Nearly half a million “illegal” speed bumps could be flattened in France after a recent court ruling clarified they must conform with 1994 standards, which formalised their use for the first time.
The ruling was followed by another ordering two bumps in Toulon to be demolished because they did not meet the 1994 rules.
It could see an estimated 450,000 “illegal” speed bumps demolished, according to one of the associations which brought the case.
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Strict rules
“The 1994 rules for speed bumps were strict because the government did not want them,” Thierry Modolo of Pour une Mobilité Sereine et Durable (PMSD) told The Connexion.
“Later, new guidance on installing them, which broke the 1994 rules, was issued by the Centre d'études et d'expertise sur les risques, l'environnement, la mobilité et l'aménagement (Cerema) in a leaflet, which led to an explosion in speed bumps all over France.”
The Toulon case was prompted by residents fed up with the noise of cars braking, accelerating and scraping over two speed bumps.
The association found that one of the key rules in 1994, that speed bumps must only be used on roads with 3,000 or less vehicle movements a day, had been ignored, with the road having an average of 4,500.
Workers removed the bumps and resurfaced the road within two weeks of the court ruling, in July.
It followed a decision by the Cour administrative d’appel de Marseille when rejudging a case brought by PMSD and other associations including the Fédération française des motards en colère.
Motorbikers have reported a number of cases where riders have been injured because the bottom of their vehicles have caught on speed bumps.
The judges ruled that the Cerema leaflet, which sowed confusion by issuing more relaxed rules for certain bumps, should not be used as a guide.
Two types of speed bumps
Only two types of speed bumps – called dos d’âne (donkey’s back) and type trapézoïdal are allowed under the 1994 rules.
“The rules from 1994 are strict and have been ignored for so long that there are very few speed bumps which conform to them,” said Mr Modolo.
“So what happens now is that every mayor who receives an official letter from a resident complaining about an illegal speed bump should act to remove it or ensure that it conforms.”
The association has published a model letter on its website to be sent to mayors by residents who want speed bumps removed.
Mr Modolo said the cost of removing a speed bump, between €35,000 and €100,000, was almost exactly the same as installing one.
“But most importantly the mayor can claim the money back from the company which installed the bump in the first place, because they installed an illegal one,” he said.
“It will not be taking money away from schools or sports grounds and the like.”
Under the 1994 rules, type trapézoïdal speed bumps must be no higher than 10cm above the road, and have a ramp of between one metre and 1.4m long.
Dos d’âne bumps must be at least four metres wide, 10cm high, and have an angle of approach (saillie d’attaque) of less than five millimetres from the level road.
Bumps cannot be isolated and have to be included in a coherent scheme to reduce speed on a road.
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They can only be installed in built-up areas, service areas for autoroutes or forest roads, and only where there is a 30km/h speed limit.
The roads where they are installed must not have more than 3,000 vehicles on them per day, or be used by an average of 300 lorries per day.
In addition, if the roads are used by public transport or near emergency services, special agreements from the public transport operators and the emergency services are needed.
Other rules say they should not be within 200 metres of a road with a 70km/h (or higher) speed limit, that they must be at least 40 metres from bends in the road, and at least 25 metres from a bridge or other engineering structure.
Care must be taken to ensure they do not cause flooding, nor problems for pedestrians or two-wheeled vehicles.
The type trapézoïdal bumps must have pedestrian crossings incorporated in them, while dos d’âne bumps are banned from having them.
There must also be road signs and markings announcing their presence.
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Environmental impact
Mr Modolo said that although there will be resistance to removing speed bumps, he expects most mayors will do so.
“The fact is the court rulings mean that most speed bumps are now illegal, which makes mayors personally responsible if there is an accident because of them,” he said.
“They will not even be covered by insurance policies for mayors because these do not cover illegal acts.”
He added that the removal of speed bumps would be good for the environment, with many studies showing they increase fuel consumption of vehicles because of the braking and accelerating associated with them.
Another association, La Ligue de Défense des Conducteurs, has launched a petition against speed bumps, which had received 97,429 signatures by mid-August.
