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TripStop

Breakthrough:
A solution to a massive global problem. Concrete and trees do not make happy bedfellows with tree roots pushing through and deforming paving slabs. TripStop is a hi-tech safety product that controls sidewalk misalignment and reduces trip hazards.

Inventor:
Peter Mclean, Australia

Financial reward:
$5 million+

The Story:

Peter Mclean has taken a few tumbles in his time. But he really became aware of the scale of the problem of pavement pitfalls when he observed council employees replacing more than 80 concrete slabs in his street in late 2000. The sidewalk had fallen victim to soil movement and tree root invasion, but the repairs looked ugly. Out of curiosity he called his local council to find out the cost of replacing each slab, and the $95-$200 Australian dollars price tag astonished him.

Resolve

The concrete blocks were meant to have a shelf life of at least 50 years, but many were being thrown away just because of displacement. Driving around Melbourne he saw the same story repeated over and over again in other neighborhoods. He resolved to do something about it.

One evening he was traveling along the freeway when the solution came to him. “I thought to myself...what if one could join these slabs with some sort of flexible join that would allow the slabs to move with the earth, yet still stay in line?”

The Next Step

So when he got home he took out a pen and paper and subsequently devised and later patented a simple hi-tech solution that he called TripStop which took nearly 8 years of extensive research, development, and testing to get to market.

When the Earth Moves

In Australia sidewalks are designed as long continuous slabs which may look solid and stable, but when the earth moves - which happens as tree roots grow – cracks and joins appear and the slabs move independently and against each other. This results in sharp and protruding edges. Not only are they potential trip hazards, but local councils have to fork out big bucks every year to replace thousands of damaged slabs.

The Invention

TripStop is a specially designed cross shaped UV stabilized PVC extrusion that is applied to wet concrete as it is being poured. The strips are laid every meter or so just beneath the surface so that the slabs cannot sheer. Each one forms a connection across cracking control joints and articulates like a hinge.

When roots grow and the earth moves the concrete moves with it and not independently from it. This eliminates trip hazards, and the shelf-life of concrete is maintained which drastically slashes council repair bills.

Each TripStop can accommodate a serious amount of lift without displacing the slabs. In independent tests TripStop has lifted over four inches without presenting a trip hazard. Although back on the street if paving slabs lift by more than three inches councils usually have to act.

You might think that one solution to pavement problems would be to install heavier concrete, but even if the weight of slabs is trebled they will still move and cause displacement.

Awards

Mclean has picked up numerous awards for his innovation including a Gold medal with special commendation at the 2006 International Exhibition of Inventions and New Techniques in Geneva, Switzerland, and the Best New Product 2005 award at the CivEnEx show in Sydney, Australia.

In Australia well over 100 kilometers of TripStop have been installed in no fewer than 78 councils. The invention has also been exported to Canada, USA, and New Zealand, and many other countries have expressed an interest at trade fairs.

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