Tuesday, 19 March 2024
InfrastructureNews

Recycled kerb business to help LAs with temporary cycling infrastructure

With phase one Emergency Active Travel funding currently in circulation a recycled kerb business has come to market to help local authorities (LAs) with a flexible solution to temporary and semi-permanent cycling infrastructure.

Durakerb has developed a product made from an 88% recycled polymer plastic that can, and has already, been bolted down to UK roads.

Supporting Transport for London’s drive to adjust road space, Durakerb’s product began to be laid down on streets at the end of June. Stocks of the product are now ready at a depot in Beckton, ready for further roll out as local authorities develop their infrastructure plans.

Beyond supporting the capital’s bid to encourage social distancing and greener travel, the lightweight nature of the Durakerb units means that installation requires fewer construction workers and therefore reduces the risk of spreading COVID-19. It also means fewer trucks on the roads, reducing CO2 emissions.

The company hopes to supply the temporary cycling infrastructure products to the 60 councils in England, Scotland and Wales that have pledged to reconfigure pavements following a campaign spearheaded by Cycling UK.

Phil Sutton, Managing Director at Econpro, the parent company of Durakerb commented: “We’re delighted to be supporting London’s efforts to become a greener city. Dangerous emissions at some of the capital’s busiest roads fell by almost 50% during lockdown according to the Mayor of London, and it is fantastic that we are able to contribute to cleaner air and safer streets.

“As other parts of the country modify their roads to encourage more pedestrians and cyclists, we hope that councils consider using our ‘bolt on’ kerb units to further improve their environmental credentials and ensure social distancing remains possible.”

The Emergency Active Travel funding, which will be allocated in two phases, compels local authorities to begin getting to grips with re-allocating road space to more active travel means in a bid to meet the challenges of Covid-19’s physical separation needs head on. While some authorities have put forward solid proposals and gained additional funding cash, numerous councils were found to be lacking ambition in their planning, most notably Essex, Hertfordshire and Surrey.

A second, more valuable funding round will soon be allocated for more permanent proposals.