Wow, this is ridiculous. Philadelphia is deploying 3D decals at 100 locations in order to trick drivers into slowing down, giving drivers the illusion that it’s a speed bump when it’s actually flat!

KYW broke the story, and I think this is a terrible idea. In fact, I never think it’s a good idea to make it more difficult for drivers to understands their surroundings. In order for drivers to make logical, informed decisions on the road, they need to be able to quickly understand their environment.

On the other hand, it’s not a deadly distraction, and drivers should be cautious about their speed, but never because of confusion. Either way, Philadelphia chief traffic engineer Charles Denny is a proponent of the idea, which is a part of a program called “Drive CarePhilly.”

“The goal is to change the mindset. The goal is to get the drivers to be less aggressive. We want them to go what the speed limit is, not to assume that its a recommended speed, to know that its a speed limit that’s appropriate on residential streets.”

Changing the mindset? How does tricking drivers into slowing down achieve this? It doesn’t.

Furthermore, what’s going to happen when drivers become familiar with the locations of the fake speed bumps? Will they continue to slow down? I don’t think they will, and if they ever replace them with real speed bumps, the city’s going to have some mad drivers.

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Entry was posted on Saturday, June 14th, 2008 at 5:18 am under Auto, Legal.

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