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Speed bumps

Please be advised that the Board is reviewing your concerns about the recent removal of speed bumps at their next meeting. There are a number of new warning signs being manufactured to promote safety within the property which should be installed by the end of June.

If you have any other comments or suggestions, please post a comment here by clicking on the ‘write comment’ link to the left.

In the interim period the decision has been taken to install the speed bump by the playground.

11 replies on “Speed bumps”

PS – I live on the main drive right next to a speed bump and cars STILL speed past. Adding another one isn’t going to do anything except annoy drivers, most likely making them speed up even more between the bumps.

Originally, I agreed that removing the speed bumps was a questionable decision because of how fast I’ve seen people drive through here. However, I’ve started really paying attention to drivers while I’m out and about (I usually walk in the mornings and walk to do errands) and notice that a majority of SUV’s, many of which are driven by parents of young children who live in Sandyport, don’t slow down much for speed bumps anyways. The cars that do slow down are the ones that will bottom out if they don’t. And it’s not one or two people – it’s a majority of cars that I see. Ironically, the slowest drivers I see are the housekeepers/nanny’s. The issue is cars speeding – they speed, slow down for the bump, then speed up again. Unless a child or someone else was playing right on the speed bump, the bumps are not doing anything anyways. Some may disagree, but logistically, what I’m saying makes sense. Whether a speed bump is coming up in 50m or 100m, a car will still get back up to 20+mph within a few meters of the speed bump and anyone between the bumps will see a speeding car. The distance between them won’t change that. The issue is speeding in the first place. No one, including myself, wants to live in a place with speed bumps every 10m because it’s annoying, but that’s the only way you’d ensure that no one sped. Drive the road towards Balmoral near the US State building and you’ll see how annoying it is to hit a bump every 10m. From all the comments here about the removal of the bumps, you’d think no one in Sandyport sped, but that’s not the case.

One thing that I’ve got to question is all the parents that are allowing their children to play in the road without supervision or proper road safety. I played in a lane way when I was little but as soon as a car was spotted, someone yelled “CAR” and we all moved to the side, stopped what we were doing, and waited for it to pass. This approach avoids the possibility of having balls roll into the street or children who are not yet steady on their bikes to drift into the road. About a month and a half ago my husband and I were passing 2 young girls on bikes, neither one with a helmet, something you’d think they’d be wearing considering how worried people are about the safety of the children on the roads, so we drove about 5mph from several meters back until we passed them. When we got closer to them – where they were right at the front side of the car, one of them mindlessly started drifting towards the car, coming quite close to running into us. My husband stopped, shouted at her and she snapped back to it and recovered, moving back to the side of the road. How does a driver, who’s already driving quite slow with the children’s safety in mind, prepare for that? No speed bump would have prevented that incident. Drive on the other side of the road? What about cars coming the other direction? We just drive on the other side of the road, risking hitting a car that comes the other direction, because kids don’t know how to ride their bike on a road safely?

While yes, Sandyport is a child-friendly place, the children of Sandyport need to be taught some road safety, as cars do drive on the roads. As far as blind corners are concerned, what are parents doing letting their children play on a road on a blind corner? Not even adults should be in the middle of the road on a blind corner. It’s just common sense.

Everyone I see walking, including myself, walks at the side of the road to prevent getting hit. I agree that there are some vehicles that drive way too fast, nearly catching air off speed bumps, but if you’re aware of your surroundings, as you should be when on a road, you should be safe. There’s been times people have looked surprised to see me when I’m walking, but I’m also paying attention to them to know if they see me and react if they don’t. I really don’t think adding a speed bump will change that unless, like previously said, they pass me right at the speed bump. Allowing children to play in the street without supervision or proper road safety is careless, no matter where you live. No speed bumps are going to change that fact. Until the time people drive the speed limit (and as mentioned even when you do, kids can drift out and nearly hit you) we should all be ensuring we follow proper road-safety steps and give this speed bump debate a rest!

As parents of young children in Sandyport, I hope you will agree that removal of these bumps was a mistake. In the end it becomes a safety versus convenience issue. For the families in Sandyport, I hope you agree that our safety is paramount!!!

