)  
 
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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
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Old 11th Jun 2004, 18:34
  #31 (permalink)  
 
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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.
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Old 16th Jun 2004, 23:19
  #32 (permalink)  
 
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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.
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Old 17th Jun 2004, 10:21
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Devil

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.
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Old 17th Jun 2004, 12:49
  #34 (permalink)  
 
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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!
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Old 17th Jun 2004, 21:45
  #35 (permalink)  
 
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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 !!


Buffy

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Old 28th Jun 2004, 20:18
  #36 (permalink)  
 
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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
The bus almost swerved into me

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.
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Old 28th Jun 2004, 22:40
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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.
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Old 29th Jun 2004, 07:24
  #38 (permalink)  
 
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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.
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Old 29th Jun 2004, 14:43
  #39 (permalink)  
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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
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Old 29th Jun 2004, 15:00
  #40 (permalink)  
 
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"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" !!!!!

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