[Summit] Speed bumps redux

Fri Jun 11 14:55:59 UTC 2021

I agree with everything you wrote.

I had just noticed his mention of *a meeting* about the speed bumps where
here, evidently, there was none.

On Fri, Jun 11, 2021 at 9:34 AM Read Porter <read.d.porter at gmail.com> wrote:

> The idea that we should increase police enforcement via traffic stops is
> fiscally disastrous, practically difficult in a tight grid street network,
> and would likely be racially biased. Based on analysis of 100 million
> traffic stops, the Stanford Open Policing Project has found significant
> differences in traffic enforcement, including as a result of explicit or
> implicit bias against Black and Hispanic members of the public. You can
> explore their data and findings here:
> https://openpolicing.stanford.edu/publications/. In addition, police
> killed 121 people last year during traffic stops in this country (source
> <https://policeviolencereport.org/>). These are problematic findings, to
> say the least, and we can and should avoid introducing more policing onto
> our streets unless it's for a very good reason. In short: we should ask the
> police to focus on solving crimes, and use other resources to address other
> matters.
>
> *There are many tools better suited than cops to slowing down traffic -
> and speed humps are one of them (though not the best). Others include
> crosswalk bump outs, visual narrowing via tree planting, stop signs, and
> traffic cameras, to name a few. *We can and should make some of these
> interventions: pedestrians are at risk of death and injury due to the
> driver-first design of our road network. 6,721 pedestrians were killed on
> our streets by cars last year -- a 21% increase over 2019, despite a
> substantial decrease in vehicle miles traveled -- and the increase is a
> continuation of a long term trend in pedestrian and cyclist deaths (source
> <https://www.ghsa.org/resources/Pedestrians21>).
>
> Finally - I attended the public meeting regarding the proposed speed bumps
> on Blackstone, which was the result of a request by residents to address
> speeding. Our community behaved shamefully at that meeting, going far
> beyond expressing displeasure with the proposal to personally attack the
> presenters. It was closer to an angry mob than a meeting. Little has been
> done to address the issue of speeding since the speed bump proposal was
> knocked back, except for the cameras near Lincoln School -- which is a real
> shame since other interventions like protected bike lanes would have made
> the boulevard both more pleasant and safer for everyone.
>
> Finally, I must point out that Mr. Brussat's fact checking is nonexistent:
> 12th street has no speed bumps. Perhaps if he got out of his car once in a
> while and took a walk he'd be better informed about conditions in our
> neighborhood.
>
> On Fri, Jun 11, 2021 at 8:48 AM Denise Guad <dguad27 at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Here is what Dave put at the end of his article:
>>
>> *"There is a class of misguided residents who apparently support speed
>> bumps, presumably in the mistaken opinion that it will make them or their
>> children safer. That is unlikely. What it will do is to punish the innocent
>> for the sins of the guilty. However effective, that is wrong. The proper
>> and more effective response to speeding is an officer of the law handing
>> out tickets, and if that doesn’t work, hike the fine two or three hundred
>> percent. A ticket or two that makes news will stop speeding in its tracks,
>> or most of it – and, as a bonus, punish only the sins of the guilty,
>> leaving the innocent alone. The best form of traffic calming is a cop."*
>>
>> But remember when all those guilty folk got their panties in a twist when
>> they got "unexpected" tickets for speeding in school zones when those
>> cameras were installed?
>> I would be OK with more speed cameras. But the current situation of
>> people speeding in the neighborhood is unexpectable. There are
>> definitely more drivers who are guilty of not stopping for pedestrians in
>> crosswalks than there are drivers who comply with this law.
>>
>> Misguided or not, I absolutely feel safer crossing Rochambeau at Summit
>> now, than I did before the bumps.
>>
>>
>> On Thu, Jun 10, 2021 at 5:04 PM Emlyn Addison <noisyblocks at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> So, other than the lovely new art deco road tattoos, I take it the city
>>> is unmoved?
>>>
>>> This piece by neighbor David Brussat has some interesting history—that
>>> speed bumps once proposed for Blackstone Boulevard were nixed. This would
>>> imply that residents were actually consulted.
>>>
>>>
>>> https://architecturehereandthere.com/2021/06/09/get-rid-of-all-speed-bumps/comment-page-1/
>>>
>>>
>>> Emlyn
>>>
>>>
>>> On Tue, May 18, 2021 at 7:44 AM Read Porter <read.d.porter at gmail.com>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> as a frequent crosser of rochambeau by foot i have found that yes, it
>>>> is that dangerous. these lumps are a massive help. they have slowed speeds
>>>> dramatically and it's not as scary as it was previously.
>>>>
>>>> it does seem to me that additional stop signs, curb extensions, and
>>>> neckdowns would be helpful in speed reductions and safety generally, but
>>>> this intervention does seem to be improving on the status quo.
>>>>
