The world seems to be moving at such a fast pace, everyone moves at high speeds and as a result, it puts drivers and pedestrians at risk. When people are on the road they want to get to their destination as efficiently as possible even if that means speeding. Traffic calming measures are taken to help reduce accidents such as speed bumps, speed humps or speed lumps. Speed bumps are hated by most drivers, but they are extremely helpful for safety and preventing speeding. Business owners tend to add speed bumps in parking lots to prevent any damage to property or potential harm to pedestrians. You can’t always trust that drivers will make safer decisions, you have to take it into your own hands and install speed bumps. Here are some fascinating things to know and consider about speed bumps.

Things You Need to Know About Speed Bumps

1. Consider The Reasons

When thinking about installing speed bumps in Vancouver, you need to be thoughtful and create specific goals. Speed bumps often will discourage people from driving through your lot to get to another street, which may be one of your goals or maybe the opposite. They will keep drivers from speeding, risking collisions in the parking lot. If you know that your lot always has pedestrians, you should highly consider speed bumps as it could be the factor that saves someone’s life. They will slow down distracted drivers. Every parking lot deals with different issues, so when it comes to where you should install the speed bump and the design features of it all vary between every lot.

Once you have come up with your goals, you have a better idea of where you should place the speed bumps. Where do pedestrians cross the most? Where are unexpected blind corners and turns? Where do people cross through your lot the most? Discussing this with a Pacific Coast professional can help you find the safest place for installing your speed bump.

2. Consider All the Possible Materials & Patterns

Speed bumps can be made of several different materials including asphalt, concrete, recycled plastic, metal and rubber. Rubber speed bumps are bolted to the road making them easy to replace. The most effective and durable material is asphalt. Asphalt is made of recycled materials, making it an extremely eco-friendly option.

The paint job on an Asphalt or concrete speed bump needs to be redone every year to make certain that drivers see it as they approach. The paint pattern is there to help drivers become aware of the bump as well as to prevent any damage to their vehicle and to reduce their success as a speed deterrent. When a bump is painted with a pattern like stripes or diagonal lines it brings more attention to them. Whereas a solid speed bump is more difficult for some drivers to notice. Stripes will also cause less wear and tear, therefore less maintenance is needed.

3. Speed Bumps and Speed Humps are Different

Speed bumps and speed humps are actually not interchangeable as they are different in many ways:

  • Both reduce speed. Speed bumps reduce speed to as slow as 5mph, where speed humps reduce speed to as low as 20 mph.
  • Speed bumps are more commonly used in parking lots and on private roads. They are not on the main roads since they could put drivers in danger if they did not expect it. Speed humps are found on public roads found near crosswalks. They are not found on major roads to not disrupt the routes of emergency vehicles and school or transit busses.

Even though they are different and placed in different locations. They are both meant to reduce speed and are there as a safety measure to reduce collisions and improve traffic flow.

4. There are Multiple Types of Speed Reducing Devices

There are other methods of speed-reducing devices, they are less common than speed bumps and speed humps but they exist and work too.

  • Speed tables: are long speed humps with a flat section in the middle. They reduce the speed at a smaller degree than other speed devices.
  • Dynamic speed bumps: can sense the speed of a vehicle and only activate if the vehicle exceeds a certain speed.
  • Speed cushions: are several small speed humps with some space between each one. This is so emergency vehicles and busses can straddle the speed cushion and continue at their normal speed.

5. Consider the Contractor you Want

When choosing a contractor, you want to make sure that they are reliable and experienced. You want to know that they have your best interest in mind. Pacific Coast Paving is here to meet all your expectations and more. As a small business, we can accommodate you when you are looking into installing speed bumps. We’ve got flexible schedules working evening and nights to promise you a job well done. You and a Pacific Coast professional will have the chance to talk over your options and come up with the perfect solution for all your paving needs. We understand that time is money and we take budgeting seriously. Pacific Coast Paving puts your interest and needs first. That is why we talk about the whole project through the entire process to confirm that we understand what your goals are and how we are going to help you accomplish them.

If you are in need of a trusted paving contractor in Vancouver Canada, visit our website at Pacific Coast Paving or call at 604-256-6226 to schedule your free estimate.