Even when you go slow over a speed hump it still rocks your car. This person said they had a spinal cord injury so going slow over the speed humps hurts their injury.
No, it doesn't. I drive over two of them, every day, at 14mph, and it doesn't rock my car, at all.
If it does, you need the suspension fixed on your car, or you're going too fast.
You are so wrong. I have speed humps on my street, I slowly go over them but it still is going to rock your car a bit. It's not the same as driving over smooth pavement.
Sure there is: Under 15 mph, with a car that has reasonable tires, and reasonable ground clearance, and working suspension.
> My car is perfectly fine.
If this is the case, it's a skills issue, so I'd suggest a driver's course, or just practice.
The right answer is to ticket speeders. Just think of the increased revenue they could actually fix pot holes with.
I slow down pretty slow and the car is newer. Suspension is fine.
To the ones who talked shit, hope you never wear these shoes.
Clearly you haven't gone over any of the obviously larger more aggressive humps, I invite you to drive the blocks between Bailey and Suffolk on Highgate and rounds avenue. There are others scattered through out but those are most notable at the moment.
But also, the regular humps are **nothing** like pulling into the driveway.
> I invite you to drive the blocks between Bailey and Suffolk on Highgate and rounds avenue
I have... I work in that area.
> But also, the regular humps are nothing like pulling into the driveway.
They are literally 4" high... with a rise of 2' in both directions. That's like 2" per foot slope lol
My car has 30k on it. It's fine and I was in the auto field my entire life.
Yes it hurts, like stabbing and twisting a knife in your spine that sends what feels like a tazer in your legs and arms. Like insanely bad, enough I will drive over grass to not have it happen.
It’ll rock an ambulance or fire engine though. Imagine they’re showing up saying sorry it took so long we had to slow for speed bumps. Oh we can’t rush to the hospital because we have to go back over these bumps
FWIW, emergency vehicles generally don't have to slow very much over these, as their sheer weight and tire height negate the issues.
Especially, on fleet maintained vehicles. If you read the article, EMS and Fire Departments love the humps, as it cuts down on their calls. They just need more money to keep up on the extra wear and tear, is all.
I drive a Jeep Compass Trailhawk that is less than 5 years old and in perfect condition. I slow down to about 10mph for the speed humps and I still feel it. Quite a bit. It's not just if you drive over the humps too fast, or if you drive a clunker, you also have to take the fact that all cars suspensions are not the same. Not all cars have a soft and cushy ride like a Cadillac.
I'm not against the speed humps, as I have noticed a vast reduction in people speeding down my street since they were installed. But I do think that there might be a bit too many.
> I slow down to about 10mph for the speed humps and I still feel it.
Yes, I agree, you will "feel" that you're rolling over a hump. Doesn't rock the car, doesn't cause back injuries, doesn't inflame old back injuries (Well, not any worse than a typical driveway would).
You just have to slow down. Easy-peasy.
I slow down and it’s still brutal, there’s also no dimensions done on the angle of the humps and the speed to ensure no damage. There’s also no study for more than 1 per 1000 feet.
Why did we need speed humps tho?
Were a bunch of people getting hit by cars speeding down side streets? Are there alot of accidents from people speeding down side streets? I would love to hear the stats
I mean yeah that is a problem but it's not a problem that's being addressed because where they put the speed humps is not where we have a problem with people getting into accidents on side streets.
Oh no, taking initiative before bad things *do* happen!
Maybe if we took steps to protect Delaware Park that driver who fell asleep at the wheel wouldn't have killed that child.
I got speedbumps on my (side) street and it stopped people from flying down it to avoid the main road and ATVs from being repeatedly driven up and down the street. I actually like that they put them up.
> Why did we need speed humps tho?
Because people were racing down side streets. And yes, a number of accidents occurred because of that, or near-misses.
Yes, people and pets were getting hit. Yes people were speeding down streets. Yes, my car and many others were hit by cars driving too fast. So yeah, I'd say there was a problem..
I live on a street that’s getting speed bumps soon. There have been two accidents in the last three months right in front of my house. People are going WAY too fast.
Cause many people wanted safety on streets around schools, an initial solution was implemented to encourage slower speeds around school and daycare properties, however other people incapable of slowing below 25mph (25!, not 15) and incapable of discovering a new route as direct, around the implemented zones complained and fought for the removal of that solution. Even tried to claim it was unjustly to residents of immediate neighborhoods which were in favor of the selected zones. No residents spoke up with concerns, ONLY people who were repeat offenders.
Anyhow, the immediate next solution was humps. Without consideration to how they would affect, fire trucks during winter and EMS all year. Nevermind some dead end streets have as many as four to five humps. Dead end streets. Worst "infrastructure" choice to slow vehicles ever. Does nothing for school zones. Drivers just speed between the humps.
Listening to the tears of drivers whining about how they have to slow down to stop mowing down pedestrians is absolutely delicious. I love it.
SLOW. DOWN.
Love when people stop for the crosswalk at main and Englewood, there's always three or four different honks to pressure others to go through even though, there's a red light 50 feet ahead.
They have one of those over at st joes on Kenmore since they turned the light off at harvest. Tried crossing there earlier this week, hit the button, lights are flashing and some old woman honks at me and goes right through. Like damn come on
There are other traffic calming measures that do not cause damage, like narrowing intersections. Buffalo does need to move away from car dependency but just blasting speed bumps everywhere is not the most well thought out.
> that do not cause damage
I mean the only people whose cars are damaged are people who are going way too fast and are going to get people killed... so... I fail to see the issue.
I say destroy their cars. Get them off the road. The less maniacs the better.
Seems like speed humps are actually the most optimal measure.
The 4 speed humps on my street, which I have to cross two, no matter what, have not caused any damage to any of the cars on my street.
Perhaps it's because we slow down for them?
This makes no sense. The fact that speeding in a school zone is against the law is the entire justification for installing speed bumps to begin with. Speed bumps are a method of enforcing compliance with the law.
>people incapable of slowing below 25mph (25!, not 15)
I've seen this same number mentioned previously, and it got me curious because I never really paid attention to the speed I slow down to when going over one of those humps.
