| If you have ever walked through a busy parking lot | | | | concrete, a speed bump forces motorists to slow |
| while trying to make your way to the building entrance | | | | down and be aware of their surrounding which is ideal |
| when someone came whipping by you in a car, you | | | | for safeguarding pedestrians. Many models of speed |
| know just how deadly a parking lot can be. | | | | bump can also be easily removed when you have a |
| Sometimes, in their rush to get the best spot, motorists | | | | need to plow your lot during the winter months. |
| forget that a parking lot is full of pedestrians as well as | | | | Historically, the first known use of speed bumps was in |
| cars. Many parking lot owners are taking the safety | | | | Chatham, New Jersey, in 1906. The town of Chatham |
| and security of their patrons into their own hands and | | | | raised the level of all the cross walks in town, |
| installing safety features, such as speed limit signs and | | | | effectively turning them all into speed bumps. Although |
| speed bumps to encourage motorists to drive | | | | the average speed of vehicles at that time was only |
| responsibly through their lots. | | | | 30 miles an hour, even then cars posed a serious |
| Speed bumps are a great way to control the speed | | | | danger to pedestrians. With the crosswalks raised, |
| of vehicles driving through a parking lot while keeping | | | | traffic had to slow before crossing them, furnishing |
| them moving. Some lots have opted to use stop signs | | | | pedestrians with a greater opportunity to cross the |
| but find that this creates more congestion as cars are | | | | street unscathed. Since that point, this traffic tool has |
| repeatedly forced to stop and go or some motorists | | | | grown in use and can be found in parking lots and |
| ignore the sign all together and just keep driving. | | | | even on some roads where a guarantee of low |
| Constructed of molded plastic, rubber or even | | | | speed is needed. |