The LED sign near the intersection of New Hempstead Road and North Main Street in New City does not have a spelling error. Rockland County Deputy Highway Superintendent Andy Connors said the sign, which reads, “Slow Down Hump” is correct. He said it alerts drivers to a raised sidewalk across the road and warns them to slow down.
Connors said the county constructed two of the six to seven foot wide sidewalks, which are raised about four inches above the road surface and gave them a bricklike appearance as part of the New Hempstead Road Reconstruction Project. The second crossing is between the two county office buildings on New Hempstead Road.
“The whole purpose is to raise the pedestrian so the driver sees them,” said Connors on Monday.
He said the term hump is used because the transition from the road to the raised sidewalk or speed table as it is known in construction or traffic terminology is gradual compared to a bump, which is an abrupt change in the level of the pavement.
Soon, speed limit signs will be installed to let drivers know the speed limit along New Hempstead Road is 30 mph except for the area approaching the two raised sidewalks where it decreases to 15 mph. New York State law requires drivers to yield to all pedestrians in crosswalks.
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