Motorists have branded fake speed bumps made to look like real ones a waste of council cash because drivers just ignore them.<br /><br />The virtual humps were painted to slow down speeding drivers along a busy road that leads to two different schools in Swanscombe, Kent.<br /><br />They replaced real bumps that had damaged cars over the years.<br /><br />But residents called the virtual 2D speed bumps a “waste of paint” as locals know they are not real.<br /><br />Arriva bus driver Katie Bell drives along the road more than 50 times a day and claims the 2D road cushions, which act like an optical illusion, do little to slow down traffic.<br /><br />The 46-year-old said: “It is an absolute waste of white paint.<br /><br />“People speed along there as they know there aren’t bumps. I’ve heard drivers beep others because they are driving too slowly over them.<br /><br />“I can’t quite believe they came up with the idea in the first place.”<br /><br />Traffic has increased over the last two months following a landslide on a nearby major road, which has forced it to close for 18 months.<br /><br />With the amount of congestion she sees every day, Ms Bell believes there may be better ways to control the flow, such as erecting more signs warning of schools.<br /><br />She added: “That road gets crazy busy even at a standstill during school drop off/pick ups so it would make more sense to have more warning signs that there’s a school and residential area to calm down the traffic a tad, but the 2D bumps are pointless.”<br /><br />One resident, Joanne Hales, thinks there needs to be a proper zebra crossing where people can cross over the one remaining hump.<br /><br />She said: “The thing that concerns me is that many pedestrians assume the large hump is a crossing. They just step out without looking and expect all the cars to stop. One day it’s going to cause an almighty accident.<br /><br />“If it is a crossing then it should be signed so with black and white lines and orange flashing lights like you would see on a crossing. That way both parties know what to expect.”<br /><br />However, she does not oppose the virtual bumps.<br /><br />She added: “They’re good. I still find myself braking in preparing for the jolt even though the other bumps are gone. The trauma is still there.”<br /><br />Some residents were even excited to hear about the plans to introduce the 2D humps after complaining about the ferocity of the old concrete bumps.<br /><br />Ms Hales said: "The bumps were dreadful. They were too high and did lots of damage to lots of people's cars over the years."<br /><br />Cllr Peter Harman, from Swanscombe & Greenhithe Residents' Association and represents the area on Kent County Council, said residents are unhappy.<br /><br />He said he had been relaying residents' concerns to County Hall for the past two years as the 10cm high speed bumps were leaving residents unhappy.<br /><br />He was initially delighted at the proposed traffic calming measure but he now believes they are not enough.
