Flat Out

...which is something you can't be when there are sleeping policemen around.

And when I say "sleeping policemen" - I mean speed humps and speed bumps.

This is the type I encounter the most:

 

Having a decent sized car, I can generally straddle the bump with minimal disturbance.

So I don't tend to slow down so I don't cause extra pollution.

Aren't I a good citizen?

The BBC are carrying this story today about how Councils are being urged to redesign their humps and bumps to reduce the extra pollution they are causing.

Nobody is actually saying how though.  Surely the pollution problem is due to people driving slower then quicker then slower again?

But isn't the whole point of the speed bumps to get people driving slower?

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) said "smooth" driving would cut air pollution, linked to 25,000 deaths a year in England. 507 pedestrians or cyclists were killed in the whole of Britain's roads in 2013 so the removal of speed bumps must be a no-brainer!  Amazing what you can prove with statistics.

I'd rather that the Councils spent their speed bump budgets on fixing pot-holes - that way, money would be going on preventing further damage to car suspension rather than causing it.

Meanwhile, I don't believe that this is an undoctored picture:

Olympic Mindgames

Found this picture and the associated story in Friday's Mail Online.

The sign is quite funny but actually refers to a road called "Ha-Ha Road" - it isn't taking the mickey out of Londoners inconvenienced at preparations for the London Olympic Games.

It should, however, always be read in the voice of Nelson Muntz from The Simpsons.

The story then goes on to describe how the council are ripping up speed bumps to make a smoother ride for the Olympic dignitaries - this does appear well out of order given that councils always claim that speed bumps are there for residents' safety. Being a Mail story, I have to be a bit sceptical when they say it will cost at least £50000 - at the expense of the local tax-payer - but, even so, whatever it costs, and whoever is paying - it is very wrong. The Mail also seems obsessed with the fact that BMW are providing the vehicles for The Olympics - they mention it for no apparent reason and include a picture of one driving over a patch of fresh tarmac where a speed bump used to be.

Never mind, I'm sure the Mayor is on the case...No, not Quimby, the other guy.