Curtains for speeders at Curtin University thanks to Actibump

Curtin University in Perth, Australia, is rolling out more Actibumps for slowing traffic after what is says has been a successful trial of four systems. “We expected the same effect as in Sweden,” said David Eskilsson, general manager at Edeva, the Actibump manufacturer based in Linkoping. “But the decrease in the percentage of speeding drivers from over 70% of all drivers in January to below 25% in October last year on the most difficult site has been better than even we expected.” In January 2018 Curtin
June 10, 2019 Read time: 3 mins
Actibump successful in Australia
Curtin University in Perth, Australia, is rolling out more Actibumps for slowing traffic after what is says has been a successful trial of four systems.


“We expected the same effect as in Sweden,” said David Eskilsson, general manager at 5190 Edeva, the Actibump manufacturer based in Linkoping. “But the decrease in the percentage of speeding drivers from over 70% of all drivers in January to below 25% in October last year on the most difficult site has been better than even we expected.”

In January 2018 Curtin University installed four of the active speed bumps to reduce the number of speeding drivers, particularly on semester week days when there are a lot of pedestrians and vehicles on campus. Each day around 2,000 vehicles use the street which has a speed limit of 40km/h.

“The use of the smart speed bumps also provides a steadier flow of traffic, which makes it easier for pedestrians to judge the speed of the approaching vehicle,” said Graham Arndt, director of operations and maintenance at Curtin University. “Additionally, the units have been maintenance free and operated continuously for a year without the need for any intervention.”

Arndt said the university will be installing another set of two active speed bumps on Townsing Drive and another active speed bump will replace a so-called dumb bump - a moulded black plastic bump near the Manning Road entrance. The Actibump traffic safety system allows full accessibility for all vehicles driven at, or under, the set speed limit. Speeding vehicles are physically reminded of the speed limit by an inverted speedbump. A radar measures the speed of the oncoming vehicles and speeding vehicles activate a hatch that is lowered a few centimetres into the road surface. Drivers were surprised to see the road “disappear in front of them” and this made them slow down, said Arndt.

For non-speeders the hatch remains level with the road surface. Edeva says that  independent evaluations have shown that the system decreases the noise, improves yielding behaviour and decreases the speed to that of the speed limit of around 3km/h, regardless of speed limit or previous speeding behaviour.

Speed limit and other variables are set through a web-based interface that also presents the statistics collected by the system.

Edeva says that around 50 Actibump units have been installed worldwide, with most of them in Sweden including in Linköping, Malmö, Helsingborg, Karlstad and two of them are installed in Ystad, on the European road network E65 owned by the Swedish Transport Administration.

Highway & Network Management

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Europe closes in on the crossings
    September 27, 2017
    The Mersey Gateway bridge project off England’s west coast passed a milestone recently with the first joining of two of the deck sections. The key segments, as the sections are called, link the north approach viaduct to the north pylon deck span and are the first of four deck-joins scheduled for this summer. In total, there are five sections of bridge deck and approach roads that need to be joined.
    Read More
  • Digital opportunities: Eurasphalt & Eurobitume (E&E) event, Berlin
    July 3, 2018
    Traditional players in the European bitumen sector need to grasp digital technology in all its forms to survive. Kristina Smith reports from the recent E&E conference in Berlin.
    Read More
  • Hamm’s hydraulic hybrid hits the road
    March 9, 2018
    The novel HD+ 90i PH hybrid tandem roller from Hamm first seen in prototype form is now being offered as a production model. This follows extensive testing of the hydraulic hybrid package in onsite conditions in various countries. The drive system for this 9tonne compactor combines a conventional diesel with a hydraulic accumulator package. The diesel engine provides most of the power for driving the machine, with the hydraulic accumulator then supplying peak power requirements. The system offers
    Read More
  • Noise camera knowledge is far from sound
    February 7, 2025
    Despite the UK public wanting measures to tackle noisy vehicles, knowledge of noise cameras, such as the SoundVue system from Intelligent Instruments, is low, according to a recent poll.
    Read More

Highlighted Content