Ohio introduces 'speed tables' instead of speed bumps to combat people driving too fast

Officials in Cincinnati have launched a pilot scheme to introduce ‘speed tables’ on busy roads, in a bid to improve road safety.

Most motorists will be familiar with speed bumps, which are a pretty effective way of getting drivers to curb their speed. 

Now, over in Cincinnati, officials are trialing something new: speed tables. 

The speed tables will be installed on busy streets, with one already in operation on Winneste Avenue. 

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Why have officials gone for speed tables over speed bumps?

If you’ve spent any time driving on city streets, you’ve probably come across the odd speed bump or two. 

But in Ohio, a newly launched trial of speed tables is currently underway. 

Unlike traditional speed bumps, speed tables are much longer and typically much flatter, measuring between 3 to 3.5 inches in height and 22 feet in length. 

Winneste Avenue is the first Cincinnati street to get one of the new speed tables.

The avenue has a busy road, with local elementary school and rec center nearby.

In the last five years, 12 people have been hit by cars while using Winneste Avenue, Local 12 reports. 

Senior Planner Melissa McVay told the news outlet, implementing the new speed table was ‘the most effective thing’ officials can do to slow cars down. 

“There has to be some type of, we call it vertical deflection that forces a driver to slow down,” McVay said. 

She went on to say that some drivers will try and drive along the edge of the city’s traditional speed bumps to bypass them, but with the tables, that isn’t possible as the raised section goes all the way to the edge of the road. 

They’re also a lot cheaper to install. 

The speed tables Cincinnati has introduced are made of asphalt, costing around $10,000, compared to much pricier concrete alternatives that can cost up to $200,000.

Do they help to slow motorists?

So, they’re a cheaper option, and they seem to eliminate motorists being able to dodge speed bumps – but do they improve road safety?

It seems that the answer is yes.

Speed tables have already been introduced in a handful of other cities, and McVay said the measures have seen ‘significant reductions in speeding’ and improved road safety.

With the tables now in use, the city will closely monitor data and could potentially bring them to more streets.

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