THE LIMASSOL Municipality has announced that it will renovate a granite-flagstone coastal road in front of the public zoo after residents and motorists complained that the roughness of the surface and the gaps between the slates make for noisy and dangerous driving. The projected cost of the project was not revealed.
But Limassol mayor Demetris Kontides told the Cyprus Mail yesterday that the only reason the flagstone road is noisy is because drivers are speeding.
“If people weren’t driving so quickly, the noise would decrease,” Kontides said, adding that the flagstones were chosen to create safer road conditions. “One of the reason that we put flagstones there in the first place was to reduce speeds.”
The road traverses west 250 metres from the public zoo towards the old city.
Neighbours have been complaining about the noise for several months now, prompting discussions to blanket the expensive and aesthetic flagstones with asphalt.
But the Interior Ministry last week notified Kontides that they had discovered a more suitable renovation method that would involve smoothing over the rough flagstones with a plastic substance and filling the gaps between the flagstones.
Kontides said that because this is only a pilot project, the costs have not been estimated. “This is just a trial run. If it works on a section of the road, then we will estimate the costs for the entire span of road. If not, we will find another method.”
In the first phase of the project, which is set to begin next month, only one lane of the road will be renovated.
There have also been concerns voiced that the irregular height of the flagstone road creates a safety hazard for moped and motorcycle riders. The gaps in the road also cause difficulties for anyone who is in a wheelchair or pushing a baby stroller and poses some challenges for women in high heels, especially stilettos.
But pedestrians do have access to the pavements on both sides of the road, as well as to the long esplanade on the coastal side popular with strollers and bicyclists.
Kontides noted that roads are commonly built with flagstones or cobblestones in other parts of Europe. “In Europe there are many roads designed like this one. It’s just that we aren’t used to them here.”
The 5,500 square-metre stretch of flagstone road took about three months to be completed and cost £48 per cubic metre.
For the task, 18 tonnes of granite were imported from Portugal. With the approval of the Limassol municipality, Urban Planning selected the materials and location so that the road could also serve when needed as a temporary plaza for events and festivities like Kataklysmos.
What is flagstone?
Flagstone is a type of flat stone, usually used for paving slabs, but also for making fences or roofing. It may also be used for making memorials or headstones in a cemetery. Flagstone is a sandstone which makes the rock essentially quartz. The material that binds flagstone is usually composed of silica, calcium, or iron oxide. The colour of the rock usually comes from the cementing material.
Source: Wikipedia.
??
??
??
??
