It didn't take us long in our research to find out that this kind of "traffic calming" hurts property values.

North Kitsap County has enjoyed healthy increases in appreciation and while a new tax assessments aren't always welcome news, it's nice to know that our hard-earned investment in a home here is doing well.

A family member recently purchased a cabin on Orcas Island. The real estate agent initially showed her one on the northeast side of the island. You have to hurdle a gauntlet of speed bumps to get there. She decided against the purchase and bought near Eastsound. She told the agent, "Don't even show me any more cabins where you have to go over speed bumps."

Isolated story?  Here's what a Driftwood Key resident wrote to us:

"We, also, live in Driftwood Key and we're trapped by the speed bumps, whether we go south on Hood Canal Dr or via Hansville Rd/Twin Spits. We're new here but, as you point out on the website, had the speed bumps existed last summer, we would have thought long and hard before buying on the other side of those bumps."      

Please visit a website called Realty Times used by real estate professionals. It has an article that outlines a whole host of reasons why speed bumps are a bad idea. And you can imagine, on their list is their harmful effect on property values and the length of time a house stays on the market. Read it at "Traffic Calming: The Evil Speed Bump."