'Flat' speed bumps give residents the hump

A traffic-calming project in Leicestershire has been criticised by residents who say new speed bumps are not tall enough to make drivers slow down.

The raised sections were installed on Park Lane, Castle Donington, at the end of February as part of a range of measures being paid for by developers.

But resident Julian Key, who lives near one of the bumps at the junction of Park Lane and The Green, said the attempt to slow traffic down had "failed".

Leicestershire county councillor Ted Parton said contractors admitted the height "wasn't to agreed specification" and further works would now take place to raise the angle and height.

The speed "tables" were designed to reach a maximum height of 70mm (2.8in) above the existing road, according to the council.

But residents said the bump at the junction of Park Lane and The Green was smaller than that size.

Mr Key, 50, said: "There's been some pretty close calls with children and motorists along here.

"These measures were implemented to try and reduce the speed of cars, and to try and mitigate the use of this road to get them to go around the relief road.

"But I think this has failed on the traffic calming, on the reduction of speed, unfortunately."

Another resident Angela Park, 66, questioned whether the engineers had misjudged the height "by a few centimetres".

"They don't compare with others on the local estates, they seem shorter as if they've fitted it too flat," she said.

The council initially said the scheme "follows national guidance" and would be monitored for six months.

In correspondence between the authority's highways team and Mr Parton, he said the design of the bumps was a compromise for buses, cars, and residents.

"There have been issues in the past with bus passengers being thrown from their seats when passing over speed tables if the driver goes over the ramp too fast," an email seen by the BBC said.

"[The height] isn't actually that high and doesn't look that dramatic to approaching drivers.

"We add the warning triangles and 'SLOW' markings to try and make them look more of an obstacle."

However, Mr Parton said he recognised the criticism and the authority would do "whatever it takes" to turn the scheme into a success.

"Having watched traffic go over the junction from both sides over the course of two days, I have observed a lot of cars not touching their brake lights on the approach," he said.

Mr Parton emphasised taxpayer money had not been spent on the speed tables as they had been paid by contributions from developers of nearby estates and industrial parks.

He said following the concerns he met with contractors, who admitted the height error.

"Speed testing and traffic flow is being assessed at both sites. An independent safety audit will also follow," he added.

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