Opinion: Implement speed management countermeasures, not just speed humps

The installation of speed humps on highways in Namibia, specifically on the B1 Western Bypass and A1 in Windhoek, has sparked severe public backlash and traffic chaos. Motorists criticise the move as a short-sighted, “knee-jerking” reaction that treats national highways like suburban streets, resulting in traffic congestion and rear-end collisions.

Setting speed limits that are safe, consistent and reasonable is the first step in speed management and is important to protect all roadway users. Transportation practitioners employ a variety of strategies to manage speeds on roadways, and speed limits are an integral part of this. However, simply lowering the speed limit on a particular stretch of roadway does not always lower the actual speed at which most motorists drive on that roadway. Hence, speed management countermeasures are often stalled to get drivers to slow down.

Traffic calming manuals

Many transport agencies have traffic calming manuals or speed management policies that outline and guide their decisions on choosing speed management countermeasures. Transport practitioners often consider a variety of factors when selecting these countermeasures, which can be loosely grouped into the following categories.

Urban vs rural

Most countermeasures are versatile and can be applied in a variety of locations, but some countermeasures may be more appropriate in either a rural or urban setting. For example, an urban neighbourhood may not welcome the idea of rumble strips, also called “sleeper lines” or “alert strips”, due to the additional noise, but rumble strips are appropriate and effective on rural highways.

Road type