Churchill Way Canal Feeder

One of the glass panels has already been smashed.. how are they going to protect against vandalism? Especially given it is next to Pulse with all the drunk people in the early hours. I foresee someone jumping down into the canal...

I would love to see what the street would look like once it is finished, with all the vegetation and greenery. I agree it looks pretty bland right now.

If someone does jump or fall in, then it doesn’t look like they will be getting out easily. The water may only be a few feet deep, but they have built up the sheer concrete side walls and don’t appear to have installed any steps or ladders.

I suppose there is an argument that installing egress ladders might actually encourage people to climb in, but I think it’s inevitable that some people are going to end up in the water.

One of the glass panels has already been smashed.. how are they going to protect against vandalism? Especially given it is next to Pulse with all the drunk people in the early hours. I foresee someone jumping down into the canal...

The panel was smashed by one of the builders accidentally using heavy machinery and has since been replaced. The tender included a long term maintenance contract for upkeep I believe, which should ensure a speedy repair in the event of vanadlism.

Not just Pulse, the street is a major thoroughfare for people leaving all the major nightspots on Greyfriars Rd.

If someone does jump or fall in, then it doesn’t look like they will be getting out easily. The water may only be a few feet deep, but they have built up the sheer concrete side walls and don’t appear to have installed any steps or ladders.

I suppose there is an argument that installing egress ladders might actually encourage people to climb in, but I think it’s inevitable that some people are going to end up in the water.

There are ladders installed either side.

The panel was smashed by one of the builders accidentally using heavy machinery and has since been replaced. The tender included a long term maintenance contract for upkeep I believe, which should ensure a speedy repair in the event of vanadlism.

It hadn't been replaced yesterday morning. I noticed a perspex panel in one place and another glass panel held on with zip-ties because it didn't fit properly. It's been open for over two weeks and they broke it during construction when you might expect they had a few unused panels lying around - hardly a "speedy repair"!

There are ladders installed either side.

I did notice a couple of ladders when I had a look around yesterday - next to the bridges where I guess they aren't too prominent and wont encourage anyone to go dipping. Nether of them can been seen in the press photos from opening day though. I would have expected safety features to be in place before it was opened to the public.

The panel was smashed by one of the builders accidentally using heavy machinery and has since been replaced. The tender included a long term maintenance contract for upkeep I believe, which should ensure a speedy repair in the event of vanadlism.

It hadn't been replaced yesterday morning. I noticed a perspex panel in one place and another glass panel held on with zip-ties because it didn't fit properly. It's been open for over two weeks and they broke it during construction when you might expect they had a few unused panels lying around - hardly a "speedy repair"!

Smashing a panel with heavy machinery hardly constitutes vandalism either. Of course it will take longer to manufacture reinforced glass panels in the event of that sort of damage and I'm not sure why you'd assume they'd have 'a few unused panels lying around'.

Doesn't really matter how it got damaged - It still took 3 weeks to fix. During ongoing construction it's not unusual for a contractor to have stocks of materials on hand as they will be planning to use them in the near future. Even if stock wasn't on site, the supplier might have been able to bring forward delivery of the next batch. My point is that if it takes 3 weeks to replace now, then it's likely to take much longer after the works have been completed and the contractor/supplier have moved onto other jobs.

I have nothing against glass balustrades in principle, but I'm just not sure they were the best design choice here. I guess they do fit with the raw concrete that is used extensively in this scheme, but I think they might prove costly in the long run compared to stainless steel railings or some equally low-maintenance, yet less easy to damage, material.

Contractors dont buy any more materials than they need to - they might retain a small surplus stock of 'standard' materials such as concrete blocks. But never bespoke materials such as these glass panels - unless their client has specifically requested them to purchase spares. These will be held by the client (Cardiff Council) not Contractor.

Well perhaps they should have ordered some 'spares'. In addition to the cracked panel that everyone seemed to notice, when I visited the other week there was at least one section fitted with a perspex panel and another where the glass was fixed with zip-ties because it didn't fit the frame.

The unit next to Pulse, formerly Scope then The Sandwich Bar, has reopened as 'Cafe Hench', seemingly some sort of partnership between Hench Burger and Pulse (which holds the lease).

Does anyone know when the rest of the canal quarter will be constructed? It's starting to look pretty good now they are nearing completion, and things have been planted up.