environmental costs
Wildlife
It is apparent that animals straying on to the median cannot easily pass through the concrete barrier. The steel alternative that is synonymous with so many of our roads and motorways perhaps appears at face value to be more wildlife friendly, as there is easy access between the sporadic posts.
To give an example, an animal (ie. a badger) crossing three lanes of a motorway to the central reservation would likely not register what barrier type would be meeting him on the median. If lucky enough to get to the barrier alive, the steel barrier would allow him to continue his daring journey across the next three lanes to the other side. Once he has fully crossed the motorway, he has travelled a total of six lanes of fast moving traffic. His home, however, is back on the other side of the motorway from where he started his journey and needing to return to the sett and his family, he must now negotiate the return journey, another six lanes of dangerous traffic. Should he succeed to make it back to the other side, let alone the median, he is indeed a lucky badger. He has successfully manoeuvred a journey of 12 lanes of motorway traffic.
In using the same example of a badger crossing a busy motorway, should he get to the central reservation and discover he cannot go any further, he will return to his sett having only travelled a total of six lanes.
The wildlife fences that are in place along the verges of our motorways and all purpose trunk roads have a greater impact on the number of wildlife accidents involving vehicles than the type of median barrier provided. The concrete step barrier is a safety restraint system.
Carbon Footprints
Concrete, once set, is an inert product. Steel barrier is galvanised and over its 20 year life, this galvanising breaks down. Significant evidence shows that the ground adjacent to steel barrier placement is massively polluted with heavy metals as are the water courses and lagoons that take run off water from roads.
Like all concretes, concrete step barrier can and should adopt the more widespread use of cement replacement. Whilst research and trialling is required in this area, Britpave is proactively seeking an agreement between ready-mixed concrete providers and cement producers to develop a new specification for concrete barrier concrete that allows more widespread use of cement replacement.
The inclusion of waste materials in the concrete for concrete step barrier should not be overlooked. Britpave believe that the massive marketplace for concrete barrier demands further development into the make up of barrier concrete for the sake of future generations.