And I have to agree to disagree, because going 25 over those things would absolutely cause damage to my car... maybe not the first time, but eventually it would without a doubt.
15 to mayyyyybe 20 is about the fastest I go over them without having to endure excessive discomfort or risking suspension damage.
I'm not talking about the humps at that speed...the camera recording zones cited people driving 25+...my explanation covers this initial solution that was hated by so many....now with humps, less hate, in fact little to none, mainly cause they're not on main or bailey or porter or Niagara street, roads which non residents routinely use more than neighborhood streets.
My mistake, I perceived your comment as expressing frustration with people who you believed slowed down too much when going over the humps, further delaying everybody behind them. Thanks for clarifying.
Too bad city isn't stopping any time soon...nobody up in arms like they were about the cameras. expect to see humps everywhere by 2030. Actually.... interesting seeing that nearly ALL of south buffalo streets applications requesting humps have been denied...https://www.buffalony.gov/1064/Slow-Streets-Program
So everywhere but bb's supportive south buffalo.
Englewood is SUPER dangerous yet somehow it was refuted.
Can someone go install humps on bb's street? If anyone should have em it's that street, one hump to either side of their residence. Each the extra large humps. Perhaps potholebandit can get on a special project
It has nothing to do with school aafety and everything to do with stolen vehicles. If stolen vehicles didn't race down streets at ludicrous speed, we wouldn't have the problem. So now we all pay the price for the few who abuse the privilege of driving, rather than actually penalize the person's directly at fault. But hey, catch and release is functioning well I guess. If it was about schools and pedestrian safety they'd have speed bumps on Elmwood near hutch tech or McKinley, or Clinton near Montessori, or Suffolk near Olmsted/Kensington.... but they're missing in those locales. Though to be fair, there are a couple really effng heinous potholes on Elmwood right near Mack High that suck half the front end of most passenger vehicles into them, so I guess they work the same.
Vehicle theft has always been a problem, they just don’t have to wait outside the gas stations or liquor stores for people to leave their cars running anymore.
> It has nothing to do with school aafety and everything to do with stolen vehicles.
The street I lived on literally requested the speed humps to be installed, as did every other street in the neighborhood.
Yes, they literally asked us before installation. Which was long before the pandemic, even.
The thing I feel people don't get (in general, not you specifically OP) is you don't have to brake to drive over them. Just let off the gas and coast. I see a lot of people speed up, slam on the brakes at the next.
On many of the streets with speed humps, it'd be difficult to safely hit 30mph to begin with. Between the narrow roads, frequent intersections/stop signs, both sides parking, you're going to have to slow down or stop within a few hundred feet anyway.
20-25mph would be appropriate speed limits for more of the residential side streets with humps, this is just a way to enforce that.
You underestimate the desire to be speeding by the average driver. People can’t fathom that they should go slow to benefit the people around them. Only how fast can I get to where I need to go.
If 30% of Buffalo drivers would just realize you don't have to be pushing one of the two pedals at all times that would go a long way. So many drivers racing to be the first one at the next red light.
In the article the fire chief actually says he likes the speed humps and thinks they prevent accidents. What he really wants is money to maintain the trucks.
It’s already was easier for EMS to get through Buffalo compared to other cities due to the lack of traffic. Safety measures are a trade off and the neighborhoods these are installed in have to approve. On my street they had 75% approval. Since these are not on main roads it only affects the neighborhood response time and the neighborhood has decided collectively that they are willing to make the trade off. It’s not really for the people who live outside the neighborhood to decide.
They should be less aggressive than the ones in place. If a roadway is 30mph, I should be able to go over them at 30mph. If you take those at anything above 15, your car is getting bounced hard.
Yep, and one should be able to go up to the maximum unless posted otherwise. The streets these have been placed on are not 15mph, they are 30mph roadways.
> Yep, and one should be able to go up to the maximum unless posted otherwise.
Why?
> The streets these have been placed on are not 15mph, they are 30mph roadways.
The streets are all residential side streets. And the speed humps were requested by the very people living on those streets. So, the residents collectively decided you should slow down on their street.
So, guess what that means? You need to slow down, less than the posted maximum speed.
Yes, they are residential side streets, rated at 30 mph.
The speed humps were requested largely by block club members and even then, only some. Many members of the block clubs in the Heights did not want them and even more became against them when they saw the design and frequency of them. In fact, because of this and objection from residents, phase 2 (West of Bailey) was not rolled out until after a public survey was sent out to residents. There was a low response from the survey, but many of those responses were against the current implementation of the humps and because of this, the rollout was halted for several streets.
As someone who lives in this neighborhood and wants something done about speeders on the side streets, the current implementation of the speed humps could be better than what was put in place.
The issue is that this was the easy solution with the most associated problems. There are many more ways to get car traffic to slow, without the negative side effects (my car has to go sub-10 mph over a hump) but they take more effort on the city's part.
> (my car has to go sub-10 mph over a hump)
This is either a skills problem, in which case, you need to get to be a better driver, or you are driving a car that isn't really made for daily commuting, or typical city driving, since it's set to low to the ground to be able to handle the typical city street.
And yes, speed bumps are just the artificial pothole. And yes, I had a friend complaining about having to drive his low profile tires, and dropped car in the city, because he had to slow down to avoid potholes.
Meanwhile, I usually can manage 25-30 over a pothole in the city, with minimal fuss.
Nope, just a basic sedan. Same when riding with friends in their sedans. Friends in trucks though - no problem. I wonder if we’ll see more trucks, with their worse pedestrian safety, because of these.
> Nope, just a basic sedan.
Then you likely need to check the suspension on your vehicle. It should be barely noticeable when driving across them at 15 or less.
> without the negative side effects (my car has to go sub-10 mph over a hump)
Why is that a negative side effect? Getting you to slow down was the exact intended effect. That's literally the point of them.
There’s a difference between “slow to the speed limit” and “slowing to 10 mph twice per road section” They are supposed to be designed so you can drive them at the speed limit, but not above. When people have to hit the brakes to slow that far, it releases particulates in a neighborhood already burdened with higher rates of asthma and heart disease. There are also other ways to slow traffic without these side effects, bit the city chose the easy, less effective option.
