Tramway bed greening has various environmental benefits:

• Noise reduction. Replacing the normal hard tramway bed with a vegetation layer reduces the level of reflected sound. Typically, a significant 4-5 decibel reduction in noise levels can be achieved. Interestingly, when people in Berlin were questioned about the differences in noise level between planted and unplanted tramway beds, the perceived reduction in noise with planting was much greater than that actually recorded. This is yet another illustration of how urban vegetation has a profoundly beneficial effect on how people in the city perceive their immediate environment. The noise deadening effect was the decisive factor in Germany for the governmental sanction of such systems.
• Markedly increased rain water attenuation. The rapid shedding of poor quality water from sealed urban surfaces is now a real problem that needs to be urgently addressed. Planted tramway beds hold considerable quantities of water and release that water back to the atmosphere by evaporation and transpiration.
• Improvement in air quality. Planted tramway beds absorb carbon dioxide, and particulate and organic volatile pollutants. They release oxygen and water vapour. They also reduce the heat sinking effects of the standard tramway bed. Heat sinking by hard areas in cities being responsible for the well documented 'urban heat island effect'.

Correct installation of either Nature Mat or plug plants will ensure that the plant layer thrives, weed contamination is minimised and subsequent maintenance levels are low. To allow us to produce a tailored specification for your application please contact us.