After a long winter, many speed cushions in the city of Philadelphia are in dire need of repair. Some have even damaged car tires.
Ralph Ross, now retired from a long career with the city, has been eyeballing damaged speed cushions in front of his home on Upland Way in Wynnefield.Â
Ross and his neighbors said they’ve seen banged-up tires due to ripped speed cushions with protruding bolts.
“If your tires are not good, what’s going to happen — you’re going to get a flat,” he said.Â
Ross said the plows ripped the cushions from the street. He’s waiting on a fix.
Erin Coleman, who lives down the street, sympathized with the plow drivers while wondering when the city might address the problem.
“They might not even know they’re damaging them,” Coleman said, “and then the screws become loose, and that’s why you have them being uprooted.”
Coleman and Dwayne Brewington said the cushions were installed about two years ago.
“To slow the traffic down, it’s a good thing,” Brewington said.Â
But the jagged situation has caught the attention of City Controller Christy Brady.
“Obviously, there are priorities,” Brady said from her office overlooking City Hall. “The ones with bolts sticking out should be high on that list.”
Brady’s been here before on this issue.
Her office released a report last month critical of the design and placement of speed humps and bumps. Meanwhile, for a few days now, CBS News Philadelphia has checked out a dozen complaints on torn speed cushions. It appears the city has fixed many of them. Brady said people with damage can appeal to the city.
“There’s actually a general risk form you can fill out and send online if your car has damage from the speed cushions,” she said.
We reached out to the company that manufactures the speed cushions. While a representative didn’t specifically comment on the damaged cushions, he said in an email that the product, “provided a consistent year-round reliable solution to area speeding in a variety of settings throughout the Philadelphia area.”
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