Drivers get the hump (From Penarth Times)

Drivers get the hump

AN inventor from Dinas Powys has come up with an idea which he hopes will revolutionise our roads and spell the end of speed cameras and road humps.

Gwyn Harvey, aged 60, of Murch Crescent, has won the backing of the Welsh Development Agency to promote his selective speed hump invention.

Gwyn, a semi-retired science and maths teacher, said: "Cars travelling within the speed limit do not pass over any humps.

"But the humps lock up in the road when a vehicle is going over the speed limit. This way only speeding motorists are punished.

"Once the car has passed over the hump they lock back down into position in the road.

"Drivers are warned twice that the humps are coming up and only if they fail to heed the warnings do they have to pass over them.

"The system can also be configured to allow emergency vehicles and buses to pass through the traffic-control areas unhindered. "

Speed setting can be varied and set for specific periods according to its location."

The WDA promoted the idea on the world stage at a recent exhibition in Geneva.

The robust retractable device is activated by an electronic sensor. When the speed limit is exceeded, the device is activated to impart a jolt to the offending vehicle.