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<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> These rubber sidewalks are interesting, and might be good around trees. </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> However, they are </FONT><b><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> experimental</FONT></b><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> . </FONT><b><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> The claim that they last 3 times </FONT></b></div>
<div><b><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> longer is questionable.</FONT></b><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> This claim only applies to sidewalks </FONT><b><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> subject to tree root damage</FONT></b><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> . </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> Otherwise, it would appear that concrete walks last longer and are a lot cheaper. </FONT></div>
<div> </div>
<FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> </FONT><div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> These rubber walks have only been installed in </FONT><b><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> real world east cost test </FONT></b></div>
<div><b><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> situations for a couple of years</FONT></b><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> so any claim that it lasts 14 years or 3 times </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> longer than concrete is suspect.</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> </FONT></div>
<div><b><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> Using experimental materials have expenses that are often</FONT></b></div>
<div><b><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> overlooked,</FONT></b><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> like training, evaluation and new maintenance procedures.</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> Staff time investigating and maintaining these things would be costs </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> that are significant for a small town like us. As an example, they</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> recommend removing these rubber pavers every few years and</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> trimming the tree roots. That would be a new expense. </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> Still it is </FONT><b><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> exciting to see new technology</FONT></b><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> that might help keep</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> sidewalks in good shape and if we have people interested in </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> investigating this further, we might all benefit.</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> According to their web site: </FONT><b><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> $15 is the average cost per square foot </FONT></b></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> for break out and installation. In April, the District of Columbia installed </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> about 4,000 square feet of rubber sidewalk, at a cost of $60,000.</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> [The New Rochelle install cost $20/sq foot vs $7 for concrete, see below.]</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> ------------</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> For those interested, here are some comments I found on the web..</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> The walkways are made of </FONT><b><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> ground recycled tires</FONT></b><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> molded into</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> squares [that weigh about 20 lbs each]; .. and fit together using</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> fiberglass pegs. </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> If crews need to get to anything beneath, they just lift the</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> sidewalk. For now, they are installed around trees along Rhode</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> Island Avenue between North Capitol and 15th streets NE. </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> [</FONT><b><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> Anybody up for a short road trip to check these out?</FONT></b><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> ]</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> Unlike concrete, which is poured and set on location, the prefab</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> rubber squares arrive from its California factory and are cut to</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> fit. Installers usually place Rubbersidewalks pavers over a bed</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> of crushed granite and connect the pavers using interlocking</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> dowels. The result: a sidewalk with a two-inch-deep footprint —</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> far shallower than its concrete cousins. To repair a rubber sidewalk, </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> workers unlock the dowels and remove the individual paver.</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> "We might have a little trial and error here," said Sharif</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> Fattah, who lives in the area where the sidewalks are being</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> tested. "I wonder how you shovel a rubber sidewalk?"</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> "The advantage is that you can effectively drape the rubber sidewalk </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> over the tree roots. </FONT><b><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> When you do concrete, in order to get a smooth </FONT></b></div>
<div><b><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> walking area, you tend to trim the roots</FONT></b><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> ," says Deatrick.</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> "They're pleasant to walk on. </FONT><b><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> They rise and fall with the trees.</FONT></b><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> "</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> Around tree roots, the walkways are said to last about 14 years -</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> - nearly three times longer than concrete ones -- [I am highly</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> suspect of this claim].</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> </FONT></div>
<div><b><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> Concrete suffocates tree roots,</FONT></b><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> </FONT><b><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> which then grow upward to fight</FONT></b></div>
<div><b><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> for air and water.</FONT></b><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> [is this true?] The roots break the concrete, which </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> trips the pedestrians, who sue the city. Rubber sidewalk panels have</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> quarter-inch spaces between them that let air and water through,</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> so tree roots grow downward like they should. </FONT><b><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> [Makes me wonder</FONT></b></div>
<div><b><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> about using traditional pavers that also allow water thru and </FONT></b></div>
<div><b><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> can also be removed and replaced].</FONT></b></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> Much of the cost of the sidewalk is shipping, because rubber is</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> heavy and the company, Rubbersidewalks Inc., is 2,700 miles away</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> in Gardena, Calif. </FONT><b><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> By next year, the company and the District</FONT></b></div>
