Grinding down the footpaths to make a better world

not just vision impaired people will benefit, older people with bi-focals can see what the path looks like at distance (top half of specs) but it is dificult for them to actually see where they are putting their feet (bottom half of specs), which can lead to falls and broken hips and worse

Ever since one dude (who was rather overweight!) fell over on a footpath in Cook and sued the ACT Govt, they’ve been going crazy grinding concrete all over Canberra. At the moment they are virtually re-concreting every path in Downer – complete overkill!

They did it all up and down constitution avenue near the CIT and Scabs Alley months ago.

As a side bonus it’ll assist vision impaired people with where to put their feet (in a kind of look out for the white bit kind of way)

Sounds like a smart solution to a common enough problem, about time we saw some thinking outside the square. The proviso being that if the pavement was past it’s serviceable shelf life that it would naturally be replaced of course.

they sure are grinding marks, I saw them hard at it many a early morning on the way to school. They had a old white van which said something like ‘Heart Essentials’ on the side in peeling letters. There were two of them and this grinding machine which made a hell of alot of noise.

Seems like a reasonable move, and it makes more sense than the ramp approach that has taken place in some parts of Canberra where they build a mini-concrete ramp from the lower paver to the higher paver in an effort to smooth them out.

Spectra, my parents live in Melbourne (Mitcham), and footpaths around their neighbourhood were similarly ground years ago.

OK, I surrender. I’ll tell Ernie Trudge to stop bullshitting me over my quiet afternoon beer. Or to pay more attention to what his co-workers are actually doing.

It is indeed grinding in order to remove those nasty edges which can trip you up. They’ve been doing the same thing in Melbourne where I used to live for years.
Is it worth it? Well, given the generous compensation payouts these days, saving one person from tripping may well end up being worth it 🙂

Definately grinding, some areas of Tuggeraning are getting it too. if it’s cheaper than ripping it up and relaying, and achieves the same result – ingenious!! Whodathunkit??!!!!

looks like the surface has been ground back to me.

Council worker I met down the pub shortly after knocking-off time (3.23 on Tuesdays) tells me they are in fact the marks made after spraying with noxious weedkiller. The weeds grow through the gap between pavers.
Could be, however, that an overzealous (or environmentally conscious) worker took to the weeds with an angle grinder.