Conti Names the UK’s Ten Most Hated Speed Humps

Continental Tyres has lifted the lid on what many think to be the worst speed hump in the UK. The offending traffic control device is located in Staffordshire; Tower View road, Great Wyrley to be precise – and it is often obscured from view by floodwaters. Deep gouges in the hump created by hapless motorists are telltale signs of many an unexpected encounter with the hump. A local campaign calling for its removal is currently underway.

The nationwide survey to find the top ten most hated speed humps was conducted by Continental to gauge public opinion about one of the most common causes of tyre damage. A 2003 report by the British Tyre Manufacturers Association showed impact damage such as that occurring when striking a speed hump to be the second most common reason for the replacement of tyres before the end of their tread life. Conti has seen the volume of tyres returned as a result of impact damage increase by 60 per cent since 2001, ten years after the introduction of the first speed humps to the UK. One in eight cars is estimate to have experienced damage as a result of speed hump impact.

Conti technical expert Roger Sanders, said “the main issue that we face with speed humps is the lack of consistency in design. Shapes, heights and materials vary wildly from hump to hump, which means that drivers are unsure on how best to approach them and therefore risk unexpected impact. As far as tyre damage is concerned, the worst ones that we see are the triangular-shaped, hard-moulded plastic ones, characteristic of supermarket car parks. These are steep and noisy to drive over and can cause damage to a vehicle, even when hit at relatively low speed.”

The Ten worst speed humps in Britain have been named as:

• Tower View Road, Great Wyrely

• Hurdis Road, Solihull

• Victoria Road, Cirencester

• East Churchfield Avenue, Acton

• Waggon Road, Breightmet, Bolton

• Mere Road, Highfields, Leicester

• Manstone Lane, Sidmouth, Devon

• Castle Street, Loughor, Swansea

• Old Hill, Chislehurst

• Downton Road, Knowle West, Bristol