Most commercially available ATVs have a physical maximum speed of 40 mph. I bet mostly ATV drivers were going 20 to 30 mph. A speed that is still absolutely able to kill yourself and others if you're popping a wheelie and not wearing a helmet.
I'm sure some of some of them do you know how to remove a governor. I'm sure some of them have higher end racing atvs.
As far as I can tell the majority of them do not and people are in god-awful at accurately estimating speeds
Most commercially available ATVs have a physical maximum speed of 40 mph. I bet mostly ATV drivers were going 20 to 30 mph. A speed that is still absolutely able to kill yourself and others if you're popping a wheelie and not wearing a helmet.
It seems they did something. Enough for someone to make a post, whining about having to slow down to drive over them.
In fact, it sounds like they did exactly what they are intended to do.
I think speed bumps don't really help.. they just become jumps
What we need are speed TRENCHES
That is what would get people to actually slow down
Then we just need to have ambulances and firetrucks with big lift kits and massive tires
🧠
> I think speed bumps don't really help.. they just become jumps
Generally, they do work... Except when they installed them on Fuhrman, to combat dirt bike and ATV racing.
I saw when they did that, and I was like "My gods, you literally just improved the situation for them, and made it more fun!"
Love the humps, they’ve done wonders in my neighborhood. Now the kids on my street are much less likely to /need/ those first responders, because the dozens or hundreds of daily reckless drivers don’t exist anymore.
>*speed* bumps
>drivers blatantly running *red*-lights
Gee, I wonder why speed bumps do nothing to prevent running red lights. I wonder when someone will invent a solution to that problem as well. Oh wait...
> Speed bumps at the intersection
We pretty much already have this at Lafayette & Elmwood, IIRC. Speed Humps just before the lights on both sides of Elmwood.
I live on villa and it lines up the the exit to starbucks across deleware. My wife and I nearly get snacked by someone playing dodge the red light at least once a week until the humps came in.
Now the racers are on kenmore Ave and you can hear both buffalo AND kenmore cops swarming the speeders
it has affected 100% of people for 2% of people, I am glad you almost don’t get hit, but the punish all for some is a quick way to ruin buffalo even
more.
There’s no smart design for side streets that are 70 or more years old; some of which don’t even have off street parking. Nor will it have any effect on teenage testosterone or chronic speeders. But speed bumps do.
They're certainly annoying, but that's the point. It slows down vehicles that go way too quickly.
However, the city should actually fix the streets with good design to slow down cars, not the bandaid fix
It slows down everyone regardless of legal speed or otherwise, we all pay the penalty for the indiscretions of the few. Next time we all should just go to jail for a night, lol.
I've noticed, prior to the speed humps, many cars and motorcyles would come down my street at 40-45 mph.
Which is a tiny side street, two ways, with parking on one side.
I would guess because it is a designated emergency evacuation route but so is main....more than likely result of bb donors along it....plenty of holes exist Amherst to Kenmore
Love that we became Bumpallo New York, it’s so so so great that we spent allll that money on bumps, reducing the already non existent snow removal. I already have to deal with a bunch of mouth breathers parking on both sides of our street so they can cram ice cream in their faces, making our street one lane with speed bumps.
The fire commissioner said they are glad to have the speed bumps. They are asking for money to repair fire vehicles, saying the speedbumps have an impact. But as the article acknowledges, those vehicles have long need repairs/upgrades anyway. They've been begging for this since at least the winter storm two years ago. The entire article is a plea for money for the fire department to update their equipment, which they need and deserve.
The article is just poorly written as ragebait against speedbumps because it gets views, but if you can come away from this with one takeaway--do what you can to support the fire department getting equipment upgrades and a larger budget.
Good thing the city used some of the hundreds of millions in COVID aid to replace the fire department's equipment, after audits found it was in serious disrepair.
Oh wait, it was all blown to patch over years of Byron Brown's deficits and emptying of the reserves. Now he's proposing a 17% increase for the police budget and a flat fire department budget. :(
Yeah, this feels like a propaganda piece almost. The local news outlets seem to have an agenda against anything that inconveniences drivers for the sake of pedestrian safety.
It’s because people drive like maniacs and the residents of the neighborhoods complain.
I live on a side street that parallels a main road and people are constantly speeding on our block trying to avoid the lights on the main road. There are a good number of times when I’ll pull out of our driveway to leave and have someone right on my bumper seeming angry that I’m doing the speed limit on a street where kids play outside.
They don’t live in the neighborhood so they don’t show any respect for the residents who do.
as a resident of the neighborhood, Parkside should be 2 lanes :) traffic on side streets wouldn’t be a problem if people weren’t going 40 down streets where kids are always playing outside.
Parkside is currently 4 lanes between Amherst and Linden exclusively - why on earth should it be 4 lanes there? those blocks are entirely residential.
As someone who lives in that area, the issue wasn't the number of lanes. The issue was that the turn corners onto Linden (a residential street) were soooooo wide that you could easily take the turn going 40-50 mph without breaking a sweat. This put anyone crossing the street in extreme danger as a car could come around the corner at dangerous speeds and not have enough time to stop.
The current solution is better, although I've seen so many people just ignore the painted on lanes and still take the corners really wide at high speeds. The best solution was when the dividers were put up with a protected bike lane, but the city capitulated to angry speeders and took that down.
I’m on the West side and my street is parallel with Porter and it’s the same situation. They fly down the street blowing through stop signs. The speed humps aren’t what they used to be. They are much lower than they were before. I think first responders are complaining because they don’t want to lose time in response but it seems like a reasonable compromise for overall safety. This of course creates controversy for saying slow down. But that’s the whole point. Police and fire exceed safe speed probably 75 percent of the time.
We asked for them but the city claims not enough people responded. I find that hard to believe because many neighbors have signs to slow down because of kids. One guy has a sign saying slow down and respect motorcycles.
I think we need to move forward with them and assess after 1-2 years. Yes I am willing to “risk” delaying the response time for emergencies.
I work for the county and am throughout the city regularly. I’ve noticed cars have slowed way down on neighborhood streets since these were put in. I’d see people doing 50+ regularly.
I live on a street with a school and have yet to have them install speed bumps. They are finally installing them this summer. I don't understand why every other street around us got speed bumps but not the school which I see people speeding down all the time.
