[Summit] Speed bumps redux

Read Porter read.d.porter at gmail.com
Fri Jun 11 13:33:30 UTC 2021 

The idea that we should increase police enforcement via traffic stops is
fiscally disastrous, practically difficult in a tight grid street network,
and would likely be racially biased. Based on analysis of 100 million
traffic stops, the Stanford Open Policing Project has found significant
differences in traffic enforcement, including as a result of explicit or
implicit bias against Black and Hispanic members of the public. You can
explore their data and findings here:
https://openpolicing.stanford.edu/publications/. In addition, police killed
121 people last year during traffic stops in this country (source
<https://policeviolencereport.org/>). These are problematic findings, to
say the least, and we can and should avoid introducing more policing onto
our streets unless it's for a very good reason. In short: we should ask the
police to focus on solving crimes, and use other resources to address other
matters.

*There are many tools better suited than cops to slowing down traffic - and
speed humps are one of them (though not the best). Others include crosswalk
bump outs, visual narrowing via tree planting, stop signs, and traffic
cameras, to name a few. *We can and should make some of these
interventions: pedestrians are at risk of death and injury due to the
driver-first design of our road network. 6,721 pedestrians were killed on
our streets by cars last year -- a 21% increase over 2019, despite a
substantial decrease in vehicle miles traveled -- and the increase is a
continuation of a long term trend in pedestrian and cyclist deaths (source
<https://www.ghsa.org/resources/Pedestrians21>).

Finally - I attended the public meeting regarding the proposed speed bumps
on Blackstone, which was the result of a request by residents to address
speeding. Our community behaved shamefully at that meeting, going far
beyond expressing displeasure with the proposal to personally attack the
presenters. It was closer to an angry mob than a meeting. Little has been
done to address the issue of speeding since the speed bump proposal was
knocked back, except for the cameras near Lincoln School -- which is a real
shame since other interventions like protected bike lanes would have made
the boulevard both more pleasant and safer for everyone.

Finally, I must point out that Mr. Brussat's fact checking is nonexistent:
12th street has no speed bumps. Perhaps if he got out of his car once in a
while and took a walk he'd be better informed about conditions in our
neighborhood.

On Fri, Jun 11, 2021 at 8:48 AM Denise Guad <dguad27 at gmail.com> wrote:

> Here is what Dave put at the end of his article:
>
> *"There is a class of misguided residents who apparently support speed
> bumps, presumably in the mistaken opinion that it will make them or their
> children safer. That is unlikely. What it will do is to punish the innocent
> for the sins of the guilty. However effective, that is wrong. The proper
> and more effective response to speeding is an officer of the law handing
> out tickets, and if that doesn’t work, hike the fine two or three hundred
> percent. A ticket or two that makes news will stop speeding in its tracks,
> or most of it – and, as a bonus, punish only the sins of the guilty,
> leaving the innocent alone. The best form of traffic calming is a cop."*
>
> But remember when all those guilty folk got their panties in a twist when
> they got "unexpected" tickets for speeding in school zones when those
> cameras were installed?
> I would be OK with more speed cameras. But the current situation of people
> speeding in the neighborhood is unexpectable. There are definitely more
> drivers who are guilty of not stopping for pedestrians in crosswalks than
> there are drivers who comply with this law.
>
> Misguided or not, I absolutely feel safer crossing Rochambeau at Summit
> now, than I did before the bumps.
>
>
> On Thu, Jun 10, 2021 at 5:04 PM Emlyn Addison <noisyblocks at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> So, other than the lovely new art deco road tattoos, I take it the city
>> is unmoved?
>>
>> This piece by neighbor David Brussat has some interesting history—that
>> speed bumps once proposed for Blackstone Boulevard were nixed. This would
>> imply that residents were actually consulted.
>>
>>
>> https://architecturehereandthere.com/2021/06/09/get-rid-of-all-speed-bumps/comment-page-1/
>>
>>
>> Emlyn
>>
>>
>> On Tue, May 18, 2021 at 7:44 AM Read Porter <read.d.porter at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> as a frequent crosser of rochambeau by foot i have found that yes, it is
>>> that dangerous. these lumps are a massive help. they have slowed speeds
>>> dramatically and it's not as scary as it was previously.
>>>
>>> it does seem to me that additional stop signs, curb extensions, and
>>> neckdowns would be helpful in speed reductions and safety generally, but
>>> this intervention does seem to be improving on the status quo.
>>>
>>> On Tue, May 18, 2021 at 12:10 AM Kim Clark <ktcxyz at cox.net> wrote:
>>>
>>>> agree, i’d rather see the potholes fixed than these horrible lumps and
>>>> their accompanying sign pollution.
>>>>
>>>> these don’t slow traffic, they stop traffic and/or cause people to
>>>> swerve to avoid, they’re so big and so obnoxious i think they are most
>>>> likely to cause road rage. Eventually, people will just use side streets to
>>>> avoid.
>>>>
>>>> Is Rochambeau really that dangerous?
>>>>
>>>> what a waste of money! And such an unnecessary nuisance.
>>>>
>>>> kim on dex
>>>>
>>>>                     *Kim T. Clark*
>>>>          www.RHODYCRAFT.com
>>>>               769 HOPE STREET
>>>>           PROVIDENCE, RI 02906
>>>>                     401.626.1833
>>>>
>>>> <http://www.rhodycraft.com>
>>>> <http://www.rhodycraft.com>
>>>>
>>>> On May 17, 2021, at 4:41 PM, Martha Fraenkel <mfraenkel at gmail.com>
>>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> Re Chris' comment about funding the lumps,  i hope this is not a
>>>> rhetorical question.  who/what/when/why?
>>>>
>>>> On 5/17/2021 4:26 PM, Sumati Eberstadt wrote:
>>>>
>>>> Yes to all of that, Christopher.
>>>>
>>>> Sumati
>>>>
>>>> On May 17, 2021, at 4:00 PM, Christopher Buecheler <
>>>> cwbuecheler at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> I'm just curious why there's enough budget to add obviously slapdash,
>>>> ill-conceived and dangerous speed bumps all over the town when nobody
>>>> except Blackstone Blvd's gotten a sidewalk repair in over a decade, and the
>>>> only time since I moved to this neighborhood that any streets have been
>>>> resurfaced was when Providence Water was legally obligated to do it. I'd
>>>> much rather see money spent on maintenance, dedicated bike lanes, and
>>>> enforcing things like "it's illegal to park halfway up on the sidewalk
>>>> outside of Bank of America because you're too lazy to use the parking lot
>>>> twelve feet away, or in the no parking zone out front of Seven Stars
>>>> because you're too lazy to find legal street parking, thus creating a
>>>> dangerous visibility situation that threatens pedestrians, motorists, and
>>>> cyclists alike."
>>>>
>>>> Far as functionality goes, I assume the speed bumps will just join the
>>>> Big Brother machines on Blackstone in causing people to speed, then slam on
>>>> their breaks, then slam on the gas to get back to speeding.
>>>>
>>>> -Chris
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On Mon, May 17, 2021 at 3:30 PM Martha Fraenkel <mfraenkel at gmail.com>
>>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> I hope everyone is sending their speed bump trauma to nirva.
>>>>>
>>>>> Seems to me they're a design failure; you have to virtually stop to
>>>>> get over them without bottoming out.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> Christopher Buecheler - @cwbuecheler <https://twitter.com/cwbuecheler>
>>>> http://cwbuecheler.com | Web, Writing, and More
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>>>>
>>>>
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