Cllr Wesley Harcourt (centre left), Anthony Leonard of Serco (centre right) with (L-R) Michael Cogdell, Alberto Blanco, Tony Hodgkinson and Anthony Howard
Eight new road-sweeping trucks will be cruising down paths and streets as part of Hammersmith & Fulham Council’s blitz on street litter.
The quiet engine, low-emission vehicles replaced the old fleet last week and have sprung into action keeping paths, pavements and roads clear of rubbish and detritus.
They are also some of the first in H&F’s fleet of vehicles to be fitted with cutting-edge safety technology to protect cyclists.
The vehicles comprise four Scarab Merlins, which are larger mechanical sweepers for roads and four smaller Hakos sweepers, which are able to access areas like footpaths in parks, narrow pavements and around traffic islands.
“We are determined to keep our roads clean and tidy and these new mechanical sweepers are a welcome addition in our war on unsightly streets,” said Cllr Wesley Harcourt, H&F Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment, Transport and Residents’ Services.
“Not only are they low-emission, they are safer and quieter too, so that means reduced risk of collisions, less mess, less pollution and less disturbance for residents, which is great news for everyone.”
The new 2015 vehicles use the latest Cyclear technology to protect against collisions involving cyclists. Serco will be rolling the technology out across all its waste, recycling and street cleaning vehicles across London in support of the Safer London Lorry Scheme.
The system uses an illuminated sign and speaker to alert cyclists and vulnerable road users when the vehicle is turning left.
Anthony Leonard, Contract Manager for Serco H&F, said: “We are proud to deploy this new fleet of super-efficient, environmentally-friendly sweepers that are safer for cyclists, and other vulnerable road users and our staff, making the roads cleaner and safer for everyone.”
The new vehicles have replaced the old fleet and their Euro 6 engines are fully compliant with the London Low Emissions policy. They can also sweep at low engine speeds with the same capacity as other sweepers but with less noise, lower fuel consumption and reduced emissions.
The new vehicles are owned by H&F Council’s street cleaning contractor Serco.
Assisting the larger vehicles will be a manual team who will help by sweeping rubbish from the pavement into the path of the oncoming sweeper.
