Upload
syazani-benhizan
View
231
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
7/29/2019 Esaimen Hway Part Syaz
1/27
1
Abstract
We are all aware of speed bumps existence on the road. However, do we know about how
efficient they are and how they are contributing in polluting the environment? In this study, we
try to investigate about these things particularly regarding speed bumps in University of
Malaya. We want to know what are the views of the students and the staff of UM regarding this
matter. Are the speed bumps really annoyed them? What is the level of pollution of air and
noise are they contributing as claimed by some people? To answer these, we conducted a
survey in order to know more about the views of the students and the staff. We also did some
speed bump inspections to complete our study. We found out that some speed bumps in
University of Malaya were built not according to required specs and also contribute to the
pollution of air and noise.
Introduction
Speed bump is one of the most common road facilities that being used widely around the
world. It was introduced as early as 1906 to reduce accidents. With the presence of speed
bumps, all the motorists, motorcyclists and even cyclists have to slow down their vehicles
before passing through the road so that their vehicles would not fly off the road for a few
milliseconds. Usually, it is implemented in the area before a junction and a crossing. In these
areas, vehicles passing through must be slowed down as there might be movements of other
vehicles to and fro at the sides of the road and there might also pedestrians crossing the road.
7/29/2019 Esaimen Hway Part Syaz
2/27
2
Without the speed bumps, the moving vehicles might crash into other vehicles at the junction
as well as hitting a crossing pedestrian.
However, this road facility does have its own bad points. Sometimes, the design of the
speed bumps is not according to the required specs. The speed bumps might have edges that
are nearly 90o
to the ground. This situation forces the road users to really slow down their
vehicles nearing stopping the vehicles or they will experience a jerk or a little jump off the road.
Besides that, some speed bumps are built with too much height. This kind of speed bumps will
cause the same effects to the road users as in the first case plus there will be also possible
scratching between the road surface and the lower part of the body of the vehicles. Apart from
that, speed bumps can also be a nuisance when implemented on steep roads or hilly areas.
Most of the times, they are implemented in that kind of areas in order to slow down the
vehicles coming from the upper part of the road as there may be a junction or a crossing down
the road. We can also find it annoying when it is applied as a pair consecutively over a short
distance. This is really causes the road users to get angry as they need to slow down when their
vehicles just started to accelerate after the first bump.
Speed bumps also raised peoples concern on whether they are contributing in the
pollution of the surrounding environment. Some people believe that the speed bumps cause
more vehicles emissions to the air. This statement is supported by the fact that every motor
vehicle consumes more fuel as it tries to accelerate from a very slow speed to high speed.
When a vehicle confronts a speed bump, the person operating it will slow down his vehicle,
passing the speed bump and start to accelerate to his previous speed. At the moment he tries
7/29/2019 Esaimen Hway Part Syaz
3/27
3
to accelerate, that is when his vehicle will increase its fuel consumption and release more
poisonous gaseous to the environment. There are also claims that the speed bumps create
noise pollution as the vehicles passing through them. This might not be a big problem for many
of us but it might be for some who live or work near the speed bumps.
In University of Malaya (UM), speed bumps have been a familiar road facility to all the
students and the staff. This is mainly due to the road safety enforcement all around the campus
by the management of University of Malaya. Be it on the main roads or in the faculties and the
colleges, speed bumps are present due to certain circumstances. Among the places where a
speed bump is present is the junction near Pusat Asasi Sains UM (PASUM), in front of Dewan
Tunku Canselor (DTC), and the steep road connecting Faculty of Engineering with the Faculty of
Built Environment.
As I mentioned before, the speed bumps could be a nuisance to the road users rather
than an effective road safety facility. In UM, there are some negative comments among the
students and staff stressing out the effectiveness of the speed bumps built around campus. For
example, from my own findings, some people are not satisfied with the design of the speed
bump in front of DTC. They said that the speed bump was too steep at the edges causing their
vehicles to jerk or jump a little if they do not really slow down nearing zero speed. Besides that,
two consecutive speed bumps in front of Jabatan Pembangunan dan Penyelenggaraan Harta
Benda (JPPHB) really get on the road users nerves as their positions are too near to each other.
Plus, the height of the speed bumps is too high, causing a major dissatisfaction among the road
users.
7/29/2019 Esaimen Hway Part Syaz
4/27
4
As we all know, UMCares fight for the preservation and the conservation of the
environment globally in general and also in UM particularly. So, they might be curious about
the effects of the speed bumps are causing to the environment in UM. Are the speed bumps
really contributing in the pollution of air and noise in the campus? We do not know for now for
sure.
