JB Anti-Slip timber boardwalk for National Cycle Network

National Cycle Network

The collaboration of Sustrans (a charity supporting the use of walking, cycling and public transport) with Cheshire West, Chester Council and Flintshire County Council has seen the completion of improved cycle routes from North Wales to the Wirral Way.

The cycle path provides an important link between Cheshire Flintshire and the Wirral, connecting the Wirral and National Cycle Network route between England and Wales.

JB Anti-Slip Plus® chosen for cycle path

Part of the path crosses a wetland area, which is also part of an RSPB site and is a Site of Special Scientific interest; decking was chosen to provide a natural sustainable hard landscaping solution.

JB Anti-Slip Plus®, with a smooth profile, was chosen for the 3m wide cycle path that crosses the marsh at Burton on a raised wooden boardwalk, before returning the cyclist back to the tarmacked route.

Robin Nursaw, of Flintshire County Council: “Without the use of timber decking for the boardwalk we would have had to change the route of the cycleway.  Requirements for the RSPB reserve include a natural and low noise solution. The 3 metre wide cycleway is raised up over the wetland in an exposed and open area. We (the council) chose a smooth timber deck board with anti-slip as it’s better for pedestrians and maintenance is easy.

“Grooved boards were rejected as, in such an open area, muck and dirt gets into the grooves and is difficult to clean. The risk of water freezing in the grooves was also a consideration. Smooth decking requires minimal maintenance which is increasingly important to keep overall maintenance costs down. The new boardwalk has been in for a while now [since April 2013] and the timber is settling in and weathering nicely. The path has a footfall of over 10,000 visitors a month and I never get a bad report about the path.”

JB Anti-slip Plus® smooth profile timber deck boards were chosen for the Burton marsh section of the cycle network

Also specified by Devon County Council as the ‘optimum solution for a cycle path’, the smooth boards deliver a low noise solution and the anti-slip inserts were chosen for an extremely low slip risk.

Slip resistant qualities independently tested

The slip resistant qualities of John Brash’s JB Anti-slip Plus® decking have been independently tested by the Health & Safety Laboratory (HSL). This resulted in a Pendulum Test Value (PTV) score of 69, even when wet, which is significantly above the minimum required score of 33.

Find out more about using timber decking for cycle paths and boardwalks via the website below.

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