How to protect corner from people that drive over curb?

[Zootal]

I have a corner lot, and there is a stop sign on the corner (not that has anything to do with my question...). When people drive around the corner, the drive over the curb. Sometimes they go a foot or more into the grass. The curb has been destroyed, and the corner is a bud pit because of people driving over it.

So I decide to do some landscaping. I put a rock and a wood stump in the grass near the corner. Pics here:

file:///P:/HellServer/htdocs/STUFF/2010/2010septembercurb/images/DSCF1292 .JPG file:///P:/HellServer/htdocs/STUFF/2010/2010septembercurb/images/DSCF1288 .JPG

Surprisingly, people not only continue to drive over the curb, but now they drive over the rock and the stump. I'm concerned that someone is going to hurt themselves or their car, and sue me. Yeah, I know, how is it my fault if someone drives through my yard and runs over my landscaping and hurts themselves or their car? In this era of decadent lawmaking, I'm not sure I'd win such a case.

So, my options:

1) remove stump and rock, let them destroy the corner. 2) Put a bigger rock there.

Any comments? I'm not sure what I want to do - People don't seem to be smart enough to stay on the street, and sooner or later someone is going to damage their car and even hurt themselves. Then they start to think of suing me.

[jamesgangnc]

Can't see your pictures cause the links you put in are to a file system,not a web server.

You are right. You could get sued and lose. There are usually set back rules for property adjacent to roads. Means you can't put stuff where people might accidentally run over it and get hurt or damage their car.

Could the curb be reworked to allow more corner for them to drive over? If it's happening a lot then I have to wonder of there is not enough room for them to turn easily. There is a corner at the end of our street, no one runs over the curb.

[Shaun Eli]

4 foot high flagpole with a tiny flag?

cardboard cutout of a kid?

paint the curb bright red?

[HeyBub]

And they can prove you put the rock there exactly how?

Anyway, people are presumably turning right onto a narrow road and there is another vehicle stopped on the road they're turning into. This leaves them with only a small avenue of navigation.

It CAN be done, but the drivers find it easier to simply drive over the curb.

Here are two options:

1. Get the city road repair crew to come out and rework the intersection.
2. Rework the curb yourself, giving the drivers more room and a gentler curve to make the turn.

You cannot educate the drivers - you have to deal with the problem they present.

[George]

Bigger rock. At least it is typically not considered an unnatural obstacle so if someone hits it too bad.

My brother has the same exact problem. He actually moved the corner back giving up 8' of his property. He erected various landscaping ties etc and they would just get trashed. A few years back there was a major excavation not far from his house and he paid them to bring a big rock over and place it on the corner. Problem solved.

[Edward Reid]

Those URLs are on your computer. We can't see them. Please tell us where you uploaded the photos.

Lacking the photos, is this damage (and attempted remediation) occurring on your property or on the right of way?

Edward

[Ron]

Giant Whoopee Cushion?

[jeff_wisnia]

Maybe you could pave the area which has become a "bud pit" so you won't have to notice that they've driven over it?

Jeff

[Zootal]

Zootal wrote in news:Xns9DFD7482816E9nospamspamzootalnosp@216.196.97.131:

Sorry.....

[BobR]

My first thought is to just put a big ass boulder there surrounded by some stones and let the destroy their stupid cars. Hell, if than can't drive any better than that, they deserve what they get.

My second thought is to just dig out the area across the corner and concrete the area over. In short, you may not be able to deter them but you don't have to put up with the ugly results.

If it were me, I would repair the curb to make it more difficult to drive over, put in a big ass boulder that they couldn't help but see surrounded by some flowers and other landscaping. Oh yes, I almost forgot...bury some spikes in the landscaping to help them remember to NOT DRIVE OVER THE DAMN CURB.

[Zootal]

jeff_wisnia wrote in news:i7iua1$huo$ [e-mail]:

I fixed the file links...sorry...

That actualy doesn't sound like so bad of an idea, and should not cost that much. Hmm...might have to give that one some serious thought.

[dpb]

...

...

...

I'd guess two things --

First, it's likely there's an easement to that along the curb and the city or local jurisdiction has say-so of what you can do. Not that it's likely they'll care but it's possible anything you do they can either make you take it out or make it be up to their applicable code on materials, load-bearing capacity, etc., etc., etc., ... So, I'd find out local rules before I did anything of any significant effort or value...

Second, given that there isn't any significant curb height (owing, it appears, to repaving having raised street level to nearly top of existing curb) I'd expect that paving the corner will simply lead to folks cutting off yet more and just moving the damage farther over, in the end, gaining nothing. I suspect the folks that are doing it are those that are just making a "rolling stop" at best and they're eye-balling the street to the left while turning in the neighborhood of the corner rather than coming to a stop and then making the turn.

In short, unless you can somehow get the city involved to change the traffic flow I'd guess it's going to continue to be an issue.

I'd also expect given 1) that you are in violation of local ordinance by putting any obstruction there so that indeed, you'd likely not fare well if something did happen.

Know your local city-council critter? A chat w/ him might be useful for hints on what you might get assistance with, depending on the size of the town and local mindset, etc., ... Some places are helpful, others "not so much".

[HeyBub]

Aside:

People get involved in politics for one of three reasons: Power, Pride, or Profit.

In this case, if you've donated to your local city councilman, worked in his campaign, or attended rallies on his behalf, you have Power.

[Red]

no maintenance gravel scape it. dual purpose area. then small cheap flags?? around edge that can be replaced regularly when runover. don't fight the mountain.

[AZ Nomad]

Those links are worthless to anybody who isn't logged onto your home network.

How about enhancing the curb to be 10" concrete with no rounded edge? A 3'-5' boulder might also do the trick.

[AZ Nomad]

Those rocks are a joke. Get something at least 1' in diameter and use about ten of them going around the turn.

[Robert Neville]

I'm thinking a single reverse spike, something like those panels that prevent entry into parking lots, except that its fixed and faces towards traffic. Presumably not a loss of control hazard as they should be coming to a full stop. Doesn't prevent people from doing stupid things but definitely makes them buy a new tire.

[Jon Danniken]

Put this on your corner:

Jon

[Doug Miller]

Those URLs are on *your* computer. We can't see them from here.

[Larry W]

Stand on the corner, when they drive over the curb let them hit you, then YOU sue THEM! :)