Friday, September 27, 2013

Things That Go Bump ...


 1st of five speed bumps Lincoln Avenue

After many years of wishing and hoping and a false start or two, the "speed calming" efforts via more permanent speed bumps on Lincoln Avenue are now in place -- all five of them. And nearby Dana Street and Blue Hills Road as well.

Curiously only the middle section of Lincoln Avenue between Amity Street and Fearing Street have the built in obstacles as apparently homeowners on the other two stretches of Lincoln Avenue were not overly enthusiastic about them.

 Amity Street Lincoln Avenue intersection

Probably because they did not look forward to having their teeth rattled every time they left their driveway.

Residents in the bumper zone hope the new project will not only slow traffic down but perhaps, if regular commuters get seasick from the obstacles, they may choose an alternate route.

Rt. 9 Lincoln intersection no bumps down to Amity.  Also not repaved

Phil Jackson, a main instigator for the project, is hoping UMass will do a traffic study later this spring to determine if those lofty goals are met.

Meanwhile, residents on neighboring Fearing Street are waiting to see if the project drives more traffic down their street.  The town had talked about installing speed bumps on Fearing Street as well, but nothing ever came of it. 

Of course it will not be long now before town officials start hearing reminders. 

15 comments:

  1. At the right speed those speed bumps make for a great launching pad to make a car go airborne.

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  2. Yes, at *any* speed the car is going slightly airborne, and isn't under as much control on the way back down.

    It's not that as much, though, as the wear & tear on struts, springs (Gov't Motors has an issue with them breaking), C/V joints, ball joints, inner & outer tie rods and the like.

    How many people honestly even know what those things even are?

    How many of you would even know if you had a broken spring?

    What's gonna happen is these speed bumps are going to cause premature wear on the above, and then some small child is going to step out into the street, as small kids are want to do, and then splat when the car does something funky instead of stopping in a straight line/.

    Or worse -- and I've seen this happen -- Suzie Sophmore is going to be driving over the crest of one of those and something's going to let go (ball joint, outer tie rod, C/V joint come to immediate mind) -- and the next thing she or anyone else knows, she's going to be up on someone's lawn.

    Oh, and splat -- the 5-year-old on the tricycle in the driveway isn't going to get out of the way in time.

    Think logically for a minute folks (I know it's hard) -- if you have a vehicle with something about to let go -- and you put it under a severe stress which these bumps do -- that is exactly when it is going to let go.

    And I don't know why but it usually the stuff on the right side that lets go, maybe it's because we make more right turns -- but I've always seen it on the right.

    You actually have made it more likely that one of your kids will get run over -- not less. But hey, they're your kids....

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  3. Perhaps people ought to be sending their auto repair bills to Mr. Jackson as well....

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  4. Good move. Instead of complaining, just install something that changes peoples behaviour. Don't like it? Use University Drive.

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  5. Instead of complaining, just install something that changes peoples behaviour.

    Yes, but you may get behavioral changes quite different from what you anticipate or desire.

    "Road Rage" comes to mind. And when you see a kid running toward the street, do you (a) slow down, (b) hit the horn, or (c) do nothing? That kind of stuff.

    Above and beyond this, the concept of speed bumps only works when the driver is (a) the owner and (b) worried about having to pay for damage to the vehicle. If the car is leased, or belongs to a parent, or the driver doesn't even know what a tie rod end IS then -- well -- not so much.

    Don't like it? Use University Drive.

    Or wind your old tie rods and such through Mr. Johnson's windows. Why not? If you are gonna take a "sucks to be you" attitude, then why shouldn't you be subjected to it as well?

    10 points for putting a beer bottle through his windshield. Or any windshield on Lincoln Avenue -- sorry folks, you have become "the man" and you know how that goes....

    Shred the "social contract" and this is the consequence. It can "suck to be you" as well.

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  6. You are inciting people to throw beer bottles through our windshields

    They need additional incitement? I somehow thing you and your a-**** friends have done a pretty good job already.

    When drunk student wearing green are already streaming through our neighborhood

    "Don't like it? [Move to] University Drive."

    (Now where might we have seen that quote before????)

    And *I* am inciting things?

    you are an irresponsible jackass.

    I'm not irresponsible, I'm malicious. I want my "pound of flesh" and i'm gonna ensure that the entire world knows you folk for exactly what you are.

    And the pestilent purgatorial cesspool which funds your largess as well. UMass Delenda Est.

    "Amherst" -- Native American term for "bankrupt stagnant economic backwater stuck in the 20th Century."

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  7. And like Larry, I'm saving the best for my book. I had a police scanner going the night Adam Prentice was murdered -- and as folk know, it took me about 3 days to crack the codes.

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  8. I hope they put some speed bumps and a bike lane on Pine st. when they pave it. I almost got hit by a car near the Cushman store yesterday. It was a little red hatchback going at least 40+. I would have loved to have a face to face conversation with that guy!!!!

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  9. Oh I think by the time this is over, every street in Amherst will have them. (#sarcasm)

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  10. you are maliciously inciting violence.

    The US Supreme Court would say otherwise, C-Head.

    Not that I'd ever want to confuse you with the facts.

    And as to "getting a life" -- damn it, why don't you go encourage Enku to "fix" the mess that she and her buddies keep making worse instead of simply admitting that they screwed up badly and fixing?

    Give me what I want and I'll go away...

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  11. Oh I think by the time this is over, every street in Amherst will have them

    I'm more thinking of discarded telephone poles dropped at random angles....

    And with a couple truckloads of greasy manure dumped on the bikepaths as well...

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  12. I've taken a series of screenshots of this comments section. Now I need only wait for the day that it becomes as sought-after as Arthur Bremer's diary.

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  13. Wow, Dr. Ed Cutting is getting much more aggressive and worked up than usual. Hope APD is paying attention...

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  14. Bingo! I now can articulate exactly what is behind the demands for female Marines to be put into the infantry.

    Oh -- and word is that the Draft is returning on January 19, 2015. *I* am not saying this, only that I've heard it.

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  15. You know Larry, Claymores would tend to reduce vehicular traffic on Lincoln Aveue -- might tend to break a few windows on the houses on the other side of the street, and burning vehicles would likely take out power & phone lines, but hey, whatever....

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