Speed bumps, I was thinking, you know, you're driving along, everything's OK, and then there's a speed bump to go, 'Slow down.' Go over it real slowly, and you hit the pedal, and you keep going, and I just thought it was kind of a nice metaphor for life.
-Teri Garr
A citywide traffic calming program in my hometown has reduced speeding on one street alone by 86% and curbed excessive speeding (10+ MPH over) by 28%. By adding road diets, bump outs, speed bumps, bike lanes, and related treatments, the city is becoming safer.
Speed bumps can annoy - I get it. They force a slowdown, take your eyes off the phone you shouldn’t be reading as you drive, and can even cause anxiety knowing the person behind you may not realize your slowdown. Yet, speed bumps work. They remind us that the roads aren’t only ours, and that the way to presence is through the pause they provide.
Don’t be annoyed by speed bumps or as some signs say speed humps; see them as signs that life requires a slowdown to keep us moving forward.