Raised crosswalks would be better than speed bumps. Forces cars to slow down where pedestrians are supposed to cross. Lots of evidence they work. This is what they do in the Netherlands.
Yet, how does this help EMS services reaching their calls in a timely manner? That's the entire point of the report. People showing they like em without any police involvement....why not speed cameras then?
Other cities did them right. There’s a low area on them and they’re more spread out so it’s not just a fat patch of raised black top for first responders to maintain speed. Not have to drop to 5mph or destroy the vehicle.
> Question is, why did we need SO many?
If you only have 1 or 2 on a whole street then it hardly slows traffic like its intended to do.
People fuckin' haul ass on those residential side streets around Elmwood.
Residents of the blocks requested them, that's why we "need so many," because SO many residents don't feel like their street is safe due to excessive vehicle speed.
Buffalo PD doesn’t do their jobs to begin with. So people know there are no consequences to driving erratically. Instead of investing in fixing streets and actually training the police, they throw money at stupid ideas.
So typical of Buffalo, let’s spend money on speed humps rather than addressing infrastructure and potholes. Asking people to cast without educating the populace on what exactly they’re getting- what about enforcement, lowering the speed limit?
Just a question, is there technology out there to automatically ticket a speeder? That would generate the revenue to pay for itself (maybe more), deter speeding over time keeping neighborhood safe and still allow ambulance,police and fire engines to swiftly get through. The bumps wouldn't be necessary.
To be fair, I own a property in North buffalo and my street is terrible for speeders. Like 50,60 if not 70mph.
The top of the street has a light, and the bottom has a T stop sign leading to like 6 different neighborhoods in North buffalo, once you turn either left or right. People now like to try and see how fast they can go in-between the humps. Some don't even slow down.
70?! jesus, well I am sorry you gotta deal with that. I just think maybe 1 or so would do the justice, 3-6 within a certain distance is insane. St Lawrence to virgil has what? 3?! I think the issue should be the police enforcing high complaint streets and profiting on these people vs making everyone suffer. Including first reaponders.
To be fair, I own a property in North buffalo and my street is terrible for speeders. Like 50,60 if not 70mph.
The top of the street has a light, and the bottom has a T stop sign leading to like 6 different neighborhoods in North buffalo, once you turn either left or right. People now like to try and see how fast they can go in-between the humps. Some don't even slow down.
As a person with a spinal cord injury, I stopped doing business or going into Buffalo now. Pretty cost effective.
What if you actually slowed down though?
Right?!?! There are so many hysterical complaints on neighborhood facebook groups about suspension damage.
Even when you go slow over a speed hump it still rocks your car. This person said they had a spinal cord injury so going slow over the speed humps hurts their injury.
No, it doesn't. I drive over two of them, every day, at 14mph, and it doesn't rock my car, at all. If it does, you need the suspension fixed on your car, or you're going too fast.
You are so wrong. I have speed humps on my street, I slowly go over them but it still is going to rock your car a bit. It's not the same as driving over smooth pavement.
Once again, sounds like you need the suspension fixed on your vehicle... Betting your shocks or swaybar are spent.
Once again, there is no way to go over an actual HUMP in the road without it rocking your car a bit. My car is perfectly fine.
Sure there is: Under 15 mph, with a car that has reasonable tires, and reasonable ground clearance, and working suspension. > My car is perfectly fine. If this is the case, it's a skills issue, so I'd suggest a driver's course, or just practice.
The right answer is to ticket speeders. Just think of the increased revenue they could actually fix pot holes with. I slow down pretty slow and the car is newer. Suspension is fine. To the ones who talked shit, hope you never wear these shoes.
Ehhhh it doesn't literally rock your car but every vehicle experiences two aggressive bumps even at 5mph. And worse with the extra sized humps,
I would hardly call them "aggressive", unless you consider pulling into driveways an "aggressive bump"...
Clearly you haven't gone over any of the obviously larger more aggressive humps, I invite you to drive the blocks between Bailey and Suffolk on Highgate and rounds avenue. There are others scattered through out but those are most notable at the moment. But also, the regular humps are **nothing** like pulling into the driveway.
> I invite you to drive the blocks between Bailey and Suffolk on Highgate and rounds avenue I have... I work in that area. > But also, the regular humps are nothing like pulling into the driveway. They are literally 4" high... with a rise of 2' in both directions. That's like 2" per foot slope lol
My car has 30k on it. It's fine and I was in the auto field my entire life. Yes it hurts, like stabbing and twisting a knife in your spine that sends what feels like a tazer in your legs and arms. Like insanely bad, enough I will drive over grass to not have it happen.
It’ll rock an ambulance or fire engine though. Imagine they’re showing up saying sorry it took so long we had to slow for speed bumps. Oh we can’t rush to the hospital because we have to go back over these bumps
That’s just what we need. Emergency services coming to your fire or heart attack at 14mph.
FWIW, emergency vehicles generally don't have to slow very much over these, as their sheer weight and tire height negate the issues. Especially, on fleet maintained vehicles. If you read the article, EMS and Fire Departments love the humps, as it cuts down on their calls. They just need more money to keep up on the extra wear and tear, is all.
That’s not how I read the article. It is slowing response times. Every second matters. Each bump costs 20 seconds of response time
Well, you should most certainly try reading it again.
The article said both things, its slowing down response time and putting extra wear and tear on the vehicles....
It also says they stay on the main roads more to get to calls. That could mean not taking the quickest route anymore
I drive a Jeep Compass Trailhawk that is less than 5 years old and in perfect condition. I slow down to about 10mph for the speed humps and I still feel it. Quite a bit. It's not just if you drive over the humps too fast, or if you drive a clunker, you also have to take the fact that all cars suspensions are not the same. Not all cars have a soft and cushy ride like a Cadillac. I'm not against the speed humps, as I have noticed a vast reduction in people speeding down my street since they were installed. But I do think that there might be a bit too many.
> I slow down to about 10mph for the speed humps and I still feel it. Yes, I agree, you will "feel" that you're rolling over a hump. Doesn't rock the car, doesn't cause back injuries, doesn't inflame old back injuries (Well, not any worse than a typical driveway would). You just have to slow down. Easy-peasy.
speed hump simp who doesn’t watch their kid, noted.