So, our purpose of conducting this study is to clarify things regarding the problems of
speed bumps in the University of Malaya. We want to check how effective the speed bumps are
to the road users. In addition, we will also try to investigate about the effects of the speed
bumps on the environment. Hopefully, after the completion of this study, we could indirectly
help in improving the roads in UM and preparing them to be one of the flawless in Malaysia
particularly as well as helping to create a better quality of environment in the campus.
Objectives
In this study, the objectives that we will be trying to achieve include:
i. To study the nature and effectiveness of the speed bumps in University of Malaya
ii. To study the effects of speed bumps on the environment particularly the quality of
air and noise pollution
7/29/2019 Esaimen Hway Part Syaz
5/27
5
Methodology
The study is conducted by using method of obtaining the data among the road user in
University of Malaya. We distributed a questionnaire in form of paper and digitally (online
survey form). As much as 31 respondents completed the survey through paper and another 72
through the online survey. The questionnaire was designed to test the respondent general
knowledge about the speed bump and to know their opinion about speed bump in University of
Malayas road.
Next, we measure the dimension of several speed bumps in University of Malaya. This
action was done in the night time because at night the traffic was less busy so the work went
smooth. This measurement was done to determine whether the bump was suitable for the
area. It is also to determine whether the bump is properly designed and the effectiveness of the
bump in slowing the car. The speed bump that was measured is chosen based on its location.
We choose the speed bumps nearby the area that have many pedestrian using to cross the
road.
Lastly, we used a noise level meter to record the noise level at the road with a speed bump.
Then we compared it with the noise level we obtained from the road without speed bumps. All of these
tests were made along the road in University of Malaya.
7/29/2019 Esaimen Hway Part Syaz
6/27
6
Results
a.Survey
Multiples Questions Answers
Question Answer No. of Respondent
1. Are you or have you
driven any vehicle in
the University of
Malaya?
A. Yes
B. No
81
22
2. Have you
encountered any
speed bumps while
driving in the
campus?
A. Yes
B. No
98
5
3. How do you find
these speed bumps?
A. Comfortable
B. Annoying
C. I dont really notice
22
71
10
4. Do you think that
speed bumps are
good or bad for road
users?
A. Good
B. Bad
73
30
7/29/2019 Esaimen Hway Part Syaz
7/27
7
5. Do you think the
placement locations
of the speed bumps
in the campus are
appropriate?
A. Yes
B. No
63
40
8. Do you think the
speed bumps can
reduce accidents
A. Yes
B. No
82
21
9. Do you think the
roads in the campus
are designed to
facilitate the
pedestrian?
A. Yes
B. No
78
25
Table 1
7/29/2019 Esaimen Hway Part Syaz
8/27
8
Question 1
Question 2
Yes
79%
No21%
Whether have driven any vehicle in campus
Yes
95%
No
5%
Whether have encountered any speed bump in
campus
7/29/2019 Esaimen Hway Part Syaz
9/27
9
From the figures above, we obtained the respond from the road user in the University of
Malaya generally. Based on the answer for question 1, 79% of respondent used to drive
vehicles in University of Malaya. This shows that road vehicles is the major mean of
transportation in the University of Malaya. The vehicles could be car, motorcycles and bus. For
question 2, the road user should encounter speed bumps in University of Malaya so over 95%
answered yes.
Question 3
Comfortable
21%
Annoying
69%
Do not notice
10%
How the students find the performance of
the speed bumps
7/29/2019 Esaimen Hway Part Syaz
10/27
10
Question 4
Question 5
Good
71%
Bad
29%
Whether speed bumps good or bad
Yes
61%
No
39%
Whether placements of speed bumps in
campus are appropriate
7/29/2019 Esaimen Hway Part Syaz
11/27
11
Now, from question 3, 4, and 5 are aims to get opinion from the respondent. Most of
the respondents find it annoying when encountered speed bumps and the rest find it
comfortable and didnt notice it. This is maybe they dont like to slow down their vehicles but
obliged to do so because of the speed bumps existence. When asked on whether speed bumps
are good or bad for road users, 71% of them said the speed bumps are good. In question 5, 61%
of respondent said that the placement of speed bumps is appropriate. This is quite close
difference between positive and negative responds maybe some of the respondent have some
bad experience when encountered speed bumps in University of Malaya.
Question 8
Yes
80%
No
20%
Whether speed bumps can reduce accidents
7/29/2019 Esaimen Hway Part Syaz
12/27
12
Question 9
For question 8, 80% of respondents think speed bumps can reduce accident. This is
because the main reason speed bumps placed on the road is to slow down vehicles in a certain
area thus accident is less prone to happen. In question 9, most of the respondents think that
roads in University of Malaya are designed to facilitate the pedestrian. This is true because
almost all roads in University of Malaya have a pedestrian walk and the zebra crossing is placed
on the high density area such as in front of main library, Dewan Tunku Canselor and many
more.
