‘Smoothest speed bumps in England’ cause driver fury over 'pathetic' height
Residents of a village near Middlesborough have slammed new traffic calming measures, which some have described as the "smoothest speed bumps in England".
The village of Thornton has dealt with speeding motorists for years and despite residents pleading with the council for changes to be made, they are still unhappy. One resident, John Smith, described how the village was like a “race track” for people speeding on the roads, which have been plagued with potholes.
Those living in the village are now furious after new speed bumps were installed. Although they are meant to ease traffic and slow cars down, they have had the opposite effect.
Mr Smith said the bumps are narrower than the width of a car’s wheels and are the “smoothest speed bumps in Teeside, possibly England”.
While the road is supposed to be a 20mph road, this does not stop people from speeding through.
John Smith said residents have been complaining to the council for years, and resurfaced the road after the number of potholes increased.
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He added: “The road has become a faster road with [the speed bumps]. The speed bumps are narrower than the width of a car's wheels.
“They only finished it on Wednesday and the speed of the traffic has increased.
“They are the most smoothest shape - they are actually quite therapeutic when you go over them,” he told Teesside Live.
He added that sometimes when driving, people don't even realise they have driven over a speed bump.
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The problems get even worse during rush hour, with people treating the village like a “rat race” going between Middlesbrough and surrounding towns.
Mr Smith highlighted the hours between 7pm and 9pm when the traffic is “constant” and cars come speeding past.
In 2019, the council enacted measures to crack down on speeding between Cleveland and Durham, which caught more than 130 drivers breaking the limit.
In Thornton, there is a police black box to monitor the average speeds in the city, compared to other villages nearby which have speed bumps.
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Mr Smith continued, saying: “It's a lovely smooth road, it's like a race track, but I'm just bouncing.
“A couple of neighbours were looking at it and we were actually getting laughed at by speeding motorists. They were straddling both bumps.”
He is even more cautious with the speeding cars given that he doesn’t have a pavement outside, with his driveway leading into the road.
Some residents in the area said when driving, motorists don’t need to touch the brakes when moving towards the speed bumps.
Councillor David Coupe said the local authority would be working to make the speed bumps “more prominent” in the future.
The Conservative member for the Stainton and Thornton ward said they would be made higher and wider, saying it was the best the council could do.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Middlesborough Council said: “The speed humps in question have been installed within the specifications outlined by the Department for Transport.
“However, on the back of concerns raised we will look to revisit the site and enhance the traffic calming installations.”