Use of Portable Speed Humps Near Schools for an Obstruction-Free Traffic Flow during Holidays

Abstract

Speed breakers or speed humps are known to provide road users with increased safety if strategically placed, especially in pedestrian intensive areas. Such traffic calming measures are common in land-uses where streets provide direct access to homes, hospitals, transit stops, and schools. In cities and towns of developing countries like India, it is common to construct at least two hump-like speed breakers, near the entry and exit gates of every school that provides primary, secondary and higher secondary education. The purpose of such speed breakers is to provide safety for students, staff and parents who access the school. However, as speed breakers are built as permanent structures, vehicles passing over them during non-operational hours as well as long holidays need to slow down for no reason. Portable speed breakers seem suitable for school areas to allow an obstruction-free traffic flow if and when possible. In this paper, results of a simulation evaluation of such portable speed breakers are presented, with quantification of benefits in terms of travel speed and travel time savings.

Keywords: Speed breaker; speed hump; portable speed breaker; traffic calming; simulation modeling; traffic safety.