Councilman: Let's Bounce Speed Bumps Out of Cowtown
By LITA BECK
Updated 12:42 AM CST, Tue, Sep 1, 2009
A Fort Worth City Council member says he wants to put the brakes on speed bumps.
Councilman Zim Zimmerman said speed bumps are waste of money that could be better spent.
"I'd rather see that money spent on fixing roads and look at other options for doing traffic control," he said.
Zimmerman also said the city should have a consistent speed-bump policy.
Speed bumps are supposed to be 3 ½ inches high, give or take half an inch. But because standards have changed over the years, Fort Worth is riddled with a hodgepodge of different speed bumps, Zimmerman said.
"Some of them you can't go over until you come to a dead stop," he said.
Zimmerman said speed bumps should only be used as a last resort.
"From what I'm hearing, most people don't want them," he said.
But dog walker Dodi Duncan said the speed bumps are a necessary safety measure.
"So having those speed bumps helps the cars slow down and be a little more aware of what's going on around them," she said.
Fort Worth resident Ed Clark said he thinks speed bumps are "a bunch of junk." He said they're a headache and a driving hazard that don't actually get drivers to slow down.
"I just don't think they're doing anybody any good," he said.
Fort Worth, which is facing a tough budget crunch, has put off installing any new speed bumps.
It costs about $1,400 to install one and about $500 to take one out.
First Published: Aug 31, 2009 11:30 PM CST
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