COATING. Personnel of the Baguio government apply a non-slip coating on some of the tactile strips installed on sidewalks around the city on Friday (Aug. 26, 2022), following reports of accidents among pedestrians. The city engineering office said it will continue to assess the effectivity of the coating to prevent accidents. (PNA photo from PIO-Baguio)
BAGUIO CITY – The city government has started applying special coating on tactile strips on the city's sidewalks following accidents among pedestrians.
Edgar Victorio Olpindo, head of the city’s engineering office, on Friday said they have begun applying a non-slip coating solution on seven kilometers of the city's tactile pavement.
Olpindo said an initial test showed that sliding accidents have been reduced after the application of the coating, although further study is still needed.
“We would need to observe its effects after a long time. We also need to do more tests under different conditions including the types of footwear being used. We hope that we can have positive results,” he said.
Several objections to the tactile paving project were earlier raised following the slipping incidents, though Mayor Benjamin Magalong has repeatedly appealed to pedestrians not to step on the yellow tiles as they are intended only for the blind.
The mayor, however, admitted that people end up walking on the tiles in the narrow portion of the sidewalk. He has since ordered a halt in the installation of tactile strips.
Meanwhile, city administrator Bonifacio Dela Peña said the city will shoulder the medical expenses of the people who were injured from the tactile strips.
For his part, Rowald Julian, who owns the construction firm that was awarded the first contract for the improvement of the sidewalk along Kisad Road, insisted that the tiles they had provided got the nod of the Department of Public Works and Highways.
“Before ordering the required quantity, the manufacturer abroad sent for samples of different tactile tiles and was presented to the DPWH and to the city for approval. Iyong kinabit (what was installed) was the one that was approved.” (PNA)
Edgar Victorio Olpindo, head of the city’s engineering office, on Friday said they have begun applying a non-slip coating solution on seven kilometers of the city's tactile pavement.
Olpindo said an initial test showed that sliding accidents have been reduced after the application of the coating, although further study is still needed.
“We would need to observe its effects after a long time. We also need to do more tests under different conditions including the types of footwear being used. We hope that we can have positive results,” he said.
Several objections to the tactile paving project were earlier raised following the slipping incidents, though Mayor Benjamin Magalong has repeatedly appealed to pedestrians not to step on the yellow tiles as they are intended only for the blind.
The mayor, however, admitted that people end up walking on the tiles in the narrow portion of the sidewalk. He has since ordered a halt in the installation of tactile strips.
Meanwhile, city administrator Bonifacio Dela Peña said the city will shoulder the medical expenses of the people who were injured from the tactile strips.
For his part, Rowald Julian, who owns the construction firm that was awarded the first contract for the improvement of the sidewalk along Kisad Road, insisted that the tiles they had provided got the nod of the Department of Public Works and Highways.
“Before ordering the required quantity, the manufacturer abroad sent for samples of different tactile tiles and was presented to the DPWH and to the city for approval. Iyong kinabit (what was installed) was the one that was approved.” (PNA)
