19 technical drawings of street furniture from Wirral Council’s contract with BAM Nuttall

                                               

These pictures are from Wirral Council’s contract with BAM Nuttall.

There is a saying that a picture is worth a thousand words. So I include some pictures of various drawings. Sadly Wirral Council have only supplied odd-numbered pages of the index, so what half the pictures were of was a surprise to me.

First as everyone needs to hear Wirral Council apologise (what for this time you may ask?) there’s the Scheme Sign Board with “Sorry for any inconvenience caused” which if Wirralleaks is reading is written in a black Arial typeface.

Up next is a hedge, but this isn’t any ordinary fence, it’s a hedge that sounds like a superhero. I introduce you to the “Quickthorn Hedge Double Protection Fence” That’s right folks Wirral Council now has double protection, keeping out upset people who may ask Wirral Council to read the “Sorry for any inconvenience caused” on the previous sign to keep them happy.

The next few drawings were frankly rather dull so I’m skipping them. Now for a word you don’t hear very often, newel. You see a lot of them around Wirral’s coastline. This is a 2 hole coastal newel.

What’s better than a 2 hole coastal newel, why if you like holes a 3 hole coastal newel of course!

But then sometimes even a 3 hole coastal newel won’t do, so I give you the 4 hole coastal newel.

And what about when a 4 hole coastal newel won’t do? Well you’ll just have to do as there is no drawing of a 5 hole coastal newel (any more holes and it would start to sound like a golf course)! Onto one of Wirral Council’s favourite themes now in stopping stuff. This however isn’t an ordinary access gate (with bollards). I guessed that the CHS meant that it was made from Case Hardening Steel (although Alan Penny has left a helpful comment pointing out that this is more likely to mean circular hollow section).

Let’s see sand fence frame (boring), untensioned safety fence (you’re sending me to sleep!), “Visimax Pedestrian Barrier System“. Sounds a bit dull really! “Visimax” Pedestrian Barrier System (Not Recommended for General Use)“, well you have me intrigued as to why it’s not recommended for general use but the drawing is dull, dull, dull! Onto standard brickwork catchpit (for use in grassed areas), it’s just a pit with pipes (rather dull), to the next one. Typical vertical backdrop detail (concrete manhole). Well on the basis of somebody out there is probably curious as to what’s under a manhole, here it is.

Ever wondered what type of concrete is used for a gully heavy-duty (distributer & estate roads), well neither have I (it’s grade ST2 concrete), but surely you’re learning something now? I’m beginning to think an excellent children’s book could be made from these pictures. Let’s see more gullies, sewer pipes, a debris screen, another gully (I mean seriously how many designs for gullies does Wirral Council actually need)? Boy this gets dull now, plastic inspection chamber, let me waken you up by teasing you by telling you it’s made of polypropylene (but I’m not showing you a picture). A valve, when I read the next one was a surface water storm tank it sounded more exciting than it was. Oh well! Let’s skip the next three… oh dear a manhole surround (have I sent you to sleep yet?), moving swiftly on and skipping some more, finally something interesting… wait for it it’s a Mastic Asphalt Speed Cushion (well that must be interesting to somebody reading this surely?)

The next four are road humps, when I say the most interesting element of those are the black triangles, you’ll know why I didn’t scan them in. I’ve skipped through a load now to find some great examples of tessellation. One of the things I liked about maths in primary school was cool stuff like tessellation. However there is always an edge and these are examples of half block cuts so the edge is smooth.

Course tessellation with a straight edge is easy, but what do you do with a raking edge, why this of course!

OK you can do straight lines, but tessellation with a curved line? Here’s how it’s done.

Now for some bollards. This a plastic bollard made out of recycled plastic.

Manchester possibly has a bollard named after it (at least that’s my guess, maybe the person who designed it was Mr. Manchester).

But what if you’re not a Manchester fan, why there’s a steel bollard too!

Now in the interests of political balance, I’ve realised I really don’t mention Green Party Cllr Pat Cleary enough on this blog. One of his favourite questions when he was on the Planning Committee was about cycle parking. So here are not just one, but two pictures of cycle parking stands!

Now I just have three more to go. Here’s the recycled street name plate sign. I didn’t know there was a Recycled Street on Wirral (ok very poor joke).

This last two images will forever remind me of my childhood. Maybe the first will remind you of your childhood too waiting at a zebra crossing on the Wirral!

I remember the “Transilluminated School Crossing Patrol Sign and Flasher” used to only go on at school times.

Well that’s all folks, be glad I spared you the pictures of flanges, ducting and bridge expansion joints (no doubt someone will now leave a comment expressing how disappointed they are that I didn’t include their favourite bridge expansion joint)…

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