Speed Bumps: People Don’t Get It

Long ago, I dreamed of a speed bump on the road. It’s like, “hey, people here drive by too fast and even at the turn-around will zoom by without thinking to look at both corners.”

And then my prayers were answered. Even a yellow sign is posted to warn drivers, “Hey, Driver, a speed bump awaits you.”

Near the turn-around and after it, there are two large speed bumps. And then a bicycle lane that is flat with the rest of the road. However, to my dismay, taxis, motorbikes, and cars honk at bicyclists to get out of their way, as they squish their vehicles into the bicycle lane, avoiding the speed bump as if it were life-death. The point of a speed bump is to slow those vehicles down, but they rather keep their high speed (in a crowded area, in front of the market and a high school, and passing elementary students) and shirk the speed bump. Once I was trying to take up the middle of the bike lane because it was empty, and a car almost swiped me, after freaking me out with some fancy honk on his broken down Camry. He has a whole car lane and just needs to slow down a little to drive over the speed bump, but no, he wants to assume I’ll survive in my bike lane and that his car is larger, so he can do whatever he wants. Obnoxious drivers these days with the newly installed speed bump.

All kinds of people do not use the speed bump. There doesn’t seem to be a law that cars must use their designated lane. Maybe until it kills someone, or a great many pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcyclists who are entitled to use those bike lanes. Dear God, I hope not. It’s grossly ironic that someone motivated by safety to install these speed bumps had success and later, it’s backfired on so many levels. No one far and near the community uses it. Cars should stick to their lanes!

So pretty much I think the 50 meters near the turnaround, cars and massive trucks never use.

Why were trees chopped down (causing more heat) and roads consequently expanded in Cambodia?

So drivers can stubbornly hog the bicycle lane. Awful reality! :\

It’s not safe, and it’s just over their terms that they need to keep up their high speeds, that countless lives are at risk on a daily basis. The speed bump is as high as 5 inches or so, and they should slow down for it. I can see it’s a new idea, from Siem Reap City, it’s the first of its kind, and it’s placed near the border of Siem Reap province, about an hour out of Siem Reap City. I understand it can seem like a nuisance and a rare one, that can dissipate in a local’s care for attention, but more education or enforcement needs to be brought. I spoke to Handicap International about the dangers of people avoiding the speed bump, and I wonder what’ll happen next.