When a pedestrian comes into contact with a tire the results are usually not good as the tire is attached to a vehicle…Today however, there are many more pedestrians making contact with tires…especially at the corner of Derry Rd. and Millcreek Drive in Mississauga, ONT. Re-cycled tires that is, in the form of rubber sidewalks and the results are looking great.

Though just recently installed in Mississauga, the product has passed the test of time in many commercial, agricultural and industrial applications to date and world wide. At the site in Mississauga it was observed that the rubber side walks were installed at least twice as fast as the time required to install a concrete product. The tile sections installed here have a stamped “brick” pattern and come in an attractive array of colours. The Eco-Walk™ surfaces are comfortable to walk on and will be sure to put a “bounce” into everyone’s step.

Many municipalities all over Canada already have implemented or are beginning to take a closer look at this unique and earth friendly alternative to conventional base applications such as concrete, asphalt, or interlocking pavers, for use in projects such as sidewalks, multi-use access applications, park areas, bus shelters, and cross walks.

Why? ...because rubber side walks can provide many more benefits than concrete or asphalt. Alan Champagne, the founder and CEO of Champagne Edition Inc. and the Eco-Flex® brand of rubber products re-cycles some six million Canadian passenger car tires annually and with the increased demand on the resulting products will easily top that in the very near future.

Eco-Flex turns the resulting raw product into commercial, agricultural, and industrial based recycled rubber products for sale on both a national and world wide export basis. Eco-Flex sells and exports these unique products from both Alberta and Ontario locations. The latest product, Eco-Walk™ rubber sidewalks are primed to pave the walking surface of the future.

Though concrete will always have its place amongst the construction world, the Eco-Flex products are fast becoming an alternative to concrete, especially where pedestrian traffic is concerned. A reduction in liability issues is a plus that rubber sidewalks have over concrete. You can drop a glass bottle on a rubber sidewalk and watch it bounce…the same can apply to a child or senior citizen should they happen to trip and fall. Even when wet a rubber sidewalk offers a non slip surface that will never crack. The Eco-Walk™ rubber sidewalk provides an environmental benefit by getting tires out of land fills and with the assistance of effective organizations such as the Alberta and Ontario Tire Boards, scrap tires waste will soon be a thing of the past.

Saving urban forests is one of many tremendous benefits the Eco-Flex products can provide. The portability to allow for the movement of the product to access tree roots for trimming and the interlocking joints of the rubber sidewalks allow for moisture to penetrate, feeding tree root structures that may be growing beneath. This can prevent the root from growing toward the surface to get that much required moisture.

Varying climates will create cracks and upheavals in concrete and asphalt where rubber sidewalks will expand and contract without damage or changes to their surface. This can reduce on-going maintenance costs to cities and municipalities as well as the disruption in both pedestrian and vehicular traffic associated with this type of maintenance. In the winter, ice will tend to melt faster on the rubber than on the concrete and provide a much more stable environment for pedestrians as well as reduce the amount of salt required to melt that ice.

Eco-Walk™ rubber sidewalks offer the durability required to withstand, bicycles, sidewalk plows, constant pedestrian traffic, and at cross walks - vehicular traffic. Unlike concrete, there is no waiting time to dry or cure before use after installation and it can be installed in inclement weather. As for budgeting, the Eco-Walk™ rubber sidewalk based on the finished product will be slightly more

costly than concrete or asphalt however, the benefits associated with the reduction in liability claims, installation costs, maintenance costs, and their impact on the environment will far surpass the cost of concrete in the long run. For those of you in municipal, city, and architectural planning, be sure to bounce the feasibility of this alternative resource off each other at the next meeting. (For more info. please call us at 866-333-7638 or email projects@eco-flex.com)