Elite Rubber Pavement: Flexi-Pave
by Justin Thomas, Virginia on 11. 1.05
Flexi-Pave is a pour-in-place, rubber paving surface that is pervious to storm water. The rubber used to make Flexi-Pave comes from recycled tires. It's similar to porous pavement but has the advantage of a flexible surface that doesn't crack or develop potholes. See this previous post for another example of rubber pavement. It's been used for sidewalks, parking lots and roadways. The cost is approximately $6 per square foot installed. :: Flexi-Pave
while i like how it functions - one draw back in hot climates (i'm in sydney) is heat retention. The schools i've seen it used in are not too happy with this aspect and have all complained. one little tot took his socks and shoes off then burnt his tootsies enough to start to cry - the boss dealt with his mum thankfully. ironically, the schools have spread sand over the rubber and placed them back in the situation they wanted to get out of - sand filled shoes.
I live in a small city in Korea and this kind of flexi-pave is used on the sidewalks on the main street in front of city hall here. It tends to get torn up a bit by drivers who cross it to enter parking lots and who park on the sidewalk (very common in Korea), but overall it seems to be holding up well. It was installed about a year ago. It seems to be water absorbent and releases water slowly after a rainy day, so it should help a bit with slowing stormwater discharge to storm sewers. It seems to work great in parks where there is no vehicle traffic, and I hope we see more of it here soon.
This looks promising.