Hello! I’m very sorry to hear you are having this kind of trouble as well. Most people don’t realise the impact this can have on our health and quality of life.
Is your house made of timber? Where are you based?
Unfortunately, we haven’t managed to resolve our issue yet. It has now been two years since my RS1D was installed, and it has been useful because I can track the vibrations and sync the data with a camera.
To add more credibility to our evidence, we also convinced the freeholder to hire an acoustics company. They charged a lot of money to come here for just a few hours and take measurements. Their report confirmed what I had already seen through the RS1D: it appears to be a resonance issue caused by a 12.5 Hz frequency, mainly from trucks and double-decker buses. From the ground floor to my flat, the vibration is amplified significantly (10x).
The council read the report but still dismissed the problem. They say there is no defect with the speed bump and will not remove it. I understand that the speed bump itself may not be defective; the problem seems to be where it has been installed and how the vibration transfers through the building.
For now, we are continuing to gather evidence. Hairline cracks on the walls do not seem to be considered enough, so we are also trying to show the impact on our well-being. My wife and I have both obtained GP letters confirming that we are suffering from insomnia because of this.
Last year was extremely difficult. I was getting very little sleep and started developing stress-related health issues. I felt completely trapped because I need my flat for work, and moving would be very difficult financially and practically.
I tried making a TMD, or tuned mass damper, to reduce the 12.5 Hz vibration by hanging water-filled punching bags in the loft with the correct spring rate. However, I could not finish the project because the vibrations seemed to get worse, possibly because I could not tune the phase correctly. I matched the frequency, but if the phase is not aligned, it does not seem to work.
This year, we have focused more on managing the situation. We bought a Tempur mattress and created a better night-time routine. The mattress does not block the shaking completely, but it conducts the vibration less than our old spring mattress, so we feel it less. We still hear noise from the roof and walls, but things like magnesium, nasal sticks, and avoiding screens before bed have helped a bit.
Unfortunately, we are still dealing with it. We are continuing to gather evidence and looking at possible next steps. It is extremely hard to live with repeated vibration events, especially at night.