New materials defeat vandals

Patterned polycarbonate screens are more expensive than glass, but have stopped breakages. Picture / Martin Sykes

Unsightly bus shelters with smashed or scratched glass panels could soon be less common - thanks to new see-through vandal-proof materials.

Trials with the materials are being held in earnest by a national company which has glass-walled bus shelters to carry advertisements, and by the Auckland and North Shore city councils.

Adshel operations manager John Burt said replacing vandalised glass cost the company $500,000 a year.

North Shore City Council's annual repair bill for its 400 shelters is $100,000 and Auckland's is believed to be similar.

The challenge to find cheaper alternatives to outright replacement of panels has been taken up by glass merchant Sauvarins, which has crews working seven days a week repairing shelters.

North Shore passenger transport services co-ordinator Chris Harris said the city's problem was more with broken panes than graffiti scratches.

"Breakages from metal objects fired from slingshots is all the rage," he said.

For repeatedly damaged shelters the council was considering a polycarbonate glazing grade panel which was unbreakable and did not go milky or mark when cleaned.

Mr Harris said a shelter at Rangatira Rd, Birkenhead, was given a polycarbonate screen printed with a pattern of small black triangles.

This stopped breakages, but it was more expensive than standard glass.

The council was also considering a window film that would limit damage to the extent that it could be repaired.

Auckland City Council uses toughened glass that breaks safely and is the industry standard.

Such shelters are prime targets for graffiti tags scored in glass.

"We are trying out some measures in looking for cleverer solutions to breakages," said a spokesman.

Sauvarins director David Hughes said the councils would try samples of a Chinese-made screen-printed glass strengthened with a resin.

Any breaks were disguised by the screen print design and could possibly be repaired by welding.

It was also four times stronger than a standard panel and the same price.

Mr Hughes said the changing technology would defeat vandals.

"If they don't get the loud bang and crash they seem to lose interest.

"A resin weld could be a big saver. Hopefully with the new product we will see some real benefits."

Mr Burt said Adshel had been replacing damaged panels because it was cheaper than trying to repair them. But a recent move gave relief from damage by taggers.
Panels were replaced with ones engraved with a fernleaf pattern.

"Taggers want a big space to scratch so the tag can stand out at a distance. But the patterns on the panels eliminate most of the space so they leave them alone."

Mr Burt said the move had reduced damage by more than half.