Saturday, January 9, 2010

Sundays In My City #19 - Bumps In The Road

Do you know Unknown Mami? She's awesome and she created a fun Sunday theme inviting you to get out and take pictures of your city to share with the rest of us. Click here for details and her logo and click here to see Unknown Mami's City today.

After several side streets in our neighborhood were repaved, the striping crew came in and surprised us with a new trend that is, apparently, moving across Los Angeles.

First let me say that in Southern California we obviously don't get any snow, so that means traffic instruction are painted on the actual streets as well as on signs at the side of the road. "Reading the road" can be helpful once you get used to it.

For example, I've seen signs all over the country like this since I started driving more than 30 years ago. Los Angeles has more than their share of signs indicating "speed bumps" are ahead....

Since the City and our Home Owners Association are trying to slow traffic down in our neighborhood, they recently installed a lot of these types of speed bumps....

And then they painted traffic instructions on the road like this.....
And this.....

Humps! When did speed bumps become humps?

I'm not sure when Los Angeles decided to lose the "bump in the road" and switched to humps, but I laugh every time I see this.

Hope you're having a smooth Sunday!
Welcome to The Fifty Factor - Joanna
Photo Credit: Joanna Jenkins

65 comments:

  1. A hump in the road - LOL! (Has a double meaning in the UK!) ;-)

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  2. There's a neighborhood nearby with a big sign as you drive in.
    "Traffic controlled by speed humps."

    We always make remarks like, 'what's the point of a hump if you're going to speed? Who has time to appreciate it that way?"

    Depending on who's in the car, the humor? escalates.

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  3. humping in the road. thats nothing new!!! lol.

    we have those here in nj too. i don't think they make much of a difference.

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  4. We have plenty of these on our roads and sometimes without enough warning. You go bump over the hump!

    But really these don't help. Drivers will press on the fuel pedal and escalate creating speed, noise and smoke.

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  5. We have some of those around us and I hate them! I'm laughing at them being called "humps"!

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  6. We call them Bumps here in OZ - Humps have a whole different meaning and I wouldn't like to be doing that in the road!!

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  7. I think Fergie must have something to do with this! Her lovely Lady Lumps.

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  8. I LOVE the HUMPS! That's a new one on me and really funny! Should be in a children's book!

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  9. I have a picture of a street sign that I took in London that says
    "Humps for 1/2 mile". My friend and I laughed and laughed when we saw the sign, so I had to take the pic.

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  10. Usually around these parts they're called speed bumps, but when they built the new mall, they put in speed Humps. And every one of them has a sign that says "Speed Hump" on it. I giggle every time I see those signs. I guess they decided to rename the "quickie"?

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  11. Hey, you gotta get your laughs wherever you can, so getting them while driving in the LA area is a miracle. The streets in your photos look like a lovely area and not many streets can claim humps.

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  12. A bump is when your head hits the roof of your car when you go over it to fast.

    A hump is a gentle rise in the road and is not as dramatic!

    A hump is also......well, you know! LOL!

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  13. we have some of those 'humps' in our neighbourhood and they are not popular.

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  14. At least they're nice enough to give you a hint that you're about to rip your muffler off.

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  15. Oh man it reminds me of that horrible Fergie song..My Humps! LOL that is funny that they switched over to that.

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  16. Mobile, AL (where we lived before) is loaded with "traffic calming devices," but there isn't a single "bump" in the city...humps, tables, circles, probably even lumps. But NO BUMPS! Whatsamatta with bumps??

    We have one of those arrow-painted lumps right in front of our house. Not so bad, until the landscaper's trucks go crashing over them!

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  17. i think you can get arrested in my town for having a hump in the road...lol.

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  18. so attractive!! (I think signs are less obnoxious.)

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  19. Too funny....Humps! Happy New Year Joanna I hope your holidays were grand!

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  20. Really? I haven't seen the signs here that say "Humps". Very weird. I personally like the word "bumps" better. Humps just sounds so comical.

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  21. Humps huh?? Good one!!! LOL Brian!! I was thinking the same thing
    Hugs
    SueAnn

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  22. Purdue University's campus has "Speed Humps". Unfortunately, at least one of the signs is directly across the street from a fraternity house, making the "keep your eyes on the road" rule doubly important. Else you'll be laughing so hard at the frat boys' interpretation of the sign that you just might cause an accident. :)

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  23. Maybe those streets see a little more "action", wink wink.

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  24. Humps in the road : ) That is funny : ) I can't stop laughing!

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  25. Well, your learned followers seem to have enlightened us on the difference between humps and bumps.
    That's good to know when the time comes.

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  26. So everyone in LA is humping now adays? Go figure.

