Complaints after speed hump 'improvements' in Cornwall
There has been a lot of chat about the finished hump on social media pages
Work to turn what locals referred to as a “speed pimple” into a hump has led to a spot of bother with a rash of complaints in a Cornish village. The parish chairman has labelled the work to complete the traffic-calming measure a “bodge”.
A flat table speed hump had been built at Heamoor crossroads, near Penzance, but Cllr Hugh Eddy – chairman of Madron Parish Council – had said it hadn’t been topped as the cost of the materials had increased and Cornwall Council funding could not cover its completion.
He told us people in the area had dubbed it the “Heamoor speed pimple” and it was “basically useless”. We then reported that the area’s Cornwall councillor, Juliet Line, had pushed the council to finish the work and its highways wing Cormac had indeed completed the table-top hump earlier this week.
However, Cllr Eddy has now contacted us to say “it’s still not right”. He said: “They came out on Monday night and set out to build up the edge to make it more vicious. They haven’t fitted the proper top coatings and they only built up the ramps on two of the four wings of the crossroads.
“Unfortunately one of their two ramp building efforts hasn’t made any difference, cars going down Madron Hill can drive onto it at normal speed then they brake at the one ramp that’s actually working. Unfortunately because it’s a bodge, rather than finished properly, there’s been a lot of complaints online of cars hitting their valance as they come off it. I will keep campaigning to have this done properly, which is what Heamoor deserves.”
There has been a lot of chat about the finished hump on social media pages dedicated to the West Cornwall area. One man posted that it had even taken his bumper off.
Another driver who said his car was damaged while going over it added he was going to bill Cormac for repairs. “The fact of the matter is it’s clearly a bad job – when you come off the other side it’s too steep. I was barely doing any speed – it’s clearly been rush and bodged, and doesn’t look like it’s going to last any period of time.”
Someone else wrote: “I went over it at a GPS speed of 15mph and again later at 9mph – the child seat bounced off the rear seat!” However, others have commented that they have driven over it with no problems.
Cllr Juliet Line, who pushed for the work to be completed, said: “The feedback I’ve received from residents since Tuesday has generally been very positive. The work has been completed to a high standard and in a very timely manner, and the hump is fulfilling its intended purpose of slowing the traffic at the junction.
“I am not convinced that it needs further elevation, in fact it’s likely that any additional height could lead to problems. In addition to the table-top the improved junction is also benefiting from new dropped kerbs, textured paving to assist blind and partially sighted pedestrians and new bollards to prevent cars from mounting the kerbs.
“I am pleased to have achieved a resolution to the issue of the height of the hump. I am now turning my attention to seeking funding for further improvements. As always I’m happy to hear from any residents or local councillors who would like to share their ideas or views on this or any other issues.”