<div><b><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> hope a new plant will open in New York, slicing freight charges.</FONT></b></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> Rubbersidewalks plans to open a new factory in Lockport, N.Y., in</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> the fall, a move it hopes will cut costs to customers in the</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> eastern half of the country. Still, the cross-continental cost of</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> transporting the tiles amounts to only about $1.50 per square</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> foot, Smith estimates. [</FONT><b><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> Shipping is only about 10% of the cost</FONT></b><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> ].</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> Saving trees may be the real cost savings.</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> "</FONT><b><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> I haven't determined if it's cost-effective,</FONT></b><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> " says Jeffrey</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> Coleman, New Rochelle's commissioner for public works. The city</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> installed a stretch of rubberized walkway to preserve one of its</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> older and more scenic tree-lined streets. "We wouldn't put this</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> in our downtown. In a downtown area, if you have to take a tree</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> down, it's not the end of the world."</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> </FONT></div>
<div><b><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> So far, Coleman is impressed that the material hasn't cracked</FONT></b></div>
<div><b><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> after two New York winters. </FONT></b><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> "It's flexible, pliable. That's one</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> of the nice features," he says. "I figured they would have been</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> beat up by a snow shovel or something."</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> [Some </FONT><b><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> user comments</FONT></b><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> found on a blog]</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> This is </FONT><b><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> not environmental friendly.</FONT></b><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> The tire wear pollution run</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> off into the ocean is bad enough as it is, why would anyone want</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> to add more synthetic materials that nature isn't accustom too?</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> [Others claim it is environmentally friendly since it is recycled</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> rubber, but there is some debate here.]</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> If it gets too cold though, rubber has a tendency to get </FONT><b><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> brittle</FONT></b></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> (and easier to damage). Also, if there is a lot of snow or ice, I</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> would expect the sidewalk to give </FONT><b><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> little traction</FONT></b><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> to the</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> pedestrian as they would likely be smoother than concrete.</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> How do we prevent people from </FONT><b><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> stealing these </FONT></b><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> and posting a</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> thousand Instructable projects that use "free" rubber panels? I</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> have read the manufacturer's site, and this is never explicitly</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> addressed. I think, if a maintenance crew can remove them, then</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> there must be an easy way for anyone to remove them. This is</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> cool, but I fear that after the first one gets taken, they're up</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> for grabs...</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> -----------------</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> Info on the </FONT><b><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> New Rochelle test install </FONT></b><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> from the companies web site:</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> "I don't see this replacing all sidewalks, but it would have a</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> place where you are trying to keep the conflict between roots and</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> sidewalks to a minimum," said James Maxwell, New Rochelle's</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> public works commissioner.</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> New Rochelle is spending $8,400 for the sidewalks and installation, </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> or $20 per square foot, much higher than the city's cost of $7 per </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> square foot for concrete.</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> In New York, Spring brought warmer weather, chirping birds and a note from </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> New Rochelle Commissioner, James Maxwell, reporting that Rubbersidewalks </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> sailed through another rough winter with no damage or disruption. The rest of the </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> sidewalks-concrete-didn't fare so well. [I think this is two years old now, you can </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> what appears to be broken concrete in the distance].</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> <IMG SRC="cid:ndfdttaotrff9u9zm2vs@poco" WIDTH="467" HEIGHT="344"></FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> Above picture in higher resolution at</FONT></div>
<div> <A HREF="http://www.rubbersidewalks.com/images/installations/3D684X3E/show/New%20Rochelle%20Winter%2006%203.jpg"><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> http://www.rubbersidewalks.com/images/installations/3D684X3E/show/New%20Rochelle%20Winter%2006%203.jpg</FONT></A></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> A reprint of the New Rochelle article is on the company's web site:</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> <a href="http://www.rubbersidewalks.com/pdf/a0124rubbersidewa.pdfhttp://www.rubbersidewalks.com/pdf/a0124rubbersidewa.pdf">http://www.rubbersidewalks.com/pdf/a0124rubbersidewa.pdfhttp://www.rubbersidewalks.com/pdf/a0124rubbersidewa.pdf</a></FONT></div>
<div> </div>
<FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> </FONT><div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> ------------------------</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> Washington Post Article:</FONT></div>
<div> <A HREF="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/01/AR2006070101087.html"><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/01/AR2006070101087.html</FONT></A></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> CBS news article:</FONT></div>
<div> <A HREF="http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/07/12/tech/main1796714shtml"><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/07/12/tech/main1796714.shtml</FONT></A></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> Company web site:</FONT> <A HREF="http://www.rubbersidewalks.com"><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> http://www.rubbersidewalks.com</FONT></A><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> For more details, contact Lindsay Smith at Rubbersidewalks, Inc.,</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> 2622 West 157th St., Gardena, Calif., 90249. Call 310-515-5814 or</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> email rubbersidewalks@aol.com.</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> [end]</FONT></div>
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