Lib Dem councillor Lynne Featherstone achieved a significant victory in her battle for safer roads this week when Haringey Council gave the green light for a new traffic calming invention to be piloted in Haringey.

The new calming device, known as the ‘intelligent’ road hump, is an inflatable version of its much-reviled predecessor that deflates if a vehicle is travelling at or below the area speed limit. However, it remains inflated if a car is travelling above the limit – thus rewarding drivers who stick to the rules.

Cllr Featherstone, who is also a member of the Greater London Authority, met engineers from Dunlop, the inventors of the ‘intelligent’ road hump, back in January at City Hall. Since then, she has taken a keen interest in the development of the device. New trials at the Transport Research Laboratory recently demonstrated the benefits that the new humps have for emergency vehicles, compared to other traffic-calming measures.

Cllr Featherstone approached Haringey Council earlier last week and asked for permission for the humps to be tested on one of the many traffic blackspots that the Lib Dems have been campaigning to improve.

She is pleased that Haringey has agreed to allow the humps to be tested on one such road (to be decided). She is hopeful that the ‘intelligent’ speed hump will provide the best solution yet to the problem.

Cllr Featherstone comments:

“I am delighted that Haringey Council has agreed to allow a test of this great invention in the borough. I have followed the development of this product for some time. The inventors have very cleverly addressed the concerns of considerate motorists and the emergency services, who have been critical of speed humps in the past.

“The inventors of the ‘intelligent hump’ offered me a pilot. I am hopeful that the council’s green light will allow us to solve a speeding problem with this new invention.”