Taking the hump?

HAVE traffic calming measures in Lurgan gone too far?

That seems to be the view of many of the town’s residents this week.

Speed ramps in the town’s housing estates have been described by some as a “plague” on the area.

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Some mechanics in the town have also reported an increase in the amount of damaged cars they are repairing as a result of the speed bumps.

However, there were others who argued they were necessary.

Martin McGeown, who runs a car repair garage in Soye’s Mill, North Street, said that traffic calming measures in the town are “excessive”.

“We would see cars with more worn ball joints than you would in any other town in the north,” said Mr McGeown.

“The amount of speed ramps around here is just excessive.

“I get people coming back to me year in, year out, needing new ball joints and suspension bushes because of these ramps.

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“It’s really hard on them, especially in times like these. I can tell people are getting annoyed at the sheer volume of them in the area.

“I have heard these complaints so often it’s hard to shake a stick at it.”

He continued: “You can definitely see a lot of wear and tear on the cars because of these.

The ramps wear down the bushes, especially in the front axle of the car.

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“Certainly, I always try to avoid the North Circular Road because of the bumps.”

Mechanic Ervine Fairley agreed.

He said: “They tend to break the springs in the car, particularly if you drive over them too fast.

“We have noticed a big difference since they were put in.

“We are getting around four or five people a week coming to us with cars damaged by speed bumps.”

One woman, who lives in the Grey Estate, contacted the ‘MAIL’ to hit out at the number of ramps in the area.

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“I have to go over almost twenty speed bumps on my way to and from work every day,” she said.

“The CV joints in my car are wrecked because of it. It also does no good for the gearbox.”

However, one North Circular Road resident believed they benefited the town.

“Before these ramps were put in, the area was used as a race track. Now it’s impossible to speed down the road, and that’s surely a good thing.”

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A Roads Service spokesperson said: “All road humps in Northern Ireland are designed and constructed in accordance with regulations. Road humps are used as an effective method of reducing vehicle speeds.”

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