Loose cycleway material no threat to environment: DCC
THERE is no environmental threat from loose cycle strip material washing into Dunedin’s stormwater drains.
New green cycling strip material has been applied to both the oneway cycle lanes and intersections around the city.
A large amount of the loose stone (bauxite) chip has washed into the stormwater system after heavy rain earlier this week.
Dunedin City Council trans port delivery manager Josh von Pein said sometimes when the product was first applied, there was some minor chip loss.
There were no negative environmental impacts from the chips. They were captured at the base of mudtanks which were routinely cleaned, Mr von Pein said.
The new green surfacing has been applied to sections of Factory Rd, Rattray St, Opoho Rd, Orari St, Midland St and Hillside Rd as part of the council’s rou tine maintenance programme to renew wornout cycle strips.
About $44,000 has been spent on the renewal programme in the past month.
Contractors were required to regularly check and ensure areas around the strips were cleared of hazards.
Some of the loose stone chips had been cleared by the contractor yesterday and cleanup was scheduled for next week.
The NZ Transport Agency has also applied the material to sections of the new oneway cycle lane.
NZTA project manager Simon Underwood said two types of paint were used on the new cycle lanes. One was a standard road paint and the other was used where vehicles crossed over the path.
The darker paint which contained the chips was longerlasting but could shed a small amount of material before it bedded in, Mr Underwood said.