Yes
76%
No
24%
Whether roads in campus facilitate
pedestrian
7/29/2019 Esaimen Hway Part Syaz
13/27
13
Subjective Questions Answers
Question 6 - Please State ONE location where you think speed bumps are useful
Based on the answer, most of the respondents think the area nearby public building
such as library and Dewan Tunku Canselor is the most appropriate place for speed bumps
because of the pedestrian are normally cross the road to get to their destination. Residential
colleges and faculties also get the attention here because these locations are full with students.
Another popular location is Bukit Cinta, this is maybe the vehicles that going down the hill are
usually fast so speed bumps is a suitable solution for that. Among other location mentioned in
this answer is at the PJ and KL gate, bus stop, T-junction and more.
Question 7 Please state ONE location where you think speed bumps are not useful
This question is the opposite against question 6. Suprisingly, the answer is quite the
same. Location such as residential college and public buildings become popular answer. The
speed bumps on the road between 3rd
College to FSKTM and in front of JPPHB is the most
popular specific answer because there are double speed bumps there and maybe respondent is
annoyed by the placement.
Question 10 Suggest another safety feature than speed bump that can be used in University
of Malaya
The most famous suggestions written were traffic light and zebra crossing. Actually,
these safety features are already available in critical location such as library, faculty, residential
college and Dewan Tunku Canselor. Other suggestions worth to be mentioned are traffic police
7/29/2019 Esaimen Hway Part Syaz
14/27
14
control, pedestrian crossing sign and yellow strip. These suggestions actually can help increase
the road safety in University of Malaya. Other ridiculous suggestions such as AES camera and fly
over were also written by respondents.
b. Noise Monitoring Test
One of the speed bumps located at University of Malaya was choose for noise
monitoring study. One of the speed bumps choose was a speed bump located near to
University of Malaya Centre for Foundation in Science (PASUM)at the Lingkungan Budis road
and the road held toward the entrance to 12th
Residential College. The noise levels at this speed
bump were monitored using a simple noise level meter application. The duration was a total of
15 minutes and the data was recorded every 15 seconds. The control data was taken 200
meters away from the speed bump along the same stretch of road for the same duration. The
results of the monitoring are shown below.
Figure of data collected at an empty stretch of road
0
20
40
60
80
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000
NoiseLevel(dB)
Time Elapsed (s)
7/29/2019 Esaimen Hway Part Syaz
15/27
15
Figure of data collected at the speed bump
The data collection was carried out at 1800 hours on 12 December 2012 which was
Wednesday at that date. A graph for each data set was plotted using Excel and the average
noise level was calculated for both as shown below.
Lmean(dB)
Without speed bump 55
With speed bump 58
Figure of mean noise levels
The results show that there is an increase of 3 dB at the speed bump compare to the
stretch of road without a speed bump. Though the data may be simple, it shows that the speed
bumps do increase the noise levels emitted by vehicles passing over it.
0
20
40
60
80
100
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000
No
iseLevel(dB)
Time Elapsed (s)
7/29/2019 Esaimen Hway Part Syaz
16/27
16
c. Speed Bumps Measurements
Most of the comments given by UMs campus community when we distribute our
survey form are they feel uncomfortable with the speed bump or hump located at various place
in UM. Thus, to take an effort, we measure several speed bumps and humps located at UM. The
selected speed bumps and humps for measurement are in conjunction with comments given by
UMs campus community. Several locations of speed bumps and humps selected were
Academy of Islamic Studies, University of Malaya Department of Property and Maintenance
(JPPHB), Faculty of Engineering, University of Malaya, 11th
Residential College, University of
Malaya, and University of Malaya Centre for Foundation in Science (PASUM). The dimensions
were taken and compared with the Malaysian Standard (Adnan Zulkiple, 2009). The results of
these measurements are shown as follows. The standard set by SIRIM for the minimum and
maximum lengths of various speed bump and hump shapes are also shown in the figure
follows.
