Project Overview

Dinmore Avenue is a busy suburban street in Blackpool serving a primary school, health centre, and various local shops. With a 20mph speed limit designed to protect vulnerable road users, the existing asphalt speed humps had suffered severe degradation and were no longer effective at influencing driver behaviour. As the street required resurfacing, Blackpool Council needed a comprehensive traffic calming solution that would enforce the speed limit while minimizing disruption during installation.

Rosehill Highways was commissioned to design and install a modern speed calming system that could be implemented quickly, without extensive road closures, and provide long-term effectiveness in protecting the community's most vulnerable residents.

The Challenge

  • Dinmore Avenue serves a primary school, health centre, and various shops, with high volumes of pedestrian traffic including young children and elderly residents regularly crossing the road
  • Existing asphalt speed humps had failed due to degradation and no longer influenced driver behaviour, with vehicles continuing to exceed the 20mph speed limit
  • The street required complete resurfacing, necessitating a traffic calming solution that could be easily relocated during road maintenance work
  • Any solution needed to minimize disruption to this busy route serving essential community services
Dinmore Avenue before speed cushion installation

The challenge: busy street requiring effective traffic calming to protect pedestrians

Project Objectives

  1. Encourage drivers to obey the 20mph speed limit by installing effective traffic calming measures that influence driver behaviour
  2. Install traffic calming products which can be easily relocated, allowing road resurfacing and other maintenance work to proceed without permanent installations
  3. Avoid disruption by installing traffic calming products which do not require that the road be closed for extended periods
  4. Install surface-mounted traffic calming products which are low maintenance, impact resistant, and require no excavation or road cutting

Our Solution

  1. Install surface-mounted one-piece rubber speed cushions three abreast at regular intervals along Dinmore Avenue to create consistent speed enforcement throughout the length of the street
  2. Utilize speed cushions manufactured from recycled rubber with a unique underside profile that moulds itself to the road surface without the need for excavation, cutting, or road surface preparation
  3. Implement a rapid installation process where each cushion can be completed in less than 30 minutes by a two-man team, requiring only one lane to be closed at any one time while allowing traffic to continue flowing
  4. Fix the speed cushions directly to the road surface using industrial-grade fixings, allowing them to be removed and relocated if required during future road maintenance or resurfacing work
Speed cushion installation in progress

Installation team fitting speed cushions on Dinmore Avenue - completed in under 30 minutes per unit

"Dinmore Avenue is a busy and popular street, serving both a primary school and health care centre, with young children and elderly residents regularly crossing the road. Our existing speed humps had suffered severe degradation and weren't having the desired effect, with cars continuing to speed up and down the road. Rosehill Highways' rubber speed cushions are the perfect solution, with the added benefit of huge cost savings compared to traditional concrete speed humps."
— Blackpool Council

Results & Impact

  • The complete installation scheme was completed on time and within the allocated budget, with minimal disruption to local residents and services
  • Local residents and council monitoring report that significantly more vehicles are now respecting the 20mph speed limit, with observable reductions in speeding behaviour
  • School pupils and local residents report feeling safer and more confident when crossing Dinmore Avenue, particularly during busy school drop-off and pick-up times
  • The speed cushions have proven highly durable with minimal maintenance requirements, maintaining their effectiveness over time without the degradation issues seen with previous asphalt humps
Completed speed cushion installation on Dinmore Avenue

Completed installation creating a safer environment for school children and residents