Some residents who live near busy roads or speed bumps worry about traffic vibrations. You might be concerned about damage to your home, noise, or your health. We listen carefully to all resident feedback. We want to share clear facts about road vibrations and explain how we can help.
Likelihood of property damage
Research shows that vibrations from road traffic rarely cause damage to homes. The research was carried out by Transport Research Laboratory (TRL). It is a UK research organisation that tests road safety and traffic movement.
Their research shows:
- A building must be closer than one metre to a speed bump to be at risk of minor damage
- A building must be within four metres of the road to develop tiny cracks in its walls from long-term traffic vibration. Most homes in Harrow are set back more than four metres.
Our duties
As the local Highway Authority, we must keep public roads and pavements safe for everyone to use. Our legal duty covers fixing road safety hazards. It does not cover investigating normal traffic noise. It also does not cover small vibrations in homes from passing vehicles.
Structural issues and advice
Most cracks and structural issues in homes aren't due to road traffic. They are usually caused by:
- Natural ground movement under the building
- The age of the building
- How the house was originally built.
If you see cracks in your home, contact a qualified building surveyor. You can also call your home insurance company for advice.
How we manage vibration issues
We treat all residents fairly. We handle vibration reports in three easy ways:
a) Speed bumps and traffic calming
We inspect existing speed bumps and repair them if they are broken. If a problem continues, we may look at altering or removing the feature. We plan new road schemes to avoid vibration issues.
b) Road maintenance
We check for road surface damage to see if buses or heavy vehicles shake the ground. Small road defects are fixed quickly. We add larger road repairs to our annual maintenance schedule. If the road surface is fine, no action is needed.
c) Utility works and road repairs
Water, gas, and electricity companies often dig up roads to fix pipes and cables. We inspect their work. If the road surface is uneven and still under warranty, the utility company must fix it. If the warranty has ended, we will manage the repair ourselves.
