We may be on a record in France! In the space of 2.5 km, a dozen speed bumps line a departmental road in Calvados, near Caen. If the elected officials put forward the imperative of safety on a very busy road, the cars creak and the motorists enrage.
In Calvados, the departmental road 214 has become in recent years an ordeal for motorists who have to use it on a daily basis. Whether they live in Verson, Fontaine-Etoupefour, Baron-sur-Odon, and beyond, all are confronted with the unpleasant jolts of speed bumps, trapezoidal speed bumps and speed cushions. On the 5 km separating the three municipalities, 16 raised speed bumps have been installed. There are even twelve in the space of 2.5 km, or one every 208 m!
“I can not stand it anymoreenrages Christian, resident of Baron-sur-Odon. I have a low car and I almost have to stop to pick them up. I’m not crazy about driving, but once I’ve eaten all the speed bumps, I only want to speed up on the sections where there are none. . It’s counterproductive, and even punitive because most of them aren’t even compliant.”.
According Afnor standards in force since 1994, the devices supposed to slow down motorists are strictly regulated. They cannot exceed 10 cm in height, and must have a top with a length of 2.50 m to 4 m maximum. It is also not possible to install them on a road with a slope greater than 4%. However, in practice, these regulatory obligations are often not respected.
Even if they are, the repeated passages of a vehicle over speed bumps generate wear much faster than normal. “I think they are a little too high, so it damages the carsdeplores Eric, forced to “inflate your tires every month“. Shock absorbers, ball joints, wishbones, axles: the list of automotive equipment suffering from multiple passages over these pronounced retarders is long.
For users of these roads, the mechanic’s bill is sometimes steep. “I have a car on lease, the garage did not want to pay for the repairs to the wishbone, considering that the wear was abnormal“, laments Stéphanie, forced to take 18 speed bumps every day to reach her business. Those who can, like Christian, end up deviating from their route, even if it means lengthening the journey and changing their habits. “I no longer go to the shops in Fontaine-Etoupefour and Verson. I prefer to make a detour, take the main road and go to Intermarché in Evrecy“.
If they understand the fed up of drivers, elected officials argue that this is the most effective way to reduce speed on portions of roads close to homes and gathering places. “La RD214, cis a transit road, with a large flow of vehicles, and excessive speed, notes Claude Le Bourgeois, 1st deputy in charge of public space and the living environment in Verson. In the sector, on the edge of the departmental road, his municipality has just inaugurated Les Ateliers de l’Odon, a new space for associations and culture. To secure the place, a speed bump followed by a trapezoidal speed bump of 150 m of plateau is being created. We have in Verson very young children and seniors +, pedestrians and cyclists. The road must be shared. What matters to us is safety, we have no accidents, we are happy“, concludes the chosen one.
Same story in the neighboring town. “We’re not here to annoy people, we’re here to keep them safeclaims Eric Burnel, 1st deputy at Fontaine-Etoupefour. There are drivers who complain, but we also have local residents who file petitions because people are driving too fast.. We even had to pass flyers to the inhabitants to encourage them to drive at 50 and to convey the message to those who move around the town”.
An opinion shared by Bénédicte, mother of a two-year-old boy, questioned when she has just crossed a pedestrian crossing in the town of Fontaine-Etoupefour. “Despite the presence of speed bumps, people tend to drive too fast, to not respect the 30 km/h.”
The arrival of typical traffic applications Waze does not help to reverse the trend. When the ring road is blocked, many motorists branch off via Fontaine-Etoupefour and Verson to join the A84 motorway.
Departmental delegate of the association 40 Million DriversFrancis Levavasseur understands the need for safety with regard to “weirdos who don’t respect speed limitse. According to him, speed bumps “are not bad, as long as they are done correctly, but still it is necessary not to put too much. However, he regrets that other means of braking drivers, such as chicanes, are not used more.
On the other hand, Francis Levavasseur rails against the decentralization of road developments. “Before, the State decided, there was clarity. But the mayors have recovered the management of their roads and are taking the arsenal of the highway code as a surprise bag. We see stop signs in a straight line, yellow, green, blue or red markings on the ground... There are also now speed limits at 10, 30, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 110 and 130 km/h… Motorists no longer understand anything“. And again, it’s better not to launch it on the constant changes of limitations to 80 or 90 on the departmental outside agglomeration.
In the meantime, users of the roads in the South-West of Caen have not finished making leaps. New speed bumps will be installed in 2024 at the entrance to Fontaine-Etoupefour, so that motorists finally respect the 50 km/h limit once the town entrance sign has been crossed.
