Mercedes responds to LCC call MERCEDES-BENZ is unfazed by calls
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from a cycling lobby group for the introduction of new bin wagon-style LGVs in London to cut the number of cyclist deaths.
Mercedes said the design for a safer urban lorry (see picture) put forward by the London Cycling Campaign (LCC) is feasible to develop, with many of the proposed features already incorporated into its Econic truck.
"We have built a vehicle in many ways like this design," said a Mercedes spokesman. "Although [the Econic] is a specialist refuse collection vehicle, we have supplied a few to tipper operators."
The LCC's safer lorry design has roof-to-floor glass cab doors and a deeper windscreen to improve visibility, a seating position that is 0.6m lower than in a standard cab, and side-mounted cameras to enable drivers to see other road users in blind spots.
The LCC said there is no detrimental effect on load capacity from having a lower chassis than a conventional tipper, adding that high-ground clearance is no longer necessary for tippers operating in London because most construction site roads in the capital are now properly graded.
However, the Econic's specialist features — air suspension, on-board weighing, special offset chassis — mean there is a significant additional cost compared with a traditional 8x4 tipper, which is likely to make safer-spec vehicles unaffordable for most operators unless regulations are changed to require their use.