FROM GARY ENSMENGER July 2, 2002

One of the MAJOR problems seems to be that the road department
routinely EXCEEDS the design specifications of a speed hump. They
use extra asphalt (costing more taxes) and make them steeper and 
taller than specified by engineering.  They make the ramps too
steep, the tops are NOT FLAT and are lumpy, crowned in the middle
and unmarked, and the opposite ramp is too steep, causing all kinds
of vehicle and human bodily damage.  Have you ever noticed all
the gouges in the asphalt after every speed hump?

On one spot by my neighborhood they have reworked the humps 3 - 4
times and they are still too tall and steep.  Look at what that
costs with all the reworks... it triples the original $3000 - $4000
cost per hump.  The local neighborhood pays for the original humps,
but we pay for all the reworks. 

Orange county puts up speed signs of 25 - 30 mph in the same
location they put up humps that demand slowing down to 5 mph or
less.  Why do we have to slow to 5 mph?  Let's see the
commissioners drive these humps at 25 mph!  IT's impossible!
So why do they expect us to drive these mountains in the road
daily?

A group of us were told by the road department at the commission's
meeting that the road department doesn't really have an exact
method for making a speed hump that will be within spec size and
stay it's shape.  I find this OUTRAGIOUS!  Do you know why?  I
drive the back roads of Disney's Animal Kingdom, and I see
PERFECTLY made asphalt speed humps.  These humps have a 
DRIVEABLE ramp, a nice wide flat top (perfectly flat) which is
PAINTED with diagonal yellow lines for warning drivers, and a
nice ramp on the opposite side.  All the speed humps at DISNEY
are PERFECTLY identical!  If DISNEY'S road department can do
it, why can't Orange and Seminole County?  How  can a private
corporation make speed humps that are driveable?

The road department has left an endless trail of oversized speed
humps all over town that makes the problem WORSE!

In another location, Orange county installed humps on pavement
that was 6 years old.  They have to repave about every 10 years.
So, in 4 years they will have to REMOVE the humps, in order to
repave, then put new humps down.  I'm thinking that we should
make sure that these locations DUE for repavement, DO NOT have
replacement HUMPS put down.  They cannot repave with the humps
in place, they must be removed.  Why not take that opportunity
to have have the pavement redone, WITHOUT humps!

Sincerely,

Gary Ensmenger