Speed Bumps

Here's everything you need to know about speed bumps in Oakland, including the following:

  • The history of speed bumps in Oakland
  • Speed bumps vs. other transportation management options
  • The current process to apply for a speed bump

 

"Speed hump capital" of the world

In Oakland, speed bumps are actually known as "speed humps." According to a 2004 article in the San Francisco Chronicle, "[Oakland] suffered a rash of pedestrian accidents during the 1990s, culminating in the death of a toddler when an 18-year-old driver plowed a truck into a preschool playground in 1995. Residents on the preschool's block were on the city's waiting list for a speed hump. In the five years following the incident, Oakland installed 1,600 speed humps." As of the article's publication, Oakland had installed around 2,000 speed humps and was known as the speed hump capital of the world.

The debate: Speed hump vs. traffic circle

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How to get a speed hump

From the City of Oakland website: "As of August 2010, no additional speed humps are being installed in Oakland due to lack of funding. Prior to that time, speed hump requests were considered by the Transportation Services Division, and required that a neighborhood petition be signed by a minimum of two-thirds of the addresses on a particular block."

Crowdfunding speed humps

Certain neighborhoods have tried use crowdfunding to support the installation of speed humps, but to no avail. 

 

 

 

References and external links

San Francisco Chronicle. April 1st, 2004: "OAKLAND/Speed humps saves lives/New study finds significant drop in injuries to kids." 

June M. Tester. April 2004: "A Matched Case-Control Study Evaluating the Effectiveness of Speed Humps in Reducing Child Pedestrian Injuries."

 

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