Motorists in an affluent south London street have accused Labour of installing ‘socialist speed bumps’ that only damage expensive cars.
Residents in Lewisham claim the new traffic calming measures breach the council’s own recommended height limit.
The local authority, which insists it is adhering to national guidelines, installed the bumps a few months ago in Lee Terrace on Belmont Hill to stop drivers exceeding 20mph.
Since then the council has received a number of complaints – amid reports of damage to the undercarriages of expensive private vehicles.
A report compiled by residents claimed the council’s standards dictate a speed bump should not be higher than 80mm.
However, five of the 12 cushions measured appeared to be between 100mm and 105mm high, the survey alleged.
Andrew Thorp, a 59-year-old architect who lives on the terrace, told The Telegraph he had carried out the research after his Mercedes C-Class estate was repeatedly grazed by the bumps, despite being driven ‘very slowly’.
He said: ‘We are paying for the bumps with our council tax, and then paying for the damage to our cars.
‘Lewisham has spent a lot of time on diversity and inclusion policies, but such policies do not apply to travel – roads are for everyone.’
Mr Thorp said that while he and other residents supported moves to prevent speeding, the general feeling was the bumps were too high.
Footage sent to the council shows vehicles appearing to scrape the large bumps – while other motorists swerve around them.
One Labour councillor responded to the complaints by insisting her old VW Golf experienced no problems when driving over the mounds.
But Mr Thorp said it was as if they were ‘socialist speed bumps’ – claiming certain vehicles, like Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Tesla and Toyota Aygo were most likely to be damaged.
Another resident on Lee Terrace, Steve Emmott, 67, said he had struggled to drive his Ferrari on the road.
Adding he had to ‘almost stop entirely’ before reaching the humps, coming down to ‘3-5mph’, he said: ‘We are all pedestrians, cyclists and motorists – so we support the use of speed bumps. But, it’s the size of the things that is the problem.’
Mr Emmott claimed straddling the bumps would ‘take the underside’ of his car out.
Lewisham Cyclists, part of the London Cycling Campaign, has also expressed opposition to the bumps, claiming oncoming vehicles ‘swerve round cushions’ – causing danger to cyclists.
Lewisham Council insisted ‘all cushions are now within permitted sizes’.
A spokesman added: ‘We introduced speed cushions to help drivers stick to the borough’s 20mph limit and make roads safer for everyone, as previous surveys showed average speeds were still significantly over the limit, despite clear signage.
‘The cushions we’ve installed follow national guidelines, which allow heights of up to 100mm, and meet Department for Transport standards.
‘Earlier this year, we identified three around Belmont Hill and Lee Terrace that needed adjustments and these have now been fixed at the contractor’s expense. All cushions are now within permitted sizes and can be crossed safely by all vehicles at 15–20mph, however driving faster may cause scraping.
‘The design allows buses to straddle the cushions, so services are unaffected. With a school near Belmont Hill and a hospital on Lee Terrace, speed control in this area is essential.
‘We are monitoring these roads to determine whether there’s an issue with noise caused by the bumps and will take action if the impact is significant. We’ll continue to listen to residents but our priority remains safer roads for all road users.’
