environmental
The Kyoto Agreement sets out clear targets for the reduction of harmful emissions and pollutants in the years ahead.
The concrete safety step barrier has an important part to play in reducing the adverse impact of road congestion on our environment.
Lane closures for steel barrier repair or the recovery of crossover accidents result in chronic congestion, which creates pollution and waste. The effectiveness of catalytic converters on vehicles that are travelling at very low speed or idling is dramatically reduced, with the result that harmful gases are pumped into the atmosphere.
Noise tests show that the concrete step barrier has similar qualities, in terms of sound, as steel and does not contribute in any significant way to increased noise levels.
Concrete Step Barrier also offers significant benefits in terms of reduced light pollution at night. The solid nature of the barrier contains the light from vehicle headlights within the motorway, particularly around bends. Once installed, the concrete step barrier is there for 50 years. During that time it does not have to be maintained, rebuilt, replaced or attended to. No barrier maintenance means no maintenance vehicles or any other machines that use fossil fuels. Over the 50-year lifecycle of the concrete step barrier, the amount of work, vehicles and energy required to install steel barrier is 250% greater.
BRITPAVE wins the
Concrete Centres
Sustainability Award
