DIY Speed Bump on SI Gets TKO By DOT

Parents on Locust Avenue in Staten Island say they've begged and pleaded with the DOT to install a speed bump on their street for a year, but have gotten nowhere. Apparently, it's the Indianapolis Speedway over there, and one local says he puts out his own neon plastic "turtle" safety signs in the street after school, in a futile attempt to get drivers to slow down—but one of the signs was already broken after a motorist ran it over! So residents tried to kick it up a notch.

No one's claiming responsibility, but someone went ahead and installed a homemade asphalt speed bump in the street, with yellow lines painted on it. It looked pretty artisanal, and one neighbor proudly told the Staten Island Advance, "This thing here is gonna save a life." But the DOT definitely frowns upon grassroots speed bumps, so they sent a bulldozer from the Roadway Repair and Maintenance division to raze it.

This is the talk of Staten Island, and the Advance has a sweet photo spread of the speed bump destruction, including a priceless photo of an elderly man in a velour track suit and Yankees cap wagging an angry finger at a DOT worker. There's no caption, but we can tell he's yelling something about there being blood on his hands. (Or dead horse head blood on his hands.)