Margaritelli Aesthetic Safety Barrier - put to the test
The eastern bays of Christchurch suffered significant damage to infrastructure as a result of the 2010-2011 Christchurch Earthquakes, prompting Christchurch City Council to establish the Suburban Centres Programme to assist recovery in nine locations with the main corridor along the eastern bays identified as significant. A master plan was drawn up specific to the 5km stretch of road from Ferrymead to Sumner Beach. Now complete, this stretch of road includes a stylish 272m section of CSP’s Margaritelli Aesthetic Safety Barrier System - to keep motorists, pedestrians and cyclists safe.
“One bend in particular at Moncks Bay required specific attention as it had previously been the location of two crashes with one fatality as the vehicle had ended up in the sea,” says Michael Beattie, Area Sales Manager for CSP.
“When it came to keeping pedestrians safe from traffic on this corner we needed to use a road safety barrier,” explains Nigel Weston, Project Lead Designer for Christchurch City Council. “Albeit the speed is only 40kms there but it’s a tight bend and a crash-tested system was necessary to prevent vehicles going through or over the barrier and possibly hurting pedestrians and cyclists.”
“After having a full independent assessment made by a road barrier professional it was decided a higher specified test level barrier system was not necessary for this bend, however we did need a good level of crash resistance from whatever we chose, which was the Margaritelli Aesthetic Safety Barrier System from CSP. The bonus to specifying this product is that not only does it look great, but it protects the motorist on the roadside of the barrier and the pedestrians and cyclists that are using the path.”
“The proof that the barrier is a necessary requirement and that it can do the job is that the morning everything was to be signed off the barrier was hit head-on, right at the bend,” says Michael. “The barrier was pushed back but did its job and kept everyone safe and has now been repaired.”
“With the new wider path and the good-looking safety features in place people are flocking to the new pathway in greater numbers every day,” says Nigel.