Problematic speed hump poses a danger to drivers
Everybody knows somebody who’ll say “That’s nothing” when told about something or other.
But readers who said as much about a speed hump on Coady Ave. that we reported on last Tuesday are not exaggerating when insisting that another on Kenilworth Ave. is much worse. The Coady Ave. “speed hump,” as the city calls them, appeared to be higher than the 75 millimetres standard, but after checking it out, city staffers found a different problem.
The city sent me a note after the column about the Coady hump, saying a hollow area in the pavement just beyond it is causing vehicles to bottom out.
“Staff discovered a depression in the roadway on the north side of the hump, rather than the height, that is causing passing vehicles to make contact with the ground,” transportation services spokesperson Eric Holmes said, adding it will be repaired as soon as possible.
The column about the Coady hump prompted three notes from readers about another installed within the past year on Kenilworth Ave., between Norway Ave. and Queen St. E., all of which emphasized that it’s even worse.
“I’ve never seen a bump like the new one on Kenilworth,” said Mark Potter, who estimated it’s about 10 inches high and described it as “hilarious, vicious and incompetent.”
Duane Paulsen measured it and said in a note to the local city councillor, a copy of which he sent to us, that it’s over 228 mm high, three times what it’s supposed to be.
He went on to say “it’s dangerous, and someone travelling at the speed limit with a low vehicle could drive the front end of their car into the street and lose control.”
I went there and found a hump that looks to be much higher than the 75 mm standard.
Most humps have directional arrows painted on them, so drivers can see them as they approach, but this one had crude, hand-painted arrows on it, which appear to have been applied by a local resident.
I saw several vehicles violently bounce over the hump, even though they were travelling at a low speed.
The pavement on both sides of the hump was rutted from vehicles digging into it as they passed over it. Status: Tom Kalogiannis, who’s in charge of road operations in that area, emailed to say he’s sending staff to check it out right away and will make sure the problem is fixed.