Speed Humps and Speed Breakers

Speed humps are commonly used to slow motor-vehicle traffic in order to improve safety conditions. They are a part of traffic calming devices that use vertical deflection. The aim of these products is mainly safety.

Speed breaker

Speed humps are also known as speed breakers. As the name indicates they are used to reduce the speed of the vehicles. On a highway sometimes the speed breakers are giving bad experience. Calculations and plannings are really important before placing any speed breaker on the roads. Otherwise, they will give us the reverse effect.

If the speed breakers are giving a controversial effect, it must be replaced from there. Otherwise, it can make many damages to the vehicles, injuries to the people, increases traffic noise, sometimes it can be a reason for the big accidents if it is placed without planning. This can make uncountable losses.

In the family of speed breakers, there are many variations including the speed hump, speed cushion, and speed table. Around the world, the use of vertical deflections is the same, they are most commonly used to enforce a low-speed limit under 40 km/h or lower than it.

As the speed humps have many advantages they have some disadvantages also. It can help to reduce the speed of all the vehicles, at the same time it will reduce the speed of emergency vehicles also. That will give a negative impact. The problem is not only with the place where the speed humps installed but also the designs.

Poorly designed speed humps can also make more damages to vehicles and people. If it is too tall or with sharp angles can be disruptive for drivers. If it is too short, then the aimed use will not get from it. Some vehicles have low ground clearance, they have issues if it is tall speed humps such as sports cars.

 

How to choose a speed breaker?

speed humps are often made up of a spread of materials, including asphalt, concrete, recycled plastic, metal, or vulcanized rubber. Several trade-offs must be made when selecting the fabric for a replacement speed cushion. Traditionally most vertical deflection devices are constructed of asphalt or concrete.

Because of the rigidity and sturdiness of those materials, they need more permanence and are more practical at slowing traffic. However, to make a speed breaker they will be difficult to shape and form consistent forms and precise dimensions. Rubber products are pre-shaped to plain sizes to fulfill industry standards.

Speed hump

Preformed rubber products are typically bolted down, making them easier to put in or remove. Temporary bolt-down installations are often ideal for planners in testing the utilization and positioning of speed humps before implementing them during a larger project. Bolt-down products also can be removed or relocated during winter snow periods—where speed bumps are easily concealed and should be damaged by snowplows.

A speed breaker is additionally referred to as a sleeping policeman in British English, Maltese English, and Caribbean English, a judder bar in New Zealand English, and a lying-down policeman in Colombia, Dominican Republic, Croatia, Estonia, Slovenia, and Russia.

A speed breaker may be a bump during a roadway with heights typically ranging between 76 and 102 millimetres (3 and 4 in). The traverse distance of a speed breaker is usually but or almost 0.30 m (1 ft); contrasting with the wider speed humps, which usually have a traverse distance of 3.0 to 4.3 m (10 to 14 ft).

Speed humps vary in length, but it's typical to depart space between the bump and either fringe of an indoor road (i.e. with curbs and gutters) to permit for drainage. Spaces on either side can also allow more expedient passage for emergency vehicles, though effectiveness will depend upon the sort of vehicle and specific road design.

 

Electricity from Speed Breaker

Researches are showing by using speed breakers we can produce electricity. It might be very useful for future electricity needs. Even if we can't produce a big quantity of electricity also we can produce for the need for operating street lights. In this simple way, we can reduce the cost and expenses of our Government.

Electricity is generated by replacing the traditional speed breakers with some simple mechanisms. As vehicles pass over the speed breakers, they spin the rollers which are connected to a generator which in turn generates electricity. This method is an effective way to produce electricity as the number of vehicles on the road is ever-increasing.

Speed breaker

Also, the price for fabricating this speed hump model is low. Near the traffic lights, it can be effectively placed, at the entrance of parking lots, and any other place where the traffic is high. Rollers are fixed to produce electricity on a wooden ramp on which vehicle passes. As the vehicle passes over it, it starts moving.

A chain drive mechanism is provided which transfers the motion to a DC motor/generator for electricity generation. This speed hump method provides an efficient way to generate electricity from the kinetic energy of moving vehicles on roads, highways, parking lots, etc. This is a different recent concept for energy power generation.

Rack and Pinion Mechanism for the generation of energy by one form of energy to another form. Speed breakers can be designed to tap, store energy from passing by vehicular traffic and convert it into a usable form of energy. Such a device is very helpful in a futuristic urban settlement efficiently designed to promote walking and cycling for its inhabitants.

Though this speed hump model is effective but cannot be used for mass production. Piyush Bhagdikar et al. developed a system in which electricity is produced by the spinning of rollers which is connected to a generator.

 

Road studs and speed breakers

Road studs, commonly known as ‘cat’s eyes’ they were using instead of speed humps or breakers. They first introduced by a British businessman Mr. Shaw in 1935, served for decades but gradually invited a debate “Are they a problem or solution” and finally the civilized world concluded to get rid of them for the safety of public lives and property.

Speed hump

Speed breakers are a part of the revolutionary changes in the automobile industry. Across the globe, improved road infrastructure and strict adherence to the traffic rules forced the authorities concerned to look for some other options to reduce accident ratio after receiving great condemnation, besides facing legal proceedings in the courts of law.

Unfortunately in Pakistan, the departments concerned still consider cat’s eyes essential to mark lanes and slow down the vehicle's speed while using them as speed breakers, whereas for the purpose, a proper education was required, besides making people strictly adhere to the relevant rules.

As a part of road safety, while discussing the speed breakers, Talking to state-run wire service, a top official of National Highways And Motorway Police, Senior Superintendent Police, Jamil Hashmi, sharing the data on road accidents said around 15000 people lose their lives per-annum while some 1716 lives are lost to the subversive activities.

He said the figures were notifying and required some campaigns to educate people on road safety rules and guidelines. The director said some different sizes of road studs were being used ranging from 4 to 8 inches instead of speed humps, meant to specified purpose and areas. Big cat’s eyes were installed near schools, mosques, and hospitals as the CDA received complaints regarding a hit and run case.

“The rash drivers receive jerk when they drive through these cat’s eyes and are compelled to lessen the speed of their vehicles,” Fateh added. speed humps and breakers are not a choice, it is a necessity.