>>>> On Tue, May 18, 2021 at 12:10 AM Kim Clark <ktcxyz at cox.net> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> agree, i’d rather see the potholes fixed than these horrible lumps and
>>>>> their accompanying sign pollution.
>>>>>
>>>>> these don’t slow traffic, they stop traffic and/or cause people to
>>>>> swerve to avoid, they’re so big and so obnoxious i think they are most
>>>>> likely to cause road rage. Eventually, people will just use side streets to
>>>>> avoid.
>>>>>
>>>>> Is Rochambeau really that dangerous?
>>>>>
>>>>> what a waste of money! And such an unnecessary nuisance.
>>>>>
>>>>> kim on dex
>>>>>
>>>>>                     *Kim T. Clark*
>>>>>          www.RHODYCRAFT.com
>>>>>               769 HOPE STREET
>>>>>           PROVIDENCE, RI 02906
>>>>>                     401.626.1833
>>>>>
>>>>> <http://www.rhodycraft.com>
>>>>> <http://www.rhodycraft.com>
>>>>>
>>>>> On May 17, 2021, at 4:41 PM, Martha Fraenkel <mfraenkel at gmail.com>
>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>> Re Chris' comment about funding the lumps,  i hope this is not a
>>>>> rhetorical question.  who/what/when/why?
>>>>>
>>>>> On 5/17/2021 4:26 PM, Sumati Eberstadt wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>> Yes to all of that, Christopher.
>>>>>
>>>>> Sumati
>>>>>
>>>>> On May 17, 2021, at 4:00 PM, Christopher Buecheler <
>>>>> cwbuecheler at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>> I'm just curious why there's enough budget to add obviously slapdash,
>>>>> ill-conceived and dangerous speed bumps all over the town when nobody
>>>>> except Blackstone Blvd's gotten a sidewalk repair in over a decade, and the
>>>>> only time since I moved to this neighborhood that any streets have been
>>>>> resurfaced was when Providence Water was legally obligated to do it. I'd
>>>>> much rather see money spent on maintenance, dedicated bike lanes, and
>>>>> enforcing things like "it's illegal to park halfway up on the sidewalk
>>>>> outside of Bank of America because you're too lazy to use the parking lot
>>>>> twelve feet away, or in the no parking zone out front of Seven Stars
>>>>> because you're too lazy to find legal street parking, thus creating a
>>>>> dangerous visibility situation that threatens pedestrians, motorists, and
>>>>> cyclists alike."
>>>>>
>>>>> Far as functionality goes, I assume the speed bumps will just join the
>>>>> Big Brother machines on Blackstone in causing people to speed, then slam on
>>>>> their breaks, then slam on the gas to get back to speeding.
>>>>>
>>>>> -Chris
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> On Mon, May 17, 2021 at 3:30 PM Martha Fraenkel <mfraenkel at gmail.com>
>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> I hope everyone is sending their speed bump trauma to nirva.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Seems to me they're a design failure; you have to virtually stop to
>>>>>> get over them without bottoming out.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>> --
>>>>> Christopher Buecheler - @cwbuecheler <https://twitter.com/cwbuecheler>
>>>>> http://cwbuecheler.com | Web, Writing, and More
>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>> Summit mailing list
>>>>> Summit at sna.providence.ri.us
>>>>>
>>>>> http://sna.providence.ri.us/mailman/listinfo/summit_sna.providence.ri.us
>>>>> SNA Website: http://sna.providence.ri.us/
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>> Summit mailing listSummit at sna.providence.ri.ushttp://sna.providence.ri.us/mailman/listinfo/summit_sna.providence.ri.us
>>>>> SNA Website: http://sna.providence.ri.us/
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>> Summit mailing list
>>>>> Summit at sna.providence.ri.us
>>>>>
>>>>> http://sna.providence.ri.us/mailman/listinfo/summit_sna.providence.ri.us
>>>>> SNA Website: http://sna.providence.ri.us/
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>> Summit mailing list
>>>>> Summit at sna.providence.ri.us
>>>>>
>>>>> http://sna.providence.ri.us/mailman/listinfo/summit_sna.providence.ri.us
>>>>> SNA Website: http://sna.providence.ri.us/
>>>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> Summit mailing list
>>>> Summit at sna.providence.ri.us
>>>> http://sna.providence.ri.us/mailman/listinfo/summit_sna.providence.ri.us
>>>> SNA Website: http://sna.providence.ri.us/
>>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Summit mailing list
>>> Summit at sna.providence.ri.us
>>> http://sna.providence.ri.us/mailman/listinfo/summit_sna.providence.ri.us
>>> SNA Website: http://sna.providence.ri.us/
>>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Summit mailing list
>> Summit at sna.providence.ri.us
>> http://sna.providence.ri.us/mailman/listinfo/summit_sna.providence.ri.us
>> SNA Website: http://sna.providence.ri.us/
>>
> _______________________________________________
> Summit mailing list
> Summit at sna.providence.ri.us
> http://sna.providence.ri.us/mailman/listinfo/summit_sna.providence.ri.us
> SNA Website: http://sna.providence.ri.us/
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://sna.providence.ri.us/pipermail/summit_sna.providence.ri.us/attachments/20210611/ceef5de4/attachment.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: RC Logo New email.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 61632 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://sna.providence.ri.us/pipermail/summit_sna.providence.ri.us/attachments/20210611/ceef5de4/attachment.jpg>