Speed Humps and their Effects on Medical Conditions
Speed bumps have a major impact on people suffering from some medical conditions, such as back problems. Any complaints are often ignored or belittled. The following are extracts from letters received by B.B.R.A.G. from local Bromley residents over the last few years:
“My mother lives next door here in Bromley. She has osteoporosis and finds it very painful when she is driven in a taxi over the speed humps.” A.S
“I am a sufferer from Motor Neurone Disease, now needing the use of a wheelchair. The introduction of calming measures, and in particular the proposed road humps, would add unnecessary obstructions to my (and other wheelchair users) safe and comfortable progress around Bromley. I feel no approach has been made to obtain the views of car passengers travelling in wheelchairs when making these decisions. Speed humps add considerably to the discomfort of such passengers.” M.J.B.
“The bumps in Bromley make use of a car impossible. Whilst my wife was negotiating these, having had an operation on her back, she had considerable leg spasms. These bumps can cause personal physical damage……” J.C.S.
“As a kidney transplant recipient, and formerly on peritoneal dialysis, I can assure you that any major abdominal operation results in discomfort for some time afterwards when riding over a speed hump at any speed at all. Peritoneal dialysis also results in discomfort when travelling over speed bumps.” R.W.L.
“My elderly mother was returning from hospital in an ambulance after dislocating her jaw, and when the ambulance went slowly over a speed bump it dislocated again.” G.P.Y.
If you complain about such problems to road safety experts they simply say you should take another route, or slow down more. The former is often not possible, and is effectively discrimination against disabled people, and the latter does not work in most cases. In any case, if you are using public transport such as buses, ambulances or taxis, it is not always possible to tell them to slow down, or even if you do they may not take heed, or may simply not notice a hump in time.
Whilst it is true, for example, that if you were to take the train to London you wouldn’t face the issue of speed humps. But not everyone is able to take the train.
Speed humps are typically designed to generate loadings of 0.69 g on road users, whereas UK government publications recommend 0.3 g as a high maximum for wheelchair users, so there is clearly a contradiction.
There are ongoing to petitions and protest to rectify this issue which has been exacerbation medical conditions for several years now. No real progress has been made to date.