Residents all shook up about vibrations

10:59am Tuesday 16th May 2006

FED-UP residents brought a road to a standstill when they protested against buses bumping over speed humps.

Neighbours living in Sandhurst Road, Catford, say their houses are being "shaken to the core" every time a bus or heavy vehicle passes over the newly-installed speed humps.

In a display of defiance, more than 20 residents formed a human wall across the road, which is used by three bus routes, on May 13.

And one resident even stuck their fingers up to tooting buses and cars who were forced to come to a standstill as they staged the 30-minute blockade.

Ringleader of the protest Chris Wells said: "I was drifting off to sleep the other night when all of a sudden I was literally shaken awake by a bus travelling over the humps.

"We are all at our wits' end. We are also concerned about the structural damage this could be causing to our houses."

People living on the street say the vibration problems only began after the five speed humps and nine speed cushions were installed by Lewisham Council at a cost of nearly £12,000 between January and March.

The council has already received a petition of around 40 signatures calling for the humps to be removed and Mrs Wells is now planning to mount a second petition.

In it, the residents will call for alternative traffic-calming measures, such as speed cameras, to replace the humps.

Lewisham Council is set to send road engineers to Sandhurst Road to carry out checks on the humps.

A council spokesman said: "Far too many people are killed or injured on our roads and traffic- calming measures undertaken by us have helped cut deaths and serious injuries by half."

The spokesman added there is no evidence to suggest speed humps increase the level of vibration in nearby properties and said an increase in vibration was caused by "speeding and the overloading of vehicles".