Sleeping policemen go solo

By Paul Marston

Transport Correspondent

The sleeping policeman is about to become a soft touch as a deflatable road hump is tried on the public highway for the first time today.

The pneumatic rubber unit is designed to collapse flat for vehicles travelling within the speed limit but remain rigid for those going too fast.

Dunlop says its invention avoids the disadvantages of asphalt or concrete humps, while being just as effective in reducing speed

Since the early 1980s, councils have built solid obstructions across thousands of urban streets. They have attracted hostility because of the damage they can cause to vehicles, the discomfort to passengers - particularly patients in ambulances - and the disruption to traffic flows.

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The new hump is equipped with a sophisticated valve, which senses the change in air pressure as a vehicle makes contact and instantly esti­mates its speed. If the car is within the allowed speed, the device expels the air, causing the central section of the hump to deflate. If the vehicle is travelling too fast, the obstruction retains its shape and resistance, and the trans­gressor receives a jolt.

The City of London Corpo­ration is pioneering the device at Puddledock, near Blackfriars station. The Square Mile will have many more if it succeeds.

Joe Weiss, highways and transportation director, said: “It’s time to stop discriminating against the vast maj­ority of drivers who abide by the speed limit, white still making life hard for White Van Man and other less careful motorists”.

Front Page Daily Telegraph 14-02-01