Speed Bumps in Houston: an impossible quest

Six years ago I tried to get speed bumps on my street in Houston.  We live in what is called "East End"  - a poor neighborhood  full of factories and railroad tracks.  It is a great place to live, with old houses that have great front porches, nice people and a real sense of community.  It is also only a mile from my job.  Unfortunately, the City of Houston thinks the place doesn't deserve speed bumps or stop signs.

The cars drive by like they are in a NASCAR race.  There are kids in all the houses on the street, but people don't care.  Four accidents occurred there the first year after we bought the house.  Not too long ago a teenage boy in a SUV ran a stop sign and hit another SUV on the driver's side.  I never found out if the man died or not.  He was unconscious in his car and the Fired Dept. had to cut the car open to get him out.  The accident caused serious damage to my fence and my new orange tree.

The boy was so scared he ran away.

Even with photos and repeated calls to city offices there are still no speed bumps or stop signs on my street.  It is hard not to be angry whenever I go to more affluent neighborhoods in the city and see speed bumps everywhere.  

Now that a few years have passed, I have come to think of things creatively.  After Hurricane IKE some kids I know offered to bring me a few of the displaced stop signs, but my husband kept insisting I would get arrested for using city property without permission.

There is a big pot hole next to my house and I am so glad the city has not fixed it.  It slows down the traffic.  I have even wished for more holes, thinking that every hole could save a child's life.

Apparently a city in the UK has a similar idea.

see dreamacttexas post: "A Simple Thing Like Speed Bumps," March 10, 2007

see:  English Village May Use Pot Holes for Speed Control, NYT/AP, April 16, 2009