Speed bumps show to increase pollution

Waltham Forest Streets for All is opposed to road humps as a means of reducing speed. We think that many cars just speed up even more between the speed humps. Going over the humps causes a lot of pain to many people with disabilities. Humps delay emergency vehicles. Paramedics say they cannot treat people properly en route to hospitals if the ambulance is bouncing over speed humps. There is some evidence that lorries going over speed humps can cause structural damage to adjoining properties.

So it was interesting to come across this article from earlier this year by the Telegraph reporter Patrick Sawer on 10th June. Research demonstrates that road humps increase pollution as well.

“Road humps should be removed from streets close to schools and playgrounds because they increase the amount of pollution from cars, experts have said.

Scientists have found that by forcing drivers to slow down before speeding up again, road humps cause vehicles to produce a greater amount of harmful emissions.That has led to fears about the long term impact of humps on air quality in places where large numbers of children gather, such as outside schools or play areas. Researchers have found that when drivers break as they approach a road hump it leads to an increase in the amount of tiny particles produced by the effect of friction on brake pads and tyres.Speeding up after crossing over the humps then leads to a sharp increase in exhaust emissions.

There is now growing pressure for alternative methods to be used to reduce or slowdown traffic near schools. Prof Alastair Lewis, Professor of Atmospheric Chemistry at the University of York, said: “There is a benefit to road humps, but they were not introduced with air quality in mind. They almost certainly reduce air quality.The constant breaking and accelerating required to go over road humps would not seem the best method of traffic calming to use outside schools.”

A recent study by Imperial College London found high levels of pollution linked to the passage of vehicles over road humps.These were far higher than the emissions produced by vehicles passing over other forms of road surface or traffic calming"

There are other ways of slowing traffic; in-car systems, cameras, sensors that turn lights red when speeding is detected. Speed bumps are an anachronism.