7 facts about portable speed bumps

A portable speed bump is one of the traffic control devices that help in traffic speed reduction. It is one of the various speed bump types.

Unlike most speed-limiting devices, it is temporary, and you can change its location according to your traffic control needs.

City roads and streets that have them also display street signs or speed signs that act as warning signs for the road traffic to warn the drivers of their presence.

Portable speed bumps are effective in reducing traffic speed. Read this article to find their seven interesting facts that prove how they differ from other devices.

What is a portable speed bump?

Portable speed bumps are designed mainly for emergencies. Unlike the traditional speed bumps and speed humps, they are not permanently installed on the road.

You can remove them and place them whenever you want. They can also be rolled and then placed inside easy-to-carry bags.

They are popularly used in different emergency situations, such as:

• Warehouse floors to manage goods movement during a high workload day

• Parking lots to reduce the direct interaction between pedestrians and moving vehicles during rush hours

• In a school zone, if there is an event going on

• During sporting events, reduce vehicle speed in the high pedestrian areas

• At the road construction sites, for the safety of labourers and other workers

• At fairs where traffic flow must be controlled for the safety of pedestrians

• At the roadblock sites to discourage city traffic flow

• At public events where a huge number of people may interact with bicycles, buses, cars, and other vehicles

• Critical pedestrian areas like crosswalks, parking zones, etc.

• Around the hospital zones, if there is a high flow of emergency vehicles, etc.

Facts about portable speed bumps

A portable speed bump is a new speed-limiting device compared to permanent speed bumps. Due to this reason, they are also less common.

However, their use in emergency situations is increasing with time as people learn more about their benefits.

Below is a list of portable speed bumps’ common facts and characteristics that will help you understand them better.

Keep reading to learn more about portable speed bumps and why they are important for road traffic safety and traffic calming measures.

Material

Permanent speed bumps come in various materials, such as recycled rubber, plastic, asphalt, metal, etc. When choosing only one from them, you must consider the material’s location, weather conditions, and durability.

On the other hand, portable speed bumps are most commonly constructed of moulded polyurethane plastic.

It is a form of plastic polymer made by combining diisocyanates and polyols. This form of plastic is exceptionally flexible, durable, and versatile, making it quite suitable for portable speed bumps.

Some portable speed bumps also have a thin layer of rubber under the plastic, which helps their placement on different surfaces.

Placement and visibility

The good thing about this equipment is that you can place it anywhere you want without having any trouble. You do not have to install it permanently and waste your time doing so.

You can place it in school zones, parking zones, hospital zones, city streets, crossings, curbs, bike lanes, roadways, traffic lanes, or a work zone, pedestrian zone, uncontrolled intersection, unmarked crosswalk, ramp, slow zone, etc. and remove them when the rush hours are over.

They are usually painted yellow, which increases their visibility on roads. Some also have reflective tapes. These reflectors make speed bumps visible even in dark places.

Some portable speed bumps even have small areas on the stripes or segments where you can place small pillars with reflective tape or reflectors to block the traffic. They can also act like rumble strips when placed in rows.

Dimension and customization

Portable speed bumps come in various sizes to provide people with different options. Their height usually varies from 3 to 5 inches, and their length is mostly 6 feet.

Different companies produce portable speed bumps of different sizes.

Some manufacturers provide customization options, which means you can get a portable speed bump in any appropriate size of your choice.

You should select a speed bump that really meets your basic needs. If you need it for a thin alley, a portable speed bump with a comparatively short length is the right choice.

Weight-bearing capacity

Since portable speed bumps are made of durable plastic, they have a high weight-bearing capacity.

It means heavy vehicles like tractors, fire trucks, buses, ambulances, etc . can easily pass over them without altering their basic structure. Most of the portable speed bumps have 20,000 pounds or more weight-bearing capacity.

While buying a portable speed bump, you should carefully check this property. If you place it on roads and routes where heavy vehicles move, it is best to get a speed bump with a very high weight-bearing capacity.

Storage and transportation

The ability to get rolled easily makes portable speed bumps very easy to transport and store.

Since they are made of plastic, they are also light in weight, which makes their transportation even easier. You will not need assistance while moving them from one place to another as you can easily carry them by yourself.

Most of the portable speed bumps come with an easy-to-carry durable bag.

You can roll the speed bump and place it in the bag for safe storage. You can even fit its compact form in small spaces.

Perfect for all weathers

Not all materials of the traditional speed bumps are suitable for different weather conditions.

Metals may develop rust, and other materials may expand or shrink with the temperature change.

Compared to other materials, moulded polyurethane plastic is perfect for all weather. You can place it on dry, wet, and hot roads without worrying much about its condition.

Some portable speed bumps have rubber under their plastic surface, which makes them more useful. The layer of rubber helps the speed bump stay on the road surface for a long.

Provide benefits of stationary speed bumps

Portable speed bumps are a modern form of traditional speed bumps that are mostly stationary. Even though portable road bumps are used temporarily, they still provide all the benefits of stationary speed bumps.

It means you cannot use portable speed bumps only during emergencies. You can use them in any high-traffic area to limit speed and reduce vehicle collisions.

You can place them on or around different places such as a roadway, crosswalk, driveway, railroad crossing, roadside, parking space, pavement, traffic intersection, curb, pedestrian crossing, sidewalk, street crossing, and school crossing for pedestrian safety and traffic safety.

Conclusion

A portable speed bump is a traffic calming device like speed cushions, speed tables, speed humps, traffic cones, stop signs, speed limit signs, parking signs, traffic signs, and pavement markings.

What makes it different from others is that it is portable and temporary. You can remove it from one place and take it to another place to control traffic volume.

It generally helps with the speed limit and reduces it up to 2 mph (miles per hour). You should request your local government to install it in your area if the area has a serious accident risk.