IT'S the question that has been on everyone's lips in the streets of South Queensferry: "Who took the hump?"
When workmen arrived to put speed bumps into some of the town's residential streets, most people were quite happy.
But when another crew returned less than two months later to rip them back up, locals were left simply bewildered.
Just as myst
eriously as the disappearance of the concrete humps, a scrawled message has appeared on the street overnight. The graffiti artist has put a humorous slant on the frustration being felt by many in the street.
Gordon Main, 74, who lives in Echline Park, one of the streets affected, was baffled when he saw the speed bumps had been removed.
"When the speed bumps were in they weren't very steep. Maybe that's why they had to go," he said.
"What the council are going to do now is a mystery. I don't know what they'll replace them with.
"Everybody around here is saying what a waste of manpower and resources it is.
"We just want to know what will happen next."
The roadworks in Echline Gardens and Echline Park initially began at the beginning of December, and work in the two streets was completed before Christmas.
But workmen returned this week to take the bumps back out.
The speed bumps were to be fitted as part of a traffic-calming scheme to make the streets around Echline Primary School 20mph zones.
Work in the whole area was due to end on February 9, but residents have not yet been told when they can expect to see their new bumps.
Jim Easson, 49, a petrol station assistant who lives in Springfield, near the Echline area, noticed the speed bumps were missing while cycling past the area on his way to work.
Mr Easson said: "I'm all for speed bumps and I wish they would put some in round my way, but they have to make sure they do it properly. They are wasting money."
Queensferry councillor George Grub said: "I think somebody somewhere has made a big mistake with the planning and I think that has to be deplored.
"I am in favour of the traffic-calming scheme in that area because there is a primary school there.
"We need to make sure the children are safe.
"However, the road closures that come as a result of the roadworks are a real inconvenience for the residents."
The city council said the speed bumps were being ripped up because they did not meet "specification", but did not say whether they were too high or too small.
A council spokesman said: "The speed bumps were put in by a contractor and did not meet the council specifications for height and slope.
"The contractor is going to install new ones at no extra cost to the council."
The contractor, Land Engineering, declined to comment.
The ripping up of the South Queensferry speed bumps is just the latest incident of its kind in recent years.
Seven speed bumps installed in the Clerwood area of the city had to be ripped up after failing council inspections in June.
Two years ago, the council announced more than 100 speed bumps across Edinburgh would be ripped up following a deluge of complaints about the effect they were having on cars.
One in Valleyfield Street at Tollcross was also removed after residents complained that the noise of cars scraping over the hump was keeping them awake at night.
The full article contains 584 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
