Speed Bumps With Gaps For Emergency Vehicles Only?
Imagine New York City without cars…!
… and, Speed Bumps with gaps for Emergency Vehicles Only?
To me, both seem pretty hard to imagine.
But we might not have to have such vivid imaginations to actually see both happen in the near future thanks to New York’s first “Street Design Manual”.
According to the reputed “Architect’s Newspaper” the manual was well received by “… a large crowd of planners, engineers, and designers. Excitement ran high among both the speakers and the crowd, not just for the manual itself but for what it represents: New York’s determination to conceive of greener, more people-friendly streets, and an unprecedented inter-agency collaboration toward that end. “This is like the Woodstock of urbanism!” laughed Benepe.”
The article went onto say that the purpose of the Street Design Manual was “clearly committed to being in the vanguard of street design, venturing beyond the tried-and-true standards into more experimental waters.” “…That includes speed cushions (speed bumps with gaps that allow emergency vehicles to pass through at full speed), and separated busway…”
Speed Bumps with gaps for emergency vehicles to speed through? Cool!
Wonder how they propose to get regular vehicles to cross “over” the speed bump instead of just “speeding through the gaps” like the emergency vehicles would?
I guess we’ll just have to read The Manual to find out! 
P.S. Next time you’re in New York City, don’t forget to wear your favorite walking shoes!
