Evaluating the effectiveness of road humps in reducing vehicle speed: case study of a university campus

Abstract

Road humps are designed to control the speed of vehicles through the discomfort that drivers experience when crossing over them. Although the use of various types of road humps in low-speed environments is common, its effectiveness has yet to be seen. This paper evaluated the effectiveness of different types of road humps in reducing the speed of vehicles at a university campus. Field observations were carried out to determine geometric designs of five round-top and five flat-top road humps. All recorded design characteristics of road humps were compared with the standard specifications by various authorities. Only road humps that met any one or more of the standard specifications were considered for speed data collection. Speed data were observed at two selected points during off-peak weekdays and in daylight conditions. A comparison of the observed design characteristics of the road humps with the standard specifications by the authorities showed that most of the humps did not meet any design standard except one round-top road hump and two flat-top road humps. However, only one round-top and one flat-top road humps were considered for further analysis. The average speed of vehicles approaching the road humps was found to be higher than the average speed observed on road humps, with a reduction of 46% and 52% for round-top and flat-top road humps, respectively. The results of statistical analysis also showed that both types of road humps were effective in reducing the speed of vehicles. Thus, it can be concluded that road humps, irrespective of their type, have an impact on vehicle speed.