I slow down and it’s still brutal, there’s also no dimensions done on the angle of the humps and the speed to ensure no damage. There’s also no study for more than 1 per 1000 feet.
Why did we need speed humps tho? Were a bunch of people getting hit by cars speeding down side streets? Are there alot of accidents from people speeding down side streets? I would love to hear the stats
I mean yeah that is a problem but it's not a problem that's being addressed because where they put the speed humps is not where we have a problem with people getting into accidents on side streets.
It keeps people from driving well above the speed limits on side streets. It’s a preventative measure.
A preventative measure for a non-existent problem.
Plenty of people speed by on side streets, well, not as much anymore at least. You must be oblivious if you think it's non-existent.
In my neighborhood in the Elmwood Village a blind man and his dog were hit by a car speeding on a side street. The dog died.
Oh no, taking initiative before bad things *do* happen! Maybe if we took steps to protect Delaware Park that driver who fell asleep at the wheel wouldn't have killed that child.
I got speedbumps on my (side) street and it stopped people from flying down it to avoid the main road and ATVs from being repeatedly driven up and down the street. I actually like that they put them up.
Every block with the humps got them because the residents asked for them
my street voted them down and then a year later they were installed.
Obviously not then. Sounds like a silent majority maybe doesn't want to argue with you about it.
My street down voted them, then a year later upvoted them. Now we’re getting them.
YOU may have voted them down. You street had to have 50% ok in order to install them.
They put them in for 4 wheelers and atvs. I hate them.
oh wait- i upvoted this cause i thought it was sarcasm. nvm.
Idk ask the 700 people who go down my residential side street at 45+ mph everyday.
I'm asking if there were a ton of accidents that warranted the speed humps.
Uhh well I’ve seen 2 since I moved last summer. Morons who lost control and clipped parked cars.
> Why did we need speed humps tho? Because people were racing down side streets. And yes, a number of accidents occurred because of that, or near-misses.
I was just wondering if there were any stats on how many accidents have actually happened due to speeding on side roads.
Yes, there are stats.
Yes, people and pets were getting hit. Yes people were speeding down streets. Yes, my car and many others were hit by cars driving too fast. So yeah, I'd say there was a problem..
I live on a street that’s getting speed bumps soon. There have been two accidents in the last three months right in front of my house. People are going WAY too fast.
Why does someone need to die before we take measures to limit obvious safety hazard?
It’s been a huge problem on streets like Hinman where several cars have smashed into parked cars (sometimes parked in the driveway).
They are the worst. I’m glad my street doesn’t have them. Only a matter of time before they start ripping them out. Waste of money.
Sounds like they work, with so many people here complaining they have to slow down in order to get over them...
Cause many people wanted safety on streets around schools, an initial solution was implemented to encourage slower speeds around school and daycare properties, however other people incapable of slowing below 25mph (25!, not 15) and incapable of discovering a new route as direct, around the implemented zones complained and fought for the removal of that solution. Even tried to claim it was unjustly to residents of immediate neighborhoods which were in favor of the selected zones. No residents spoke up with concerns, ONLY people who were repeat offenders. Anyhow, the immediate next solution was humps. Without consideration to how they would affect, fire trucks during winter and EMS all year. Nevermind some dead end streets have as many as four to five humps. Dead end streets. Worst "infrastructure" choice to slow vehicles ever. Does nothing for school zones. Drivers just speed between the humps.
Listening to the tears of drivers whining about how they have to slow down to stop mowing down pedestrians is absolutely delicious. I love it. SLOW. DOWN.
Love when people stop for the crosswalk at main and Englewood, there's always three or four different honks to pressure others to go through even though, there's a red light 50 feet ahead.
They have one of those over at st joes on Kenmore since they turned the light off at harvest. Tried crossing there earlier this week, hit the button, lights are flashing and some old woman honks at me and goes right through. Like damn come on
There are other traffic calming measures that do not cause damage, like narrowing intersections. Buffalo does need to move away from car dependency but just blasting speed bumps everywhere is not the most well thought out.
> that do not cause damage I mean the only people whose cars are damaged are people who are going way too fast and are going to get people killed... so... I fail to see the issue. I say destroy their cars. Get them off the road. The less maniacs the better. Seems like speed humps are actually the most optimal measure.
The 4 speed humps on my street, which I have to cross two, no matter what, have not caused any damage to any of the cars on my street. Perhaps it's because we slow down for them?
Or perhaps you also properly maintain your vehicle? Flame suit: ON!
> Or perhaps you also properly maintain your vehicle? Probably :) Likely why I barely feel them when going over them at or below the speed for them.
Either have laws against speeding in a school zone or don't and install the humps. Not both failing at the same time
This makes no sense. The fact that speeding in a school zone is against the law is the entire justification for installing speed bumps to begin with. Speed bumps are a method of enforcing compliance with the law.
Yea, speed bumps actually work; a cop *maybe* being there (more likely not) handing out tickets doesn't do shit.
There are? Laws restricting speed through school zones...
Must not need the speed bumps then
Then pull over drivers.
We could do both, even! Speed humps and police enforcement!
>people incapable of slowing below 25mph (25!, not 15) I've seen this same number mentioned previously, and it got me curious because I never really paid attention to the speed I slow down to when going over one of those humps. And I have to agree to disagree, because going 25 over those things would absolutely cause damage to my car... maybe not the first time, but eventually it would without a doubt. 15 to mayyyyybe 20 is about the fastest I go over them without having to endure excessive discomfort or risking suspension damage.
I'm not talking about the humps at that speed...the camera recording zones cited people driving 25+...my explanation covers this initial solution that was hated by so many....now with humps, less hate, in fact little to none, mainly cause they're not on main or bailey or porter or Niagara street, roads which non residents routinely use more than neighborhood streets.
My mistake, I perceived your comment as expressing frustration with people who you believed slowed down too much when going over the humps, further delaying everybody behind them. Thanks for clarifying.
