This is from the city I live in. The same city that had to be convinced to take out a newly installed traffic circle a few years ago that caused thousands of dollars in damage.
http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=19820
LONGMONT Dewey Wilson has listened for months to the distinct sound of tires popping and rims bending.
It has done thousands worth of damage, said the resident of The Lodge, a senior living facility, as he pointed out a curb that juts out from the right side of 18th Avenue near Trevor Circle, just east of Hover Street.
The curb is part of a traffic-calming structure called a chicane, an artificial jog in the road intended to slow drivers. That area of 18th Avenue has two chicanes, which have a jutting curb to a drivers right and a corresponding jut in a small median to the drivers left.
The latest snowstorm left the curbs on one of the chicanes hidden by snow, which hasnt melted because of shade from The Lodge to the south, allowing the chicane to enjoy a steady diet of tires.
Janet Gunhus two right tires were blown out at about 9 a.m. Wednesday. She immediately called the city of Longmont to complain about the hidden curbs. While she made her calls, she saw five or six other motorists hit the curb. Catherine Brooks tires survived the impact, but her rims were badly bent and she had to have her car towed.
Gunhus quickly made friends with Wilson and Leroy Cook, who also lives at The Lodge.
Today there were four of them in less than an hour, Cook said of cars hitting the curb. Firetrucks cant get through there without hitting it.
While a group of people stood on and near the curb Wednesday, a black pickup truck hauling a trailer sped through the traffic-calming chicane.
Gunhus calls to the city resulted in civil engineer Tom Street showing up on the scene.
Street arranged for temporary barriers to make drivers more aware of the curb.
The next step is to come up with something more permanent, he said, noting that new asphalt work cant be done in the winter. He said city engineers will evaluate the chicane and look for appropriate remedies.
It is something we can take a hard look at, Street said.
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If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animated contest of freedom, go from us in peace. May your chains sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen! - Samuel Adams
Ahh yes, the brilliance of city planners once again on display!! Well there is this, at least the drivers that have had their tires shredded, rims bent, shocks damaged, alignment wrecked, ball joints hammered, and tie rods pretzeled won't be driving too fast for awhile!!
