...

Do Muscovites need paving slabs instead of asphalt

The post discusses how replacing asphalt with paving slabs in Moscow could benefit the city and its residents. Benefits include improved drainage and overall aesthetics, reduced noise pollution, resistance to various weather conditions and less deterioration of roads. Paving slabs could also provide additional protection from flooding and help to promote the safety of cyclists, as they create a bigger visual effect when compared to asphalt roads. The potential drawbacks, such as higher vulnerabilities to damage, could be overcome by proper installation and maintenance. In conclusion, paving slabs could be a great way to improve the overall quality of life in Moscow.

Recommendation points



It is simply impossible not to notice the new undertaking of the Moscow mayor – replacing the asphalt pavement on the sidewalks with tiles. Work has already begun on many central streets of the capital, so both Muscovites and guests of the white stone have already been able to appreciate the scale of the innovation and its impact on the appearance of Moscow..

Paving slabs in Moscow
Andrey Ryabushkin. Moscow street of the 17th century on a holiday. 1895

Sergei Sobyanin’s start, of course, raises controversy and doubts about its expediency, so we will try to figure out whether ordinary residents of the capital need paving slabs instead of asphalt, or are there still more pressing problems that budgetary funds could be spent on solving..

The decree of the Moscow government dated May 4 of this year implies the replacement of asphalt pavement with paving slabs in the central districts of the city and on separate outgoing highways, in particular, a new pavement will be laid around 97 objects within the Garden Ring. It is already known that in the very near future Zubovsky, Gogolevsky, Tverskoy, Pokrovsky, Rozhdestvensky and Petrovsky boulevards, Turgenevskaya and Trubnaya squares, Yakimanka, as well as Ostozhenka streets, Prospekt Mira, Bolshaya Nikitskaya and Leninsky prospect will be “dressed up”.

The replacement of asphalt concrete pavement with paving slabs in general will be carried out on an area of ​​1,134.3 thousand square meters, all work, according to the decree, will be completed by November 2011, although the mayor himself noted that it is necessary to finish laying the tiles by August 25 of this year of the year.

Laying one meter of square paving slabs will cost at least 3.5 thousand rubles.

It was originally planned to spend about 2.78 billion rubles on laying new “clothes” for sidewalks on an area of ​​more than 1 million square meters, currently the costs have grown to 3.5 billion rubles, and some media say a more solid figure of 4 billion rubles.

According to Sergei Sobyanin, laying one meter of square paving slabs will cost at least 3.5 thousand rubles. For comparison, to lay one square meter of asphalt concrete pavement costs from 500 to 1.2 thousand rubles. So is it worth it to go for such large additional costs, especially since almost all sidewalks on the central streets of Moscow were in excellent condition even before the start of the tile laying? Many Muscovites note that tearing off the asphalt without a single crack and high-quality curbs is just a waste of money, but the authorities have a lot of arguments for the decision..

Why paving slabs are better than asphalt pavement

First: environmental friendliness

According to ecologists, laying a new coating can reduce air pollution in the center of the metropolis by 15-20%. Asphalt, warming up under the hot rays of the summer sun, releases nickel, iron, vanadium, copper and magnesium, which cause a deterioration in the ecological situation in the capital. Paving slabs, in the manufacture of which only materials such as cement, sand, water, various plasticizers and additives that give the tiles frost resistance, hardness and stability are used, are a much more environmentally friendly material than asphalt.

Second: durability

Although laying the tiles, as noted in the mayor’s office, will cost almost 7 times more than asphalt, it is more durable. If the average service life of asphalt concrete is only 6-7 years, then paving slabs can last from 20 to 30 years without any repair work..

Third: heat resistance

In summer, paving slabs heats up much less than dark asphalt, which at night releases all the heat accumulated during a sunny day into the atmosphere. In addition, on inclined surfaces, the asphalt, melting under the sun, begins to “flow”, so on such roads and sidewalks, laying tiles is an urgent need.

Fourth: aesthetics

Paving slabs look much more aesthetically pleasing than the commonplace gray asphalt pavement. In all major European cities, in particular in Berlin, Paris and Madrid, attractive, easy-to-use paving slabs have been substituted for asphalt for a long time, so the mayor’s decision will help Moscow acquire a new, more European, well-groomed look.

Fifth: dryness

During rains and melting snow on the tiled sidewalks, water does not accumulate, which flows freely through the narrow gaps between the tiles, so that even prolonged rains are not accompanied by the appearance of puddles.

Covering sidewalks with tiles
Sergey Volkov. Old Arbat. 1979

But I would like to note right away – all of the above advantages apply only to high-quality paving slabs created in compliance with all the requirements of the technological process. In addition, improper installation of such a coating can negate all the advantages of the starting material..

A protest action against the replacement of asphalt with tiles has already taken place not so long ago near the city hall. It was attended not only by activists of the Left Front movement, which is traditionally in opposition to the government, but also by representatives of the capital’s roller skating movement and the Moscow Parents organization.

