ST ANDREW, Jamaica – Residents of Grant’s Crescent Road in Richmond Park are now sleeping in peace.

Two weeks ago, eight speed bumps or ‘sleeping policemen’ were erected overnight on the very narrow roadway in the St Andrew community. It appears the speed bumps, not professionally constructed, were erected by a concerned resident, even though it is illegal to do so without authoritative permission, according to the Main Roads and Parochial Road Acts.

“When I wake up one morning and open the door, I saw them [the sleeping policemen] laughing at me,” one female resident, who wished to remain anonymous, told OBSERVER ONLINE.

While it remains a mystery who exactly is responsible for the project, the residents are thankful. The upshot is that the area, once stricken by the noisy sounds of speeding cars, Yeng Yeng bikes and motorists heated from altercation, is more peaceful with calmer traffic due to the bumps.

Not only are community members now sleeping in peace with less noise, they are also walking in solace on the road as unscrupulous bikers are now avoiding the corridor due to the bumps, the resident said, noting that her neighbour was once robbed of a phone by a motorcylist on the roadway.

“If this was there dem couldn’t rob her,” the resident said, pointing at the speed bump.

Another resident recounted scary confrontations between motorists as a result of the narrow winding road leaving little room for cars to drive side by side.

“Too much accident on the road, since this come no war tek place. Before this, dem cuss, gun pull, people war and fight every day. Since this come up, and you can ask anybody, nobody nuh cuss again. If a cuss dem cuss is the pothole dem cuss,” the male resident said.

However, not all stakeholders are happy, as motorists have complained that the bumps are too numerous and are damaging the front end of their vehicles.

One motorist told OBSERVER ONLINE that she understands the need for the bumps, but said she winces every time she drives over a bump and hears the undercarriage of her car rubbing against it.

Still, residents believe the inconvenience for motorists is a small price to pay for the possible lives being saved. Their only concern is that, due to recent media exposure of the sleeping policmen, the authorities may attempt to remove them.

“If them remove some and leave some then okay,” one resident said.