Bump, bump, bump

Speed bumps infuriate me. Fewer pedestrians would be killed if cars had to drive at walking pace through built up areas. Well, obviously. But this has not previously been a requirement, because speed limits are a compromise between the rights of different people. Motor–vehicle drivers have a legitimate interest in getting to their destinations in a reasonable time, in reasonable comfort. Pedestrians have a legitimate interest in motorists being prohibited from driving at excessive speeds in built–up areas, which would make it difficult for pedestrians to cross the road without being put in danger of being hit by a car. The balance between the competing interests has been set at 30 mph. But now we’re going to put big bumps in the road so that although the speed limit is 30, if anyone does more than 10, they’ll soon start to feel sick and their suspension will collapse. But that way, we’ll cut road deaths. Well why don’t we go the whole hog and revert to medieval style rutted dirt tracks. That’ll slow people down, save a few pedestrians, and save a few quid on the cost of road building.

It’s ridiculous. Large numbers of pedestrians in town wander out like vacant morons. Why should we legislate for cars to go sufficiently slowly that if these idiots should step in front of a car, they won’t be hurt? Should we legislate for cars to be made out of fluffy wool as well? If you’re going to cross the road other than at a pedestrian crossing on the green man, employ the Green Cross Code and bloody well look to see whether a car is coming before you step out. Personal responsibility and respect for the rights of everyone. But what about the children, I hear you cry. Well that’s simple as well… parents, look after your bloody kids until they’re old enough to learn how to cross roads.

A quote from the article:

“But Transport for London, which has funded hundreds of humps to tackle rat runs created by the congestion charge, insisted that humps saved lives. The average speed on a road falls to 17mph after humps are installed. Pedestrians have a 95 per cent chance of surviving being hit by a car at 20mph. This falls to 55 per cent at 30mph and 15 per cent at 40mph. Using a study by the Transport Research Laboratory, TfL has calculated that 1,400 deaths and serious injuries would be prevented each year if a new 20mph speed limit was imposed on 60 per cent of London’s roads and enforced by humps”.

This is exactly the sort of thing that winds me up. Calling a particular route a “rat run” is tendentious. A “rat run” is just a road you go down because another road is too bloody congested or because if you go along another road, you’ll be charged a fiver. What’s the problem with that? Are the roads there to be driven along or not? You can’t impose a congestion charge to force people out of driving in certain parts of town and then complain when it works and they indeed avoid the roads covered by the congestion charge.

Pedestrian survival rates on being hit are one factor in this debate, but not the only factor. If the speed limit was 1 mph, even fewer pedestrians would be killed or injured. But all the drivers would be pissed off and no–one would get anything done. If it is decided, taking into account all the factors, that a 20mph speed limit in certain parts of London is where the balance should lie, then so be it. Given the traffic, you often don't do much more than 20 anyway. But speed limits are not “enforced by humps” any more than laws against burglary are “enforced by locks”. It’s insane to make the roads virtually undriveable, with attendant consequences for the emergency services, because a speed limit is set at a certain level. In my view, and without getting too jurisprudential about this, a law is basically only going to work if you have the requisite degree of support for it among the population — i.e we basically all agree it makes sense and will therefore generally abide by it — added to which an element of deterrence provided by enforcement from the police and the courts against any antisocial minority who continue to disregard it. We haven’t got it right yet with speed limits and speed bumps are not the answer.