The participants of the action referred to the main disadvantages of the new pavement coverage:

  • paving slabs will interfere with the normal movement of prams;
  • rollers will not be able to freely ride on rollers, as paving slabs are not a very suitable surface for such a ride;
  • ladies who previously preferred to wear high heels will now have to abandon stilettos, since a thin heel can easily get stuck in the gap between the tiles and threaten not only spoiled shoes, but also serious injuries;
  • in winter, ice forms on the paving slabs, it is very easy to slip and get injured, you should be very careful when moving on such a sidewalk.

It is not difficult to object to all these accusations – again, high-quality tiles, especially made by vibrocompression (and this is exactly the kind of tile that Sergey Sobyanin plans to buy), has a matte, rough surface and it is quite difficult to slip on it. If the paving slabs are laid with high quality, then gaps of no more than 1-2 millimeters remain between the individual slabs, the surface turns out to be flat, so you can walk on it in heels and carry a stroller without any problems. And for skaters, it is generally necessary to allocate separate places for skiing and training so that they do not interfere with ordinary passers-by..

However, the main thing that raises doubts among Muscovites about the advisability of replacing asphalt with tiles is serious suspicions that all this large-scale event was started solely with the aim of giving officials and their family members once again to earn a solid profit on government orders..

And the residents of Moscow have grounds for such suspicions – immediately after the appointment of Sergei Sobyanin to the post of mayor of the capital, information began to appear in the press that his wife was the owner of the Aerodromstroy company, whose main area of ​​activity is the construction of runways and the production of sidewalk tiles. So, when the government of the capital started talking about replacing asphalt with paving slabs, it did not come as a surprise to most analysts, because the family business has always been a priority for most high-ranking officials. Moreover, in 2001-2005, when Sobyanin served as governor of the Tyumen region, in Tyumen, paving slabs were also laid on all central streets and it was the company of Sergei Semenovich’s wife who was engaged in the production of materials for the new pavement.

Of course, according to Andrey Tsybin, head of the Moscow Housing and Improvement Department, dozens of construction companies took part in the tender for the laying and production of paving slabs..

As a result, 11 of them won the tender for laying tiles on Moscow streets. Under the terms of the contract, organizations are required to provide a three-year warranty on coverage. If deficiencies are found in the new pavement covering during this period, the repair will be carried out at the expense of the companies that carried out the installation. In the future, the Housing and Utilities Department will be responsible for the operation of the coating.

As Tsybin explained, the contracts with the suppliers of paving slabs were already signed by the contractors who won the tender. Among them – “Spetsstroy-ZhBI 17”, which is part of the company “Eurobeton”, the construction concern “Krost”, the plant in the Tver region “Complex construction industry”, “Company” Garantia-Stroy “from Zhukovsky and other organizations. Andrey Tsybin emphasized that eight factories will supply paving slabs for laying the central streets of the capital, and their owners are different.

However, such statements by the official could not diminish the doubts of ordinary citizens – the situation is too much like the beginning of the stormy activities of the wife of the former mayor, Yuri Luzhkov, who first started replacing the plastic seats in the capital’s stadiums, including Luzhniki, and as a result was able to become the richest a woman of Russia and the main Moscow developer.

Moreover, the holding of a tender for laying paving slabs was not without scandals – the losing companies complained to the Federal Antimonopoly Service about the excessive demands of the authorities. In particular, the government has put forward a requirement that all equipment involved in the work be equipped with GLONASS systems. Anti-monopoly authorities canceled part of the auction results, but this did not reduce the number of dissatisfied.

In addition, as the participants of the Left Front movement found out, the laying of paving slabs in Moscow was entrusted to ordinary guest workers, most of whom do not even speak Russian, and control over the work is not carried out. At the same time, the mayor’s office notes that out of the total cost of replacing asphalt with paving slabs, only 500 rubles are spent on the purchase of the material itself, and 3 thousand rubles – for work on dismantling asphalt and laying tiles..

It is hard to believe that the labor efforts of guest workers really cost such a considerable amount..

If we are to be equal to the European capitals, then in most of them paving slabs have been laid for a long time in a mechanized way, in particular, using modern equipment from the German company “Optimas”. Moreover, this method of laying tiles is even more economical than the manual option – one tile laying machine can replace 30 workers, and guarantees the highest quality of the road surface.

Many experts, in particular Gevorg Shakhnazarov, an expert of the Accounts Chamber, note that laying paving slabs, provided that the coating is of high quality, and the laying process is carried out in compliance with all requirements, is an important undertaking and fully meets modern global trends in urban beautification … However, there is no need for special haste, because to lay more than 1 million square meters of tiles in less than three months and at the same time comply with all quality requirements is a rather difficult task. And tile laying will not be able to solve the problem with Moscow corks in any way. So, 4 billion rubles could be spent on other, more pressing goals, for example, arranging transport and transfer hubs, repairing houses or launching a high-speed tram.

Rate the article
( No ratings yet )
Recommender Great
Tips on any topic from experts
Comments: 1
  1. Skylar Kelly

    Do Muscovites prefer paving slabs over asphalt for their roads and sidewalks? What are the advantages of using paving slabs instead of traditional asphalt in terms of durability, maintenance, and aesthetic appeal? Are there any specific drawbacks or concerns associated with using paving slabs in a city like Moscow? Additionally, how do Muscovites perceive the overall quality and safety of their current infrastructure?

    Reply
Add comments