Top 3 materials to manufacture road humps!

The increasingly high traffic flow has called out the need for strict traffic rules. However, even with traffic regulations, most people find following the law complicated. Hence, some traffic control devices have been introduced to prevent adversaries from high traffic.

Amongst the traffic calming measures, speed humps are among the most valuable tools. With a shallower structure, they are less aggressive traffic tools to prevent traffic accidents.

However, several types of speed humps differ in their material. Each material has different capabilities, making it unique in its form. Without any further ado, let’s begin decrypting different materials to manufacture road humps.

Rubber road humps

Let’s start with one of the fascinating road humps out there. These speed humps are made from recycled rubber tires which are pretty flexible. The high flexibility allows these road humps to remain stable and sturdy on any surface. Whether on a tile surface or a tarmac road, rubber speed humps can conform and remain stable at any place.

Furthermore, rubber road humps usually pass through a vulcanization process, making the rubber stronger and harder to deform. Hence, even if big emergency vehicles, such as fire trucks, ambulances, or high-profile buses, were to pass through these road humps, there would be no damage to them.

Also, the rubber material is abrasive resistant, preventing damage to your vehicle’s lower body. The rubber speed hump has reflective strips, making them visible in dark surroundings and places such as parking lots, stormwater, or dark lanes.

Hence, if you’re driving in any low-light municipality, the reflectors allow you to spot these speed humps from a reasonable distance.

Furthermore, rubber road humps are also bicycle-friendly. They have an anti-slip feature that prevents bicyclists or pedestrians from skidding while crossing them. These rubber speed breakers also prevent making high-pitched traffic noise, which can be disturbing to nearby property owners. So, they are suitable for residential city streets.

However, rubber road humps can be expensive, which can be attributable to the numerous processes required to make the final product.

Moreover, if extremely high load-bearing vehicles such as trailers cross them frequently, they can deform over time. Therefore, you cannot use them for highways; they are more suitable for slow zones.

Plastic speed humps

For several years, plastic has also leapt its way in producing speed breakers. This cost-effective material is perfect for creating high-profile firm road humps. Plastic road humps are usually created from PVC recycled plastic with high tensile strength.

They can even work in places where heavy-duty vehicles are found. Therefore, if you’re a municipality officer, a plastic speed hump can work in places to slow down vehicles from speeding.

Moreover, their strong strength makes them durable because speed humps don’t deform easily. Therefore, you can expect them to last a long time after installation.

Moreover, they are quite cheap and can work towards reducing plastic pollution. Since plastic wastage is high globally, using them as a good safety tool can reduce overall pollution. Also, you can install many of them in series at a very low cost.

Like rubber, they are also available in several vibrant colours, shining in dark surroundings and making them easier to spot. However, the colour is not long-lasting and can fade over time. Hence, it requires maintenance to keep the colour intact.

Concrete speed humps

Concrete asphalt is one of the most traditional materials in any construction project. Be it asphalt pavements or buildings, it’s available everywhere. It’s also an old and reasonable material for creating traffic control devices, especially speed humps and bumps.

Concrete, as you know, is one of the most rigid materials out there. Since the installation is laborious and manual, you can vary the shape and dimensions according to the road’s length. However, it isn’t temporary; once there, you cannot remove them easily unless you bring excavators to remove them from roads.

Its heavyweight and extreme sturdiness allows the motorist to slow down drastically. However, if the motorist drives quite fast, the dense material can damage the vehicle’s lower body. But still, it fulfils the purpose of speed reduction and increasing pedestrian safety.

While they are permanent, concrete humps can deform, chip, or flatten over time. Therefore, the local authorities must maintain them to prevent the road’s overall structure from deteriorating.

Since they are harder than their counterparts, there are chances of heavy traffic noise, which can discomfort nearby residents. Also, it’s expensive to create concrete speed bumps, as evident from the power and machinery required for manufacturing.

Nevertheless, no matter their disadvantages, concrete speed humps are excellent at their purpose. They can quickly warn motorists and drive them within the stipulated speed limits.

Other speed hump types

You have looked at the significant material for creating speed humps. But that’s not all; some essential shapes and materials are still left, including steel and temporary speed humps.

As the name suggests, steel speed humps are manufactured from galvanised steel, which is quite a robust material. Steel speed humps are aggressive traffic-calming tools because they can cause vehicular damage if the vehicle is not careful.

Since they are strong, they can easily withstand the weight of heavy-duty vehicles in places such as highways, roadways, and freeways. They have 4x load-bearing capacity, making them the best at their purpose.

The galvanised steel can also enable you to paint them in shiny colours like yellow, making them easier to spot. You can also get reflective strips with the speed hump, making them shine in terrible weather conditions. However, the steel speed bumps may rust over time if not appropriately maintained.

Several speed humps can be installed temporarily. Obviously, it’s not a material; it’s more of a feature available in several types. Temporary speed humps are modular, allowing you to add more segments to meet the road’s length. You also get endcaps with temporary speed humps that provide an aesthetic finish to the speed humps.

Usually, rubber and plastic speed humps are available in modular shapes because you can unfasten the bolts and remove them when unnecessary.

Supporting traffic calming measures

Whether you use speed humps, cushions, ramps, or speed bumps, they won’t work well unless you set several other deflection measures.

Some essential measures include:

• Bollards, curbs, pavement markings, and rumble strips are essential horizontal deflection tools that change the road design and make it more suitable for slowing down vehicles.

• Traffic enforcement can also be a good solution, whereby enforcement can issue fines to vehicles driving at a fast dynamic speed. Moreover, they can even install traffic barriers, traffic cones, and warning signs to ensure traffic control.

• Signages also act as a caution and prevention tool. There can be the installation of signs and markings, including road markings, speed limit signs, traffic signs, stop signs, and traffic control signs for slowing motorists.

• There can even be public education campaigns regarding traffic rules and the use of traffic signals, allowing the public to understand the importance of road safety and the potential problems of not following them.

Conclusion

Traffic congestion, fatalities, crashes, and collisions can prove to be quite dangerous. Hence, speed humps and some horizontal deflection tools can be highly beneficial in preventing such issues.

If you’re a municipal officer looking for ways to improve traffic safety in your jurisdiction, check out the speed humps listed above to fulfil your need. Even if you’re a property owner, you can install speed humps in your area to ensure your children are safe when they play in the neighbourhood.

Want to know where you can find high-quality speed humps? Check out Sino Concept, experts in creating numerous traffic calming measures. Browse our products to find the necessary tool for your problem.