Speed bumps keep idiots from speeding in places like neighborhood streets. Sometimes though they can be a hassle, as CBS reports one man was fed up with the one on his street so he destroyed it. The city ticketed him for destroying city property.
Speed bumps are a straightforward contract between road and driver. You may drive as fast as you want, the speed bump offers you, but I will damage your car if you do so. Take a look at what happens when you hit one in slow-mo here.
Nicolas Benitez had seen the speed bump in the alley by his home for over a decade, but argued it was not right, that it was a bad speed bump. He claimed that the speed bump was both too wide and too high and was damaging his car when he went over it.
...he said he was tired of bottoming his car out on the speed bumps in his Brighton park alley — and claims the bump was already cracking.
Benitez complained directly to his ward Ald. Ray Lopez, who serves on the public safety committee for the city. He got tired of waiting after getting no response so he grabbed a pickaxe and got to smashing.
Benitez admits to smashing the asphalt over a span of days, and then neatly piling it against his garage.
Even though he destroyed the speed bump, it wasn’t exactly in the best condition. Benitez claims that the speed bump was already cracking. Nevertheless, someone snitched to Ald. Lopez that a speed bump was missing. Only then did Lopez decide to respond to what Benitez had done calling it a problem. Lopez claims that he had told Benitez that if he wanted the bump removed that they could look for funds to remove it. The problem was that the funds were all used up by summer. From the Chicago Tribune:
I asked Mr. Benitez to meet me there, which he did. I know him from the ward, he’s a nice guy. He was very nonchalant, told us ‘Yeah, I took it out. I didn’t want to wait,’ ” Lopez said.
“But that’s not how this works,” Lopez added. “I had already told him that if he had a problem with the bump right outside his garage, we could look for menu money to see if we have the funds to remove it. Unfortunately, by the summer months that money is already spoken for.
The city cited Benitez with a $500 fine for destroying city property and a court case. Lopez even tweeted about it. The comments weren’t exactly in Lopez’s favor either.
Benitez ultimately wants the ticket thrown out, but he was more mad that he was ignored until he decided to act on his own.
I’m angry and I’m upset. He came by and he wrote me a ticket, and I asked him why,” Benitez said. “It’s my fault. I broke the rule. But why don’t they pay attention?