One or two resident comments about boy-racers have seemed to send Denbighshire Highways Department into another roadworks fizz.
Fford Penrhywlfa, linking the Ffrith beach and Meliden, is one of Prestatyn’s main arterial roads, used daily by people travelling to and from their place of work, school, and to visit elderly relatives. However it is often used for cretinous car-owners who live on the Jolly Sailor Estate, who have fitted large-bore exhausts to their cars, to rev loudly up and down like four year olds – leading to a resident complaining.
Francis Kellerhanistan who lives somewhere, commented;
“I contacted the council because I often whinge about all sorts – it can be about trees I don’t like the shape of, people being too young, or even cats walking too loudly in my garden, but this time it was about cars racing past at a ridiculous thirty miles an hour”.
“In particular, the problem is worst at the roundabout to the school entrance, a speed camera or a speed hump either side is needed to keep the little people safe. So I spoke to the Highways department, and told them something must be done. It’s always the Council who at fault, regardless, so I told them very firmly in my best moany voice.”.
North Wales News agreed with the basic summation of what was needed, and following Francis’ telephone call, Denbighshire Highways Department readily leapt into action.
Sitting on a hefty department budget surplus at the time (verified) – and seemingly because they were running out of places to install pointless traffic lights no-one needs – they quickly installed speed humps around the roundabout where they were needed.
And all the way over the railway bridge towards the beach.
And then some more.
And then in the opposite direction, all the way across the Fforddisa cross-roads, down the hill and up again all the way to the neighbouring village of Meliden.
1.4 miles of speed bumps to slow people down at a mini-roundabout.
Speed bumps are divisive at the best of times, but in the right situation can be a force of good – where they contribute to saving lives. However, they also contribute to car suspension and tyre damage that subsequent claims invariably drives council-tax bills up. So North Wales News is asking – was anything else considered? Anything?
In the two years from 2017-2019, councils in England & Wales paid out tens of thousands of pounds in damage to owners of cars from damage from speed bumps, according to Green Flag. One in five cars is estimated to have suffered damage from speed bumps travelling at normal or below normal speeds, and most owners are not aware that the damage has happened until it’s MOT time and they’re paying hundreds of pounds on suspension bushes, tyres, and rods.
Industry experts are clear on other negative affects of speed-bumps, which Denbighshire County Council Highways Department don’t seem to have gotten the memo about, or maybe just didn’t consider?
Air-quality is severely decreased in the immediate area where speed bumps are installed, as vehicles have to rev engines up and down repeatedly to go about their journey. The quality of the air breathed in is between double and five times worse. Nearly one entire side of Ffordd Penrhywlfa is predominantly occupied by pensioners, North Wales News wonders whether the budget surplus next year should be diverted to the local respiratory wards of Betsi Cadwaladar instead.
NICE, the National Institute for Clinical Excellence, who have researched this, have said that a solution encouraging drivers to maintain a steady speed is far more effective for safety, not speed-bumps.
The upshot of the speed-bumps is that the drivers who make the most noise, now make even more noise, now every thirty yards or so – and we imagine vehicle damage claims to Denbighshire council will ensue. And the rest of the public will suffer vehicular damage and slower journeys. ‘Punishing the Many, for the Actions of the Few‘, comes to mind.
No-one from Denbighshire County Council was approached or commented; “Whilst we all understand that the dimwit drivers who make their Vauxhall Astra sound like a race-tuned Monaro V8 tearing round Brands Hatch have a right to let themselves be laughed at (after all, we hear the big-bore sound, we turn round expecting something nice, but all there is is a family-car running 1.6 litres of diesel with a Sports-Direct tracksuit-wearing probate at the wheel), we have to do something. But we often don’t seem to know when to look outside of our blinkers, when to stop spending public money, or being proactive and sensible enough to tell the Welsh Government we don’t need all that budget in the first place”.
If you’ve been affected by this speed bump installation and have damaged your car, you can find help and advice here. If you’re experiencing breathing difficulties, more information and help can be found here. If you work for Denbighsire County Council Highways Department, give yourself a little shake for Heaven’s sake
