Speed Bumps or Speed Humps - What’s The Difference?
There is a dramatic difference between “speed bumps” and “speed humps” but many people mistakenly use the terms interchangeably.
The simple difference between the two can basically be measured by the traffic calming affect of each device.
Speed bumps were designed to slow traffic from 0 to 15 mph. Whereas speed humps slow traffic from 10 to 20 mph.
The way they fulfill their particular purpose is based on the cross section or the profile and the transition between the roadway surface and the device itself.
The speed bump profile is a more abrupt profile. There is little distance between the roadway surface and the full height of the speed bump. It can be compared to running over an object like a two by four rock in the middle of your tire. This abruptness causes traffic to slow down to almost a stop before crossing over it.
On the other hand the transition between the Speed humps profile and the roadway surface is tapered and makes for a less abrupt transition between roadway surface and speed hump. This is similar to running over a two by ten board with tapered edges. It causes you to slow down but not necessarily to stop.
