Sleeping policemen spring up to rattle speeders

THE LATEST weapon against speeding motorists is likely to be the pop-up road hump, which will, quite literally, bring them up with a jolt.

A Birmingham inventor appears to have come up with the answer to the shattered chassis and shaken shock absorbers inflicted on motorists by the permanent bumps.

Bus operators have been particularly angered by the proliferation of humps, as many as 50 on a single journey, and have had numerous claims from passengers who have fallen over.

The device created by Alec James, head of Speedalerte Ltd, is a set of two 12in (30cm) wide steel ridges separated by 15in (38cm). If the vehicle hits the first ridge within the speed limit, the second ridge remains down; but it will pop up, creating a 2in (5cm) hump if the vehicle is going too fast. Birmingham City Council and bus operators are negotiating about introducing the device.

The ridge is entirely mechanical, using a wedge and inertia to ensure that it is not raised by slower vehicles. Mr James says it would cost only 10-15 per cent more than conventional humps. Extensive testing with different heights of ridge has shown that height to be enough to jolt the suspension without damaging the vehicle.

There are some problems to be resolved, such as what to do with speeding cyclists, but Mr James, who has been working on the idea for two years, is convinced that his scheme is practical. He says a prototype has been tested more than 7 million times and could be ready for production in the New Year.

He said: 'We've had a lot of interest from local authorities and the Department of Transport.

'It solves the major disadvantage of road humps, which affect all drivers, not just those who are speeding. And many motorists drive fast over conventional humps for fun; this will stop them as the jolt will be severe.'

Cameras cut deaths, page 7