Folks looking to install speed bumps to make their neighborhoods safer from lead-footed drivers might, oddly enough, find themselves facing a trade-off in public safety.
With emergency services in the headlines this week, given the city's shaky transition to a new 911 system, it seems appropriate to visit a reader's note about how his local fire district is responding to his advocacy of putting in what's known as "traffic-calming" devices in his northwest-side neighborhood near Ruthrauff and Shannon roads.
Ever since neighborhood streets in the area were recently repaved, drivers apparently are hitting the gas pedal now that they don't have to worry about leaving a trail of vehicle parts behind them.
"We need speed bumps to slow these speeders down some," wrote Richard Miller, saying he's afraid to let his two kids ride their bicycles in the street. He said the Northwest Fire District has been "the biggest opponent" of the idea.
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Dennis Stiegleiter, a deputy fire marshal with Northwest Fire, said such devices could spell a reduction in valuable response time, since firetrucks have to slow way down to clear them.
Stiegleiter said the department can't stop a neighborhood from doing it, but that doesn't mean it has to like the road bumps.
"The streets don't belong to us," he said. "If they meet the necessary standards, then fine. But when they call and complain we didn't get there fast enough ..."
The devices seem to work. The city of Tucson says recent studies have shown speed humps result in a reduction in speed of 40 percent to 60 percent - which could explain why there are 88 areas in the city that have asked about putting in such devices, and another 72 that have been approved and are just awaiting funding.
But the Tucson Fire Department doesn't necessarily like the devices any better than its northwest sister agency.
"We discourage bumps as well," said Assistant Fire Chief Joe Gulotta. Quite aside from delayed response times, he said, "they really do beat our rigs to death. You're supposed to be able to go 25 mph along those streets, but in a firetruck, it you hit those at 25 mph, you're going to fly all over the road," he said, adding that it increases the likelihood of damage to the suspension or steering.
Speed bumps generally are no longer used anymore on local streets, although you'll find them in shopping centers and apartment complexes.
Speed humps aren't quite as bad, Gulotta said. And speed tables - which are elevated humps in the road long enough to allow the entire wheelbase of a vehicle to be on the top - are even better.
Downside: The extra material costs more, and people can still go over them pretty fast.
Say what you will about speed bumps, but there's something about having a curb in the middle of the street that reminds drivers of that braking device that came with the car.
Gulotta noted a study of emergency response times from Portland, Ore., found a delay of up to 10 seconds per each slowing device.
He also pulled a study from Boulder, Colo., showing that 90 percent of sudden cardiac arrest victims live if they are treated within two minutes. But by the time six minutes tick by, survivability is down to only 10 percent.
Gulotta said any time a neighborhood suggests the devices, the department hopes to be notified to explain what reductions in service might be anticipated.
But there's probably something that works more directly against installing such devices.
Neighborhoods have to pay for them directly - and each speed hump on average costs from $500 to $1,000.
But for those who feel the benefits outweigh the risks, the general process requires a traffic study and petitions signed by 60 percent of the residents or business owners in the area.
And forget about those "Slow Children at Play" signs. Quite aside from the awkward lack of punctuation that seems to take a jab at some kids' speed, or lack thereof, they are frowned upon, since they can give a false sense of security to parents.
ROAD Q
Reader Luise Faber said she'd like to see the occasional refresher on road rules, particularly on pedestrian lights. As an example, she notes, "Many people sit there after the red has gone to blinking once the walker has crossed the street."
A: According to Tucson Police Department spokesman Matt Ronstadt, a flashing red essentially serves as a stop signal.
A motorist must, indeed, come to a full stop at such lights. Then, once the pedestrian has cleared the walkway (or, in a divided median, the driver's side of the road), drivers are clear to proceed through the crosswalk or intersection.
Road Runner addresses road-related issues Mondays. Send your Road Q questions by email to roadrunner@azstarnet.com or to 4850 S. Park Ave., Tucson, AZ 85714. Please include your first and last names.
