Road crossings artwork starts to disintegrate
PROBLEM WITH ADHESIVE WILL BE FIXED, FREE, BY SUPPLIER
COLOURFUL crossings laid on a city centre road less than six months ago are starting to disintegrate.
Brightly-designed covers were placed over two pedestrian crossings in Charles Street in September to try to improve the look of the approach to the city’s Cultural Quarter.
However, the crossings, installed at a cost of £23,500, are now breaking up under the weight of the traffic that uses the main road outside City Hall.
Parts of the artwork have been worn and chipped away.
Ben Smart, 26, who lives in Charles Street, said: “I really like them but they haven’t lasted very long.
“A load of buses go over them every day and they get a battering.
“They should have used something a bit more heavy-duty.”
Highways engineers said there had been a problem with the adhesive used to fix the coverings to the road and that the supplier would replace them.
A city council spokesman said: “Following discussions with the suppliers we understand there have been problems with the adhesive used for the new crossings in Charles Street, and consequently parts of the decorative surface are coming away from the road surface.
“The supplier has confirmed that the surfacing will be replaced at these two crossings in early spring entirely at their cost.”
When the council installed the designs, it said it would consider covering more crossings with artwork if people liked them. However, the council spokesman said: “There are currently no plans to install these decorative coatings at other pedestrian crossings, but this is something we may revisit.”
There were concerns that the crossing could be potentially distracting and unsafe, particularly for visually impaired people.
Critics argued roads were best kept simple and not turned into public art.