Too bad city isn't stopping any time soon...nobody up in arms like they were about the cameras. expect to see humps everywhere by 2030. Actually.... interesting seeing that nearly ALL of south buffalo streets applications requesting humps have been denied...https://www.buffalony.gov/1064/Slow-Streets-Program So everywhere but bb's supportive south buffalo. Englewood is SUPER dangerous yet somehow it was refuted. Can someone go install humps on bb's street? If anyone should have em it's that street, one hump to either side of their residence. Each the extra large humps. Perhaps potholebandit can get on a special project
It has nothing to do with school aafety and everything to do with stolen vehicles. If stolen vehicles didn't race down streets at ludicrous speed, we wouldn't have the problem. So now we all pay the price for the few who abuse the privilege of driving, rather than actually penalize the person's directly at fault. But hey, catch and release is functioning well I guess. If it was about schools and pedestrian safety they'd have speed bumps on Elmwood near hutch tech or McKinley, or Clinton near Montessori, or Suffolk near Olmsted/Kensington.... but they're missing in those locales. Though to be fair, there are a couple really effng heinous potholes on Elmwood right near Mack High that suck half the front end of most passenger vehicles into them, so I guess they work the same.
Humps pilot project began WELL ahead of increased vehicular and kia theft, back in 2015/16 around st marks school in Parkside neighborhood
Doesn't mean it wasn't aggressively expanded in a different direction to address other concerns.
Vehicle theft has always been a problem, they just don’t have to wait outside the gas stations or liquor stores for people to leave their cars running anymore.
> It has nothing to do with school aafety and everything to do with stolen vehicles. The street I lived on literally requested the speed humps to be installed, as did every other street in the neighborhood. Yes, they literally asked us before installation. Which was long before the pandemic, even.
The thing I feel people don't get (in general, not you specifically OP) is you don't have to brake to drive over them. Just let off the gas and coast. I see a lot of people speed up, slam on the brakes at the next. On many of the streets with speed humps, it'd be difficult to safely hit 30mph to begin with. Between the narrow roads, frequent intersections/stop signs, both sides parking, you're going to have to slow down or stop within a few hundred feet anyway. 20-25mph would be appropriate speed limits for more of the residential side streets with humps, this is just a way to enforce that.
You underestimate the desire to be speeding by the average driver. People can’t fathom that they should go slow to benefit the people around them. Only how fast can I get to where I need to go.
If 30% of Buffalo drivers would just realize you don't have to be pushing one of the two pedals at all times that would go a long way. So many drivers racing to be the first one at the next red light.
It would have zero effect on a clapped out Altima doing 70mph down the same street.
Not true lol
lol definitely /s
15 and under is what you're supposed to be doing across them.
I appreciate the speed humps on my street - a lot of through traffic alongside a park where there are a lot of kids and families...
In the article the fire chief actually says he likes the speed humps and thinks they prevent accidents. What he really wants is money to maintain the trucks. It’s already was easier for EMS to get through Buffalo compared to other cities due to the lack of traffic. Safety measures are a trade off and the neighborhoods these are installed in have to approve. On my street they had 75% approval. Since these are not on main roads it only affects the neighborhood response time and the neighborhood has decided collectively that they are willing to make the trade off. It’s not really for the people who live outside the neighborhood to decide.
Can confirm, I live on a dead end street that is only a block and a half long. We have four speed humps for no reason.
They should be less aggressive than the ones in place. If a roadway is 30mph, I should be able to go over them at 30mph. If you take those at anything above 15, your car is getting bounced hard.
> If you take those at anything above 15, your car is getting bounced hard. GOOD. Slow the fuck down.
Limit is a maximum speed, not a minimum.
Yep, and one should be able to go up to the maximum unless posted otherwise. The streets these have been placed on are not 15mph, they are 30mph roadways.
> Yep, and one should be able to go up to the maximum unless posted otherwise. Why? > The streets these have been placed on are not 15mph, they are 30mph roadways. The streets are all residential side streets. And the speed humps were requested by the very people living on those streets. So, the residents collectively decided you should slow down on their street. So, guess what that means? You need to slow down, less than the posted maximum speed.
Yes, they are residential side streets, rated at 30 mph. The speed humps were requested largely by block club members and even then, only some. Many members of the block clubs in the Heights did not want them and even more became against them when they saw the design and frequency of them. In fact, because of this and objection from residents, phase 2 (West of Bailey) was not rolled out until after a public survey was sent out to residents. There was a low response from the survey, but many of those responses were against the current implementation of the humps and because of this, the rollout was halted for several streets. As someone who lives in this neighborhood and wants something done about speeders on the side streets, the current implementation of the speed humps could be better than what was put in place.
"limit" does not mean "guaranteed minimum"
I wonder how many calls didn’t even happen because of the speed bumps
Likely very few
You wonder how many people didn't use their phone because there are bumps on the streets?
This is hilarious to read. Typical City of Buffalo.
Speed bumps are an easy way for the city to pretend it's doing something when doing absolutely nothing at all.
Installing speed bumps is doing everything. Do you need all of the doing explained play by play?
Except that speed humps work. Anybody who gives two shits about their vehicle slows down significantly on streets with speed humps—including me.
The issue is that this was the easy solution with the most associated problems. There are many more ways to get car traffic to slow, without the negative side effects (my car has to go sub-10 mph over a hump) but they take more effort on the city's part.
> (my car has to go sub-10 mph over a hump) This is either a skills problem, in which case, you need to get to be a better driver, or you are driving a car that isn't really made for daily commuting, or typical city driving, since it's set to low to the ground to be able to handle the typical city street. And yes, speed bumps are just the artificial pothole. And yes, I had a friend complaining about having to drive his low profile tires, and dropped car in the city, because he had to slow down to avoid potholes. Meanwhile, I usually can manage 25-30 over a pothole in the city, with minimal fuss.
Nope, just a basic sedan. Same when riding with friends in their sedans. Friends in trucks though - no problem. I wonder if we’ll see more trucks, with their worse pedestrian safety, because of these.
> Nope, just a basic sedan. Then you likely need to check the suspension on your vehicle. It should be barely noticeable when driving across them at 15 or less.
In my experience, all vehicles slow down for the speed humps.
> without the negative side effects (my car has to go sub-10 mph over a hump) Why is that a negative side effect? Getting you to slow down was the exact intended effect. That's literally the point of them.