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  27. Hump in the road! Hysterical!
    No speed bumps here...it's hard enough to plow snow off our streets!

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  28. I can see where road marking would work where there is no chance of snow. We even have a few roads around here that have speed "bumps". But they are only in the upper crust developments where people with money pay to have them installed.

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  29. Love the gigantic letters spelling out "humps"...yeah there will be no teenagers out there taking funny pics...

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  30. I guess there be humps and there be bumps!

    Are you anywhere near the earthquake? Are you okay?

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  31. Oh, Joanna! I so needed a laugh! Thank you!

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  32. I have seen Davine's take on whether we have "humps" or "bumps" in Australia. I really don't know, and shall pay more attention. However, I know we have very similar road markings to you, Joanna, both the signs and the painted symbols on the bitument.

    The traffic has no option but to slow down - unless the driver wants to bang his head on the ceiling.

    Take care.

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  33. I've seen those and yes, they are very funny!

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  34. As a native Californian, I can truly say, only in California! LOL

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  35. In various places we have them too... some are called Speed Bumps, some are called Judder Bars, NOW I have to look again.. maybe some of ours are called HUMPS too! Ya never know. Funny really.

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  36. Humps means something else in Scotland. If you humped in the middle of the road here you would get arrested...!

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  37. They have been installing these bumps around our town too. The problem is that we get snow and if you don't remember where they are you get a nice surprise when driving down a road! Of course, the painted sign on the road is covered with snow.

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  38. MY HOMETOWN: The City of Angels!

    I LOVE LA!
    I want to come back home but the hubby says no and we are both from there. Thanks for sharing pictures of my Home Sweet Home!

    Speedbumps are now humps?? Alrighty then = )

    May

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  39. Well that is the biggest speed bump I have ever seen so maybe that is why it is called a hump!

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  40. All I can hear is the Beatles, "Why don't we do it in the road?"

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  41. Joanne, let me know if you ever come up to the Santa Barbara area. We could connect. Alas, we have no humps up here to amuse you, but some damn fine wines.

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  42. I guess every day is "Hump Day" for you all. What a unique label.

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  43. Humps..leave it to CA to come up with something new!!

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  44. "There's a hump in the road" - yeah, that DOES sound very funny!

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  45. after all these comments I'm thumped about what to say about a hump in the road.

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  46. And I totally read that one picture as "Stop Humps!"

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  47. "Humps, my humps, my humps...my lovely lady bumps."

    That is too silly, but I sure did get a laugh.

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  48. humps are funny....we have humps, but they are still called bumps. my understanding is that a hump is not as big as a bump.

    and yes....I love my one to one appts. with my "apple men".....but often we sit and look at each other photos as mine are all camera nuts like me !

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  49. i thought a bump was little and a hump was big.......

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  50. In NZ they're called Sleeping Policemen!

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  51. That is so funny! It's like they've been influenced by pop culture!

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  52. too funny, have you seen random teenagers taking pices by there? ;)

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  53. That's crazy, do you think it was on purpose? Weird!

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  54. Haha, 'Hump'...(Jayne snickers childishly behind her hands). Years ago there was a company here whose sole purpose was to collect and dispose of anything unwanted from people's houses: chairs, sofas etc. They were called 'Hump 'n Dump' (which at the time had *only* a totally innocenty meaning here in the UK). When we mentioned them to an American friend he very nearly wet himself laughing!

    Loved your SIMC, thank you for sharing. :)

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  55. I hope your day is hump free! Too funny. I wonder if the gent still has his job for his humor?! xo

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  56. I always heard there was a lot of humping going on in California ... even in the roads. Thanks for the smiles!

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  57. Humps or bumps, there are equally a nuisance. Reasearch done on the quality of the roads in the US showed that California, particularily Los Angeles, has the poorest road conditions in the country. Plus the traffic here is so bad that not even the HUMPS could make a difference--some of the pleasures of living in LA. Why we put up with it? All the reasons why we do, could be the subject of a few long, long posts.

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  58. A bump by any other name is still a bump and I don't like them, even if they serve a purpose. Have a nice week.

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  59. Were they perhaps listening to Fergie singing about her lady lumps, bumps and humps when they sign wrote the road and got confused on which was the correct word. We call them speed bumps, but I'll be interested if the bump ever changes to a hump.

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  60. That's too funny. So far, our bumps are still bumps. Let's hope they stay that way. :)

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  61. It's been too long since I visited! I love the HUMPS pictures. I have some visuals in mind. I am looking forward to catching up with you.

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  62. Did anyone else reference Fergie and her lovely lady humps?

    Oh, I'm sure they must've...

    You know that is stuck in my head now, right? haha!

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  63. I'm just enjoying the sunny pictures. It is so depressing here in the winter!

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