A SHINY new fleet of state-of-the-art refuse collection vehicles are set to hit the road across the Derry City and Strabane District Council area next week, after a recent £1.2m investment by Council.The eight new vehicles have a payload of 11 tonnes of materials each from the 58,000 or so homes in the Council area.
This latest investment brings to 35 the total number of refuse vehicles across the fleet, of which 20 are deployed in Derry and 15 in the Strabane area. The new vehicle investment is part of the Council’s ongoing commitment to enhance its cleansing and bin collection services across the Council area.
This acquisition represents a capital investment of £1.2m that will further enhance the Council’s capabilities within this service area. Five of the new vehicles have been earmarked for deployment within the Strabane region with the remaining three to cover the Derry area.
Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council Cllr Maolíosa McHugh welcomed the investment, saying these latest fleet additions represented 25% of the entire refuse fleet collection and would go a long way towards strengthening and enhancing refuse collection services across the Council area.
“This is further evidence of the Council’s ongoing commitment to investing in essential services whilst optimising the safety and welfare of drivers, crew members and the general public.
“The purchase of these vehicles is part of significant ongoing investment by the Council to deliver on its commitment in its Strategic Growth Plan to achieve and maintain clean and attractive streetscapes and neighbourhoods and improve essential environmental services,” he said.
Conor Canning Head of Environmental Services with Derry City and Strabane District Council said: “These vehicles represent a substantial capital investment in our refuse collection service and include the latest safety features and green engine technologies.
“A key priority for us is to ensure the vehicles are fit for intended purpose whilst protecting the health and wellbeing of our drivers, crew and the general public.
“Once operational, these vehicles will see Derry City and Strabane District Council established at the forefront of municipal service provision well into the next decade and beyond,” he added.
Bertie Magee, Fleet Manager with Derry City and Strabane District Council said a number modern safety features are a key element of the new fleet.
He explained: “We also work to ensure that all vehicles purchased for use within Council‘s Fleet are aligned with our ‘Carbon Reduction’ Strategy and ‘Air-Quality’ monitoring programme represent good value for money for ratepayers.
“In light of the 2014 Glasgow Bin-Lorry incident these vehicles come fitted with ‘Autotstop’ a device which allows a crew member to bring the vehicle to a controlled halt by activating a dash mounted button should the Driver become incapacitated.
“These are large vehicles and we want to ensure that other road users are safe too and are delighted to introduce these new vehicles to our existing fleet and to continue to invest and enhance our services,” he concluded.
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