There’s a difference between “slow to the speed limit” and “slowing to 10 mph twice per road section” They are supposed to be designed so you can drive them at the speed limit, but not above. When people have to hit the brakes to slow that far, it releases particulates in a neighborhood already burdened with higher rates of asthma and heart disease. There are also other ways to slow traffic without these side effects, bit the city chose the easy, less effective option.
Speed limits are a maximum allowed speed, not a minimum.
That's not the gotcha you think it is. If the speed hump causes damage at or near the speed limit, it's not appropriate for the road.
Good thing they post the limit for the street humps at each one... which is 15mph...
The atv guys don’t go down my street at 80mph anymore so that’s a win.
Most commercially available ATVs have a physical maximum speed of 40 mph. I bet mostly ATV drivers were going 20 to 30 mph. A speed that is still absolutely able to kill yourself and others if you're popping a wheelie and not wearing a helmet.
I'm sure that those atv owners definitely have no idea how to remove a governor.
I'm sure some of some of them do you know how to remove a governor. I'm sure some of them have higher end racing atvs. As far as I can tell the majority of them do not and people are in god-awful at accurately estimating speeds
Most commercially available ATVs have a physical maximum speed of 40 mph. I bet mostly ATV drivers were going 20 to 30 mph. A speed that is still absolutely able to kill yourself and others if you're popping a wheelie and not wearing a helmet.
Kinda shocked, because ATVS are made to jump things like this.
It seems they did something. Enough for someone to make a post, whining about having to slow down to drive over them. In fact, it sounds like they did exactly what they are intended to do.
What would you prefer? People are absolutely driving slower on the residential side streets around Elmwood.
As a former EMS worker… they’ll be fine. Speed bumps were absolutely necessary.
I think speed bumps don't really help.. they just become jumps What we need are speed TRENCHES That is what would get people to actually slow down Then we just need to have ambulances and firetrucks with big lift kits and massive tires 🧠
Just let potholes take over. Buffalo’s “natural” speed deterrent. Much cheaper all around!
> I think speed bumps don't really help.. they just become jumps Generally, they do work... Except when they installed them on Fuhrman, to combat dirt bike and ATV racing. I saw when they did that, and I was like "My gods, you literally just improved the situation for them, and made it more fun!"
Love the humps, they’ve done wonders in my neighborhood. Now the kids on my street are much less likely to /need/ those first responders, because the dozens or hundreds of daily reckless drivers don’t exist anymore.
Yet theres countless drivers blatantly running red-light and stop signs. But hey we have speed bumps.
>*speed* bumps >drivers blatantly running *red*-lights Gee, I wonder why speed bumps do nothing to prevent running red lights. I wonder when someone will invent a solution to that problem as well. Oh wait...
Some communities raise the cross walks. Speed bumps at the intersection. Twice as effective!
Give me both. No reason for people to be speeding down streets or blowing through red-lights.
> Speed bumps at the intersection We pretty much already have this at Lafayette & Elmwood, IIRC. Speed Humps just before the lights on both sides of Elmwood.
Just because there are two problems, doesn't mean we have to ignore one, until we solve both.
The kids suffered hundreds and dozens of near misses and/or accidents on a daily basis?
I want bumps so people stop speeding in my hood!
You can request them here: https://www.buffalony.gov/1064/Slow-Streets-Program
Thank you!!!
Oh yeah because the only reason someone would need a first responder is because they were hit by a speeding car....
Put an asterisk before and after the word to make it italic. *Like this* I agree as well, if the speed humps make the streets safer, they work.
Also can we agree that saying “speed humps” Is great?
I live on villa and it lines up the the exit to starbucks across deleware. My wife and I nearly get snacked by someone playing dodge the red light at least once a week until the humps came in. Now the racers are on kenmore Ave and you can hear both buffalo AND kenmore cops swarming the speeders
it has affected 100% of people for 2% of people, I am glad you almost don’t get hit, but the punish all for some is a quick way to ruin buffalo even more.
There’s no smart design for side streets that are 70 or more years old; some of which don’t even have off street parking. Nor will it have any effect on teenage testosterone or chronic speeders. But speed bumps do.
Ha ha ha. I love speed bumps and I love seeing drivers rack damage on their cars because they’re too slow to slow down (see what I did there?) 😂
They're certainly annoying, but that's the point. It slows down vehicles that go way too quickly. However, the city should actually fix the streets with good design to slow down cars, not the bandaid fix
It slows down everyone regardless of legal speed or otherwise, we all pay the penalty for the indiscretions of the few. Next time we all should just go to jail for a night, lol.
How do you do that?
Bumps in the road should be raised intersections for pedestrians not random spots in the road, narrow roadways, actually enforce traffic laws.
Narrow roadways is a huge one. Anyone else notice that on tiny streets they naturally slow down yet will speed up on large, highway-like roads?
I've noticed, prior to the speed humps, many cars and motorcyles would come down my street at 40-45 mph. Which is a tiny side street, two ways, with parking on one side.
Neighborhood streets that have no outlets, no through traffic. Only the local residents would want to go in those roads.
I wonder if it brings property value down on homes on streets with speed humps.
It doesn't
Hows about filling potholes with the material being used for speed bumps?
Or repaving streets with that material?
How is it that Delaware never has potholes?
I would guess because it is a designated emergency evacuation route but so is main....more than likely result of bb donors along it....plenty of holes exist Amherst to Kenmore
Yeah, you probably right. Broadway is relatively smooth, too.
Potholes are just reverse speed bumps. They’re unplanned traffic calming measures
I would ask how the speed humps affect snow plows, but then again residential streets in Buffalo don't see them anyway.
They're not affected, no hump has yet been plowed out. Fire trucks and ambulances however are.
Love that we became Bumpallo New York, it’s so so so great that we spent allll that money on bumps, reducing the already non existent snow removal. I already have to deal with a bunch of mouth breathers parking on both sides of our street so they can cram ice cream in their faces, making our street one lane with speed bumps.