Erecting speed bumps costs HOA monies, tearing them down also cost money. Unfortunately posting a speed limit sign does not have the same effect as a speed bump.
Since removal of the speed bumps, I can not tell you how many cars, trucks, service vehicles speed by our property on the main outer perimeter road where once a speed bump would slow them down.

Why were the speed bumps removed? I have not received a suitable answer to my query. I know that the Board has met to discuss this issue, but I have not been given a reason as to WHY these speed bumps have been removed?

Would someone kindly respond?

Thank you.
J. Kim
Arches #18

We need a speed bump badly, on Sandyport Dr # 41 and # 42, after cars pass Clipper Island, after that first speed bump, they race like crazy around the bend until they hit the next bump, one of these days soemone is going to get hurt.
Thank you

I agree that the speed bumps need to be reinstalled! It is clear people already ignore the signs. Therefore, it is not likely that installing more signs will be an effective preventative measure.

While the previous citation of statistics from a unknown sources may be compelling to some, there are others who have experienced being hit or seeing their children and pets nearly hit by careless drivers in SandyPort…which makes it a legitimate concern and not a perceived concern.

This is a family community and many of us enjoy being outdoors walking our children in strollers, allowing our children to ride bikes, etc.

Of course the speed bumps will not solve the problem alone. If people cannot slow down out of their own civic responsibility and respect for others, I believe we should begin taking license plate numbers of people speeding and racing around blind corners and submitting that information to security. Hopefully security can put into place some kind protocol to address this issue from there.

The issue of the speed bump removal has taken on a life of it’s own.

However, stats would show this is more momma bear reaction to a perceived threat than a legitimate concern.

Will the removal of some of the speed bumps increase the likelihood of a kid-car collision? Maybe. But consider that just the opposite could occur thru reduced frustration on the part of drivers and think about the environmental impact of fewer deceleration / acceleration cycles.

If we want to focus on child safely, consider this: More children under 14 will die this year in North America from drowning in backyard pools than will be injured or die from being hit by vehicles. We have over 100 pools in SandyPort – not to mention virtually every property sits on a canal. Should we fill them all in to make it a safer community?

As a personal antidote, this morning as I walked around SandyPort, I was all but struck by a minivan with two kids strapped in hat back seat (obligatory baby on board stickers) who decided to pass one of the staff golf carts. They did this on the wrong side of the road, on a blind curve. The offending driver did not slow or even hit the brake as they sped over the bumps on their journey to deliver their offspring somewhere important. It was evident that 50 more speed bumps would not have changed this driver’s style.

And here is an even scarier statistic to put things in perspective. Half the children who will be hit by cars traveling to or from school this year will be hit by a vehicle driven by either one of their parents or a friend’s parents.

I agree with Mr. Gardner that the speed bumps are there as a form of protection for the residents of Sandyport. It is good to hear that new signs are going up however rules without consequences are hollow. Should there be/is there some form of enforcement instituted along with the signs?

As a frequent walker and cyclist around Sandyport I believe that there two additional driving dangers that need to be addressed, as I have both seen and been the victim of several near misses as a consequence of them.
The first is people reversing out of their drives without looking. Probably not much one can do about that.
The second is the cutting of corners on right turns and taking corners too wide on left turns into the cays, with cars and trade vehicles thus ending up on the wrong side of the road, often at speed. One remedy may be to put standard road markings on the cays at these junctions, so at least drivers will be made visually aware that they are on the wrong side of the road, which may act as a deterrent. I believe I heard a rumour that this was being considered and hope it can be done as a low cost preventative measure in addition to the proposed new warning signs.

I believe that speed bumps or signs requesting that drivers drive slowly need to be put at bridges that give access to Cays and Islands in Sandyport as a driver is unable to see what is on the othe other side of the bridge until he reaches the top of the bridge. Children on bicycles, skateboards,rip-sticks,and some toy type motorised vehicles move about on roads in Sandyport all the time.
Although I agree that there were too many speed bumps on Sandyport Drive we must protect the children that live in Sandyport.

I recommend that you should rebuild every single speed bump that was removed.

Thanks.

Alex

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