The Victorian Government has begun a trial of new panels designed to curb graffiti on noise barriers and retaining walls, reducing the time spent on graffiti removal.
Planning is still underway for the installation of these anti-graffiti panels, but they are set to be in areas that have experienced high levels of graffiti, including on retaining walls and abutments in Tarneit, Sunshine North, Truganina, Tottenham, Maribyrnong and noise walls along the M80 in Bundoora.
Fifty panels will be trialled in select locations identified based on their susceptibility to vandalism, ensuring to target areas of high traffic.
These panels blend seamlessly into existing structures and use recycled plastic waste to form what is known as a TagShield panel.
This innovative technology will repurpose diverted plastic waste from landfill, giving containers, bottles and other recyclables a second lease of life.
Each square metre panel features a complex network of shapes and channels that renders graffiti unreadable, made up of engineered polymer that increases paint run.
The trial is scheduled to run for around 12 months, with experts evaluating the overall effectiveness of deterring vandalism.
Victorian Minister for Roads and Road Safety, Melissa Horne, said that this innovative technology will help reduce unsightly graffiti in neighborhoods by deterring vandals after these panels are retrofitted to roadsides.
“We hope this trial will reduce cleanup and removal of tags and graffiti by reducing the attractiveness of traditional surfaces,” Horne said.
