Speed bumps at Sturt Ave, Hawthorndene spark mass uprising as residents demand removal

Hundreds of people are demanding their removal, saying they damage cars, make loud noises waking people up at night and send speeders down rat-runs.

Hated speed bumps at Sturt Ave, Hawthorndene. Picture: Darren Chaitman

Residents in Adelaide’s south claim loud noises from a street’s “horrible speed bumps” are waking them late at night and cars are being damaged, as more than 200 people rally for the bumps to be removed.

After Kristy O’Neil started a change.org petition against the speed bumps on Sturt Ave at Hawthorndene, locals told The Advertiser the “jolty” metal lumps had encouraged reckless driving while re-routing speeders on to other streets.

Sturt Ave resident Merryn Wescombe said trucks driving over the bumps, installed by Mitcham Council in early 2023, routinely woke her as early as 4am.

“I’m a light sleeper, so (I wake up) whenever a truck decides to pound over it with a massive load – it’s every night,” she said. “Our windows rattle, the ground shakes, because they just bang, bang all night long.

“They haven’t slowed cars down. The big trucks just plough over them as fast as they like.”

Hated speed bumps at Sturt Ave, Hawthorndene. Picture: Darren Chaitman

An elderly man living on the street, who asked not to be named, said the “loud bangs” woke him every day, often at 6.30am, creating a “nightmare” while he also lived with stage four cancer.

Daniel Yates, who lives on a nearby street, said they were “not a conventional kind of speed bump” and were more jolty than others.

“(People) usually go slow over the speed bumps and then hoon between them,” he said.

Mr Yates said some people also drove in the middle of the road to avoid them, taking advantage of a car-sized gap in between a row of three bumps.

Toby Stevens said the bumps had created a thoroughfare on Batley Ave.

“It’s slowed down people on (Sturt Ave), but it’s pushing them all up on our street and they just come flying up the hill,” he said.

“They’re horrible – they’re so rough on your car. It’s no good for the suspension at all.”

An online commenter on the change.org petition said they were “damaging vehicles even when approached cautiously”.

“The bumps are encouraging reckless behaviour: drivers speed up between them, drive aggressively to avoid them, or divert entirely to quieter streets that were never designed for through traffic,” he said.

Hated speed bumps at Sturt Ave, Hawthorndene. Picture: Darren Chaitman

Four Sturt Ave residents told The Advertiser they were in favour of the bumps, including Margaret Crang who added she did not like their metal material, which caused a “real bang” when driven over, sometimes waking her early in the morning.

A Mitcham Council spokeswoman said the bumps were installed to reduce speeding and before they were installed, 90 per cent of “residents most directly affected” supported the project in a survey.

“Since installation, the speed cushions have proven effective in lowering vehicle speeds, managing traffic flow, and improving overall safety along the street,” she said.