Figure of a parabolic speed hump located just before the Academy of Islamic Studies
7/29/2019 Esaimen Hway Part Syaz
17/27
17
Figure of another parabolic hump located opposite the University of Malaya Department of
Property and Maintenance (JPPHB)
Figure of a parabolic hump opposite the Faculty of Engineering, University of Malaya
7/29/2019 Esaimen Hway Part Syaz
18/27
18
Figure of standard dimensions for various shapes of speed bumps/humps
For the parabolic humps, two out of three humps exceed the maximum base length set
by the Standard. For the circular bumps, both bumps do not meet the requirements. Thus, it is
significant to follow the standard set up by SIRIM because deviating from the dimensions set by
the standard could lead to unwanted effects. The circular bumps are almost a third shorter than
it should be. The effects of this condition will be discussed further in this paper. Also, it was
noticed that nearly all speed bumps and humps studied did not have the proper signage and
warnings which are stated in the Standard.
7/29/2019 Esaimen Hway Part Syaz
19/27
19
Discussion
For this part, we will discuss about speed bump in affecting physical comfort. We also
will discuss about the effect of speed bump for environment in term of air quality and noise
level.
Physical Comfort
The results of the data collected previously will be discussed to determine the causes
and effects. The reason why most drivers feel that speed bumps are uncomfortable is probably
due to the fact that most speed bumps are not constructed to the specifications laid out by
SIRIM. This was proved by measuring various bumps and humps in the campus. For example,
from the findings, the circular speed bumps are much shorter than required; this causes the
vehicle passing over it to encounter a more rapid change of height faster than if the speed
bump were longer. The property of inertia in matter causes sudden changes in speed or
direction to be more felt than if the changes were gradual. Moreover, if the vehicle was
travelling at speed towards the speed bump, serious damage to the vehicle could occur or
worse, serious injury to the driver and/or its occupants. Speed bumps have been proven to
cause spinal column injury (Aslan E. et al, 2005). In addition, emergency vehicles are forced to
slow down due to these speed bumps. In a letter from the London Ambulance Service to the
London Assembly Transport Committee, Chief Executive Peter Bradley states that, Not only do
speed humps delay our response to calls; they can lengthen the patients journey to hospital.
Furthermore, they can have adverse effect to patient comfort as well as the inevitable jolting
that can be experienced there is also a need on occasions when negotiating speed humps for the
7/29/2019 Esaimen Hway Part Syaz
20/27
20
paramedic or emergency medical technician (EMT) to delay or temporarily cease their
treatment of a patient. In simple terms, speed humps increase mortality rates instead of
decrease it. Apart from that, the absence of proper signage and warning for drivers to slow
down also cause drivers to not be able to slow down in time. This causes damage to vehicles
and possible injury. The Malaysian Standard for signage relating to speed bumps is shown in
Figure follows. According to the Standard, these signs should be placed 110 metres from the
crown of the speed bump.
Figure of speed bump signage design standard for type B and C
Environmental Impact
Air Quality
The first problem of speed bumps is also its primary role which is to slow cars down. Normally,
people might think that a slow car consumes less fuel by which they would be correct.
However, the amount of fuel it takes to get back up to speed is much more than what would
7/29/2019 Esaimen Hway Part Syaz
21/27
21
have been if the driver did not slow down in the first place. This phenomenon is explained by
the concept of inertia. Inertia is the property of objects with mass to resist changes in their
state of motion whether be it at rest or moving. If a car slows down, it is going to require some
work done to get back up to speed again compared to if the car did not slow down at all.
Lets say a car is driving at around 40 km/h and has to slow down to around 10km/h to
pass over a speed bump. A typical car weighs around 2000 kg (Cutnell, J. & Johnson, K., 1998).
Lets say that the driver accelerates at 3 m/s2. Since work is force divided by distance and force
is mass times acceleration, then we can find the work required by the car to accelerate back up
to 40 km/h.
The distance taken by the car to accelerate:
The time taken for the car to accelerate:
Force to accelerate the car from 10 km/h to 40 km/h:
=
7/29/2019 Esaimen Hway Part Syaz
22/27
22
Work done by the car during the acceleration:
250 m) = 1500000 J
On the other hand, if the car did not slow down, then the only work needed to be done
by the cars engine would be that to keep the car at its current speed (overcoming friction). It
may not seem like much, but those extra litres of fuel add up in the long run. Essentially, we
waste the energy obtained by burning the fuel when we slow down approaching speed bumps.
In addition to the wasted fuel, more burned gasoline equals more combustion products. In
other words, more gases such as carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide are released when the
engine burns more fuel to get more energy. One car may not produce a significant increase in
exhaust but given that hundreds of vehicles encounter speed bumps every day, the result is
increased vehicle emissions in the surrounding area. Pedestrians may not be killed by speeding
cars, but be killed by lung cancer.
Noise Levels
The noise levels near speed bumps are shown to be higher than the noise levels where
there are no speed bumps. This occurs because of the impact of the tyre with the speed bump.
