Optical Illusion Speed Bump

Philadelphia has a clever new program to try to get drivers to slow down: optical illusion speed bumps!

The city is putting out high-tech plastic devices that create a 3-D image that looks like a bump in the road. Chief traffic engineer Charles Denny says in reality, the road is perfectly flat.

Denny says the goal is simple: to change the driver's mind-set to be less aggressive.

The devices will be deployed at about 100 intersections around Philadelphia. They'll give the illusion that something is sticking up out of the pavement so motorists will slow down.

Link (with video) - via Arbroath


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@ bruce8505

I like the idea of changing the bumps from fake to real...but I can't agree to the idea of cars getting launched into the air and crashing into each other. I think there should just be a system where it detects some bozo driving over the speed limit and the bump just changes into one of those spikey reverse security speed bumbs. ;)
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I've only ever seen these on one road in Phoenix (Coral Gables), and I honestly didn't know hey were supposed to be speed bumps. They're very obviously just arrows painted on the ground...At least I know what they are now!
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Speed hump hehe. People from Philly calling bumps humps. Oh well, if it works, it works. If one car in a line of fast cars slows down for it, others should as well. You never know until they get the results back.
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My neighborhood street turns into a cut-through when there is traffic (so, 20 out of 24 hours) so I strategically leave palm fronds on the tiny road to slow people down. Even slows SUVs down.
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