There are 450,000 speed bumps in France, but many do not “meet standards”. Too high, too long… In France, a third of these speed bumps that are supposed to reduce speed and prevent accidents are illegal.
This is what the association of angry bikers of Vienne (FFMC 86) and its president, Manuel Repentin, are denouncing, who pointed out in particular, in a video, “ speed bumps that don’t meet standards, which will break the bike if you’re not careful.” Not to mention the amplified traffic noise for local residents.
“A number of speed bumps in the urban area are not compliant”
Locally, another biker from the association, Patrick Vallengin, a resident of Antoigné and departmental road safety officer (IDSR) for the prefecture, also complains about certain speed bumps. “A number of speed bumps do not comply with the recommendationslaments the biker from the Motes’ DéPouillé club. Just drive over it and feel it rubbing, even when going less than 30 km/h. A simple test is when you have traces of drain plugs on a raised platform, it’s a sign that the speed bump is not up to standard.
Patrick Vallengin demonstrates by passing his motorbike over a speed bump in Châtellerault in front of the Saint-Henri school. Verdict: “In a sense, you hit the motorbike and you get shaken.”
© (Photo NR-CP, Denys Frétier)
Traces of oil and friction
The 71-year-old motorcyclist from Châtellerault cites a few speed bumps that he believes are problematic: “Ribes” in Bonneuil-Matours, entrance to Bonnes (before the rotating ball roundabout), exit from Scorbé-Clairvaux, boulevard Félix-Faure (in front of the Saint-Henri private school)…
For the latter, “In one direction, the speed bump is up to standard, but in the other it rubs, the two slopes are not equal. One is steeper than the other which is gentler.”.
The road surface, stained with used oil and streaked with grooves in the tar, bears witness to the friction of the vehicles.
The road is dug up by the passage of vehicles. Either they are driving too fast or the speed bumps are not up to standard.
© (Photo Denys Frétier)
“The problem is in the villages”
“When the work is carried out by State bodies, Regions, Departments, Cerema standards (1) are generally respected. The problem comes from the municipalities: in the big cities, there is a technical manager who is aware of Cerema standards. But in the villages, where there is not necessarily a technician, the standards are more or less respected.”
According to our interlocutor, “ The speed bumps are relatively good in Châtellerault.
“The city with standards”
This is confirmed by Michel Fresneau, deputy for roads in the city of Châtellerault: “We don’t have any speed bumps in Châtellerault, but we do have speed bumps such as raised platforms. We counted 56 of them. Our platforms comply with Cerema standards: between 10 and 30 m long with a maximum height of 15 cm and a slope of less than 10%.”
Knowing that the average cost of such a work is between €10,000 and €30,000, the community, in order to benefit from public subsidies, must respect the standards for the development of its speed bumps.
(1) The Center for Studies and Expertise on Risks, the Environment, Mobility and Planning is placed under State supervision.
Cerema standards to follow
Patrick Vallengin, a volunteer road safety expert (IDSR), explains that technical “recommendations” are set by Cerema and must be followed by road managers for proper installation.
According to these recommendations, the speed bump must be a maximum height of 10 cm and a maximum length of 4 m. It must also be installed on a road limited to 30 km/h, with fewer than 3,000 vehicles passing per day and not be served by public transport. A third of speed bumps would therefore not comply with these standards.