Rubber tyres are notoriously known for not being silent if improperly designed. The result is the
same if the speed bump itself is not properly designed. The thump of the tyre impacting the
speed bump is of low pitch which can travel far and bend around corners due to a phenomenon
called diffraction.
7/29/2019 Esaimen Hway Part Syaz
23/27
23
Even streets without any speed bumps may suffer increased noise levels. How? As
drivers learn roads and streets which have speed bumps, they tend to take alternative routes in
order to avoid these speed bumps. As a result, streets which previously suffer only a small
amount of traffic volume a day now have an increase in vehicular activity. Not only do the noise
levels increase, but since there are more cars on that road, the air quality in the area also
decreases and may cause accidents to increase.
Environment effects
1. They are detrimental to the environment, increasing air pollution by forcing cars
to slow well below the speed limit and then accelerate away. We often think that
a slow car consumes less fuel by which they would be correct. However, the
amount of fuel it takes to get back up to speed is much more than what would
have been if the driver did not slow down in the first place.
2. They increase noise levels where they are implemented. Not just by engine and
brake noise from people slowing down and speeding up, but also from trucks and
lorries carrying loads that get bounced around.
3. They can cause serious damage to vehicles, particularly sports cars, even at low
speed.
7/29/2019 Esaimen Hway Part Syaz
24/27
24
4. They slow the response times of emergency vehicles, such as police car and
ambulance. This might cause some unwanted tragedies to occur.
5. They cause uneasiness and back injury to drivers and passengers. This includes
those who travelling on buses that may be walking down aisles or using the
stairs, causing them to fall and damage themselves.
6. They cause vibration when vehicles steer on them and send shockwaves all the
way through the ground. This has been proven to damage nearby properties.
7. They often redirect traffic to alternative residential streets.
8. They cost drivers money by using more petrol and brake pads in addition to the
damage caused to suspension, oil sumps and exhausts et cetera. This often
makes cars more dangerous.
9. When vehicles drive over them with their lights on, this points the dipped beam
up to eye level. This not only causes nearby houses disturbance, but also gives
the illusion of the headlights being flashed, dazzling and causing confusion to
other motorists and often causing accidents.
7/29/2019 Esaimen Hway Part Syaz
25/27
25
10. They are a substitute for active enforcement, even though they do not even slow
down most vehicles.
Recommendations
After they are introduced, the currently deployed foot speed bumps effectively reduce
travel speeds to be consistent with posted speed limits. They also effectively reduce the speeds
of the fastest drivers. However, the campus has limited data available about how speeds on
treated streets change over time. Additional research into the effect of the duration of
installation of speed bumps on travel speeds should be performed.
Traffic volumes decrease on streets treated with speed bumps. The amount of reduction
depends on the speed reduction and the availability of alternate routes. The assumption has
been that traffic diverts to the nearby more appropriate collector or arterial street. Additional
research should be performed to evaluate traffic diversion as a result of installing speed bumps.
Further, the relationship between volume diversion and the availability of alternate routes
should also be evaluated.
The occurrence of crashes reduces with the installation of speed bumps. The decrease in
crashes is strongly driven by the reduction in traffic volumes. Additional research into the
change in crash types as a result of the volume reduction would be valuable.
7/29/2019 Esaimen Hway Part Syaz
26/27
26
Conclusions
Majority of UM students agree that speed bumps in UM are useful and suitable. The
speed bumps manage to minimize the traffic volume, accidents and traffic speed in congested
and busy area such as in front of engineering faculty, in front of the main library, and in front of
the Dewan Tunku Canselor.
However some of the students dissatisfy with some of the installed speed bumps in UM.
They think that the existing speed bumps in certain areas are not suitable to be there. The areas
are at Bukit Cinta and the highway. They claimed the speed bumps there are not necessary and
have minor usage to UM if not none.
7/29/2019 Esaimen Hway Part Syaz
27/27
References
1. http://www.portlandoregon.gov/transportation/
2. Adnan Zulkiple. (2009), Speed Hump: Specification for Materials, Design and
Installation.Standards & Quality News, 16(3), 14-17
3. Smith, D.E. & Giese, K. L. (1997). A Study on Speed Humps. Iowa: Iowa StateUniversity
4. Cutnell, J. & Johnson, K. (1998).Physics. (4th Ed.). New York: Wiley
5. Aslan, S., Karcioglu, O.,Katirci, Y., Kandis, H., Ezirmik, & N., Bilir O. (2005). Speed
bump-induced spinal column injury. PubMed, 23(4).
http://www.portlandoregon.gov/transportation/http://www.portlandoregon.gov/transportation/http://www.portlandoregon.gov/transportation/