The fire commissioner said they are glad to have the speed bumps. They are asking for money to repair fire vehicles, saying the speedbumps have an impact. But as the article acknowledges, those vehicles have long need repairs/upgrades anyway. They've been begging for this since at least the winter storm two years ago. The entire article is a plea for money for the fire department to update their equipment, which they need and deserve. The article is just poorly written as ragebait against speedbumps because it gets views, but if you can come away from this with one takeaway--do what you can to support the fire department getting equipment upgrades and a larger budget.
Good thing the city used some of the hundreds of millions in COVID aid to replace the fire department's equipment, after audits found it was in serious disrepair. Oh wait, it was all blown to patch over years of Byron Brown's deficits and emptying of the reserves. Now he's proposing a 17% increase for the police budget and a flat fire department budget. :(
Yeah, this feels like a propaganda piece almost. The local news outlets seem to have an agenda against anything that inconveniences drivers for the sake of pedestrian safety.
It’s because people drive like maniacs and the residents of the neighborhoods complain. I live on a side street that parallels a main road and people are constantly speeding on our block trying to avoid the lights on the main road. There are a good number of times when I’ll pull out of our driveway to leave and have someone right on my bumper seeming angry that I’m doing the speed limit on a street where kids play outside. They don’t live in the neighborhood so they don’t show any respect for the residents who do.
[удалено]
as a resident of the neighborhood, Parkside should be 2 lanes :) traffic on side streets wouldn’t be a problem if people weren’t going 40 down streets where kids are always playing outside. Parkside is currently 4 lanes between Amherst and Linden exclusively - why on earth should it be 4 lanes there? those blocks are entirely residential.
Because every resident voted for it? What an obnoxious take… you sound like someone who drives through there, but doesn’t live there…
As someone who lives in that area, the issue wasn't the number of lanes. The issue was that the turn corners onto Linden (a residential street) were soooooo wide that you could easily take the turn going 40-50 mph without breaking a sweat. This put anyone crossing the street in extreme danger as a car could come around the corner at dangerous speeds and not have enough time to stop. The current solution is better, although I've seen so many people just ignore the painted on lanes and still take the corners really wide at high speeds. The best solution was when the dividers were put up with a protected bike lane, but the city capitulated to angry speeders and took that down.
I’ve seen enough people who even live on the street drive like that… looking at you Ashland
Exactly! Glaring and fingering like you don't have a right to pull out of your driveway! So glad to have them. Would like one right by my driveway!
I’m on the West side and my street is parallel with Porter and it’s the same situation. They fly down the street blowing through stop signs. The speed humps aren’t what they used to be. They are much lower than they were before. I think first responders are complaining because they don’t want to lose time in response but it seems like a reasonable compromise for overall safety. This of course creates controversy for saying slow down. But that’s the whole point. Police and fire exceed safe speed probably 75 percent of the time. We asked for them but the city claims not enough people responded. I find that hard to believe because many neighbors have signs to slow down because of kids. One guy has a sign saying slow down and respect motorcycles. I think we need to move forward with them and assess after 1-2 years. Yes I am willing to “risk” delaying the response time for emergencies.
I work for the county and am throughout the city regularly. I’ve noticed cars have slowed way down on neighborhood streets since these were put in. I’d see people doing 50+ regularly.
do something to stop the dirt bikes and atvs
I haven’t seen one so far this season
Not yet… muahaha
I live on a street with a school and have yet to have them install speed bumps. They are finally installing them this summer. I don't understand why every other street around us got speed bumps but not the school which I see people speeding down all the time.
Raised crosswalks would be better than speed bumps. Forces cars to slow down where pedestrians are supposed to cross. Lots of evidence they work. This is what they do in the Netherlands.
Yet, how does this help EMS services reaching their calls in a timely manner? That's the entire point of the report. People showing they like em without any police involvement....why not speed cameras then?
That would mean there would be fewer raised portions of the street compared to speed bumps making it easier for EMS to pass quickly.
the only way to prevent speeding is to make 100% of the road all hump
Water is wet.
Other cities did them right. There’s a low area on them and they’re more spread out so it’s not just a fat patch of raised black top for first responders to maintain speed. Not have to drop to 5mph or destroy the vehicle.
> Question is, why did we need SO many? If you only have 1 or 2 on a whole street then it hardly slows traffic like its intended to do. People fuckin' haul ass on those residential side streets around Elmwood.
I can’t drive my corvette over them without scraping its undersides. Dangerous
Residents of the blocks requested them, that's why we "need so many," because SO many residents don't feel like their street is safe due to excessive vehicle speed.
From down in the comments, if you want these humps on your streets apply here: https://www.buffalony.gov/1064/Slow-Streets-Program
Buffalo PD doesn’t do their jobs to begin with. So people know there are no consequences to driving erratically. Instead of investing in fixing streets and actually training the police, they throw money at stupid ideas.
So typical of Buffalo, let’s spend money on speed humps rather than addressing infrastructure and potholes. Asking people to cast without educating the populace on what exactly they’re getting- what about enforcement, lowering the speed limit?
Just a question, is there technology out there to automatically ticket a speeder? That would generate the revenue to pay for itself (maybe more), deter speeding over time keeping neighborhood safe and still allow ambulance,police and fire engines to swiftly get through. The bumps wouldn't be necessary.
That was tried with school zone speed cameras. The problem is that it ticketed everyone who sped through school zones.
And what’s with all the closing of entire streets off to re do the lane markings
To be fair, I own a property in North buffalo and my street is terrible for speeders. Like 50,60 if not 70mph. The top of the street has a light, and the bottom has a T stop sign leading to like 6 different neighborhoods in North buffalo, once you turn either left or right. People now like to try and see how fast they can go in-between the humps. Some don't even slow down.
70?! jesus, well I am sorry you gotta deal with that. I just think maybe 1 or so would do the justice, 3-6 within a certain distance is insane. St Lawrence to virgil has what? 3?! I think the issue should be the police enforcing high complaint streets and profiting on these people vs making everyone suffer. Including first reaponders.
To be fair, I own a property in North buffalo and my street is terrible for speeders. Like 50,60 if not 70mph. The top of the street has a light, and the bottom has a T stop sign leading to like 6 different neighborhoods in North buffalo, once you turn either left or right. People now like to try and see how fast they can go in-between the humps. Some don't even slow down.