It seems that there is an ever increasing number of restrictions placed on motorists these days, in attempts to keep us sober, within the speed limit, and generally obeying the law. Well, to be honest I don’t really have a problem with any of that, it’s really more of a frustration that I have relating to the methods of enforcement that they use. The latest speed cameras for example, don’t now simply take a picture at one given moment, and measure your speed on the spot, we now have average speed cameras, measuring you average speed over a given distance. In a way this is not a bad thing, as it now avoids the dangerous scenario where the driver in front suddenly sees a fixed camera and slams on his brakes. However, we do eventually get to know where these static cameras are placed, and slow down accordingly, but usually only for a hundred metres on either side perhaps.

However, speed cameras are not the pet subject of my post today, it is rather speed ramps, speed humps or sleeping policemen as they are sometimes known. Having discovered roundabouts only a few years ago and introduced them at every conceivable juncture, Spanish traffic planners latest discovery is the speed hump….. In towns and villages all around Spain (or at least here in Galicia), you can’t drive a hundred metres without encountering one – almost literally. Take our Provincial capital Pontevedra for example. It is a brilliant place to visit – if you’re on foot. If you’re a motorist then maybe not so much, and my advice would be, have your car suspension checked before you arrive. Nearly the whole of the centre of Pontevedra is pedestrianised, which of course is great for your evening stroll (paseo) around the city, or your window shopping perhaps, but entering and leaving the city will probably be a bit of a bumpy ride. Just to prove that I am not exaggerating, the other day I had occasion to drive from the Consello Regulador offices in the centre of the city, to my computer repair shop a bit further around the ‘ring road’ – a distance of just under 3km (1.86 miles). Sad person that I am, I counted the speed bumps (most of which are large and accommodate pedestrian crossings)……. There were 28!! This works out almost exactly at an average of one crossing every hundred metres. From a motorists perspective perhaps I should be asking the question, if my suspension is eventually damaged, will the local council pay for the repair? I think I already know the answer to that one.It seems that there is an ever increasing number of restrictions placed on motorists these days, in attempts to keep us sober, within the speed limit, and generally obeying the law. Well, to be honest I don’t really have a problem with any of that, it’s really more of a frustration that I have relating to the methods of enforcement that they use. The latest speed cameras for example, don’t now simply take a picture at one given moment, and measure your speed on the spot, we now have average speed cameras, measuring you average speed over a given distance. In a way this is not a bad thing, as it now avoids the dangerous scenario where the driver in front suddenly sees a fixed camera and slams on his brakes. However, we do eventually get to know where these static cameras are placed, and slow down accordingly, but usually only for a hundred metres on either side perhaps.

However, speed cameras are not the pet subject of my post today, it is rather speed ramps, speed humps or sleeping policemen as they are sometimes known. Having discovered roundabouts only a few years ago and introduced them at every conceivable juncture, Spanish traffic planners latest discovery is the speed hump….. In towns and villages all around Spain (or at least here in Galicia), you can’t drive a hundred metres without encountering one – almost literally. Take our Provincial capital Pontevedra for example. It is a brilliant place to visit – if you’re on foot. If you’re a motorist then maybe not so much, and my advice would be, have your car suspension checked before you arrive. Nearly the whole of the centre of Pontevedra is pedestrianised, which of course is great for your evening stroll (paseo) around the city, or your window shopping perhaps, but entering and leaving the city will probably be a bit of a bumpy ride. Just to prove that I am not exaggerating, the other day I had occasion to drive from the Consello Regulador offices in the centre of the city, to my computer repair shop a bit further around the ‘ring road’ – a distance of just under 3km (1.86 miles). Sad person that I am, I counted the speed bumps (most of which are large and accommodate pedestrian crossings)……. There were 28!! This works out almost exactly at an average of one crossing every hundred metres. From a motorists perspective perhaps I should be asking the question, if my suspension is eventually damaged, will the local council pay for the repair? I think I already know the answer to that one.