Making sense of footpath paint
Ever wondered why Sydney's CBD is awash with multi-coloured markings periodically?
PT1M28S http://www.smh.com.au/action/externalEmbeddedPlayer?id=d-2xscl 620 349 November 19, 2013
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It's the official "street" language of Sydney – but only a select group of people know how to speak it. It could almost be described as underground if it wasn't so clearly, well, on the ground.
Walk towards Town Hall along Kent Street and you'll see the symbols everywhere. Cross Pitt Street near Circular Quay and you can't miss them. Those painted lines and numbers scrawled on the pavement might look like gibberish graffiti to the average pedestrian, but they are in fact a vital part of the city's construction network.
But what do they mean?
Ground-level graffiti: some of the markings seen on Sydney streets. Photo: Amanda Hoh
The location marks indicate what is underground, whether there are sewer pipes, telecommunication cables or gas pipes.
“The council might see it as a visual blight. But to us, it means someone is taking care to find out what's happening down there to avoid hitting something,” said Dominic Puiu, the NSW manager for utility referral service Dial Before You Dig.
“We'd love to see more of them.”
Rune the day: Street markings on the corner of Druitt and Kent streets in Sydney. Photo: Amanda Hoh
With just one look at the image below, taken on the corner of Alfred and Pitt Street in Sydney's Circular Quay, Mr Puiu knows exactly what is underneath our feet.
He says the three circles on the left of the image means there are three pipes lined side by side - one is empty, while the other two pipes each contain 800 pair copper cables, controlling a total of 1600 lines for phone communication.
Colour codings for utility markings.
Telstra is likely going to dig up the pavement to modify telecommunication cables in the area, said Mr Puiu.
Any damage to those cables could affect dozens of businesses and individuals, from someone on life support to a shop worker using an Eftpos machine.
The colours, which Mr Puiu said were only standardised across Australia in March, are extremely important and indicate cable type.
Yellow indicates gas pipes and orange is electricity, while blue marks water pipes.
The markers are laid by underground utility locators, who are instructed to attend a potential construction site by utility services such as electricity, gas, telecommunications and water companies.
The locators use ground-penetrating radar or electromagnetic location tools to pinpoint pipes and cables underground, explained John Croxson of the National Utility Locators Contractors Association.
“You wouldn't begin the construction process if you didn't know what was underneath,” said a spokeswoman from Sydney Civil, the construction company that is building the City of Sydney cycleway extensions.
“We need to know where the phone lines are, where the gas lines are. The marks indicate what services are down there, like sewer and water.”
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