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Central Department Solves York's Problems
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OLD CITY• NEW IDEAS
ITH the knowledge that visitors are drawn to their historic city from all over the world, the citizens of York take no little pride in what in these days may be called their public image—and not least in the cleansing and municipal transport services with their attractive cream and maroon vehicles. York has a population of 104,000, spread over 7,000 acres, with 170 miles of highway. In round figures there are 700 tons of domestic refuse to be removed every week.
Without specific intention the transport facilities have developed with a degree of centralization under the city engineer and planning officer, Mr. R. S. Bellhouse with Mr. T. Sturdy (works and highways superintendent) responsible for many services in his capacity of superintendent of works, a position he has occupied for 11 years. Mr. Sturdy came to his present department some 37 years ago from the public works engineers of the city, then being a 25-year-old inspector of works.
Responsibilities of the department include public cleansing, highways and footpaths, maintenance of York's historic civic buildings plus (last but by no means least) the provision and maintenance of all transport and plant, even including the sewage pumping and disposal equipment. Vehicles are supplied for the distribution of school meals, other suitable uses being found for the vans when they are not required by the education authorities. Mr. Sturdy's department maintains, but does not purchase or operate, the civil defence and parks fleets, plus a new responsibility in the shape of ambulances. Of approximately 500 people, including executives, who comprise the total staff of the department, something like a quarter are concerned with transport and associated matters.
Long-term plans are under consideration to rebuild York's municipal transport depot in Foss Islands Road, just outside the city wall, as a comprehensive works centre. The workshops staff of a dozen technicians was moved out from the depot some years ago. Now the aim is to bring them back into modern premises. with a night garage, to be constructed within the depot.
PHASE II This might be summed up as Phase I, due for early implementation. Phase II is really under consideration because the authority is running out of tipping space. One controlled tip is at present in use, its location resulting in there being an average haul of 2-1miles; in addition there is a small 50-ton-weekly incineration plant in operation at the depot.
The city council is still at an early stage with this planning but the general idea is to build into the depot a disposal plant large enough to deal with the whole of the city's refuse. It appears possible that such a plant might be in operation within 21 years.
Today Mr. Sturdy looks forward to having a reserve fleet of cleansing vehicles for the first time. This is because York is now to apply a rigid depreciation policy for the various units, seven xears being the general period. Provision has been made, however. so that at the end of their official life three refuse collection vehicles will be held back for a year to play a standby role for the 18 that comprise the first-line fleet. This is at present made up of S.D. Fore-and-Aft collectors, Karrier side-loaders, and Fords.
Those narrow, rambling old streets and overhanging buildings of York that are so beloved of the tourist— especially the transatlantic variety--and those less seen hut equally tortuous passages at the back of the town, do not worry the superintendent of works or his staff, who have grown up with them. But they do impose limitations on the type of transport that can be most usefully deployed.
That is why we have so many vehicles of 10 cu. yd. capacity ", said Mr. Sturdy. Nevertheless, there is scope for something bigger and a 50 cu. yd. Bedford-Eagle Crushload in on order. "When this is put into use ", he continued, "we shall know rather more about future extensions on these lines. So for the moment we have an open mind on the future policy in respect of our fleet."
WEIGHT OF TOURISTS?
The outsider may think of York's cleansing operatives groaning under the weight of tourists and the litter that excursionists somehow manage to leave behind them. In fact the city's visitors arc usually of the more thoughtful ,kind and the tourist trade is something that the department takes in its stride: The sweepers are, of course, in and out of the city centre every day before the tourists awake, operations commencing at 5 a.m, on a route broadening out from the centre.
It is the .highways and buildings section that perhaps suffers most from visitors and the point is relevant here because it relates to incoming transport. Maximum-size vehicles coming into the town centre can be a pest, said Mr. Sturdy. "They often •mount the kerb and do exorbitant damage to the footpaths. Sometimes they even drop into the basements of old property. I wonder if the drivers realize that they are liable for these damages. Where we have been able to catch up with them they have had to pay ", he added.
SNOW CLEARANCE Of 18 highways department Ford and Bedford lorries, 16 are fitted with Tuke and Bell salt and grit spreaders in the winter months. This forms the backbone of the snow and ice clearance system unless the fall is so severe as to necessitate the use of ploughs. In the latter ease 16, eight fixed-side blade models and eight hydraulic, can be brought into use. The fact that the highways vehicles can be used for spreading obviates any question of there being need to allocate collection-units to this duty, so that disruption of the rounds that would otherwise occur is avoided.
There are two grit spreaders in the fleet which have Atkinson bodies on Ford chassis. But as we all know, the best of snow fighting equipment can get off to a poor start if the bad weather strikes in the silent hours. The depart
rnent, therefore, has arranged with the Meteorological Office for a full local weather forecast daily and men are kept on stand-by call. Further, there is a transport supervisor, Mr. H. W. Headley, whose devotion to duty is described as amazing. Mr. Sturdy says that however unexpected the onset of inclement weather, Mr. Headley would be on the job with his staff within half-an-hour and have a full turn-out within an hour at any time, day or night. In fact, if there is any threat whatsoever in the weather forecast it seems doubtful if he will even go to bed!
BASIC WEEK The basic week worked by the operatives is five days, 42 hours from Monday to Friday, with a stand-by system for emergencies. Refuse collections are weekly with the bins carried out by the collectors and returned by them to the premises. As indicated earlier, the city centre gets daily street cleansing and all other areas are cleaned not less than twice weekly.
Routine washing and greasing of the transport is the responsibility of the drivers, the bulk of this being most acceptable to them in the form of overtime in two-hour sessions on two nights a week, i.e. a night on cleaning being followed by a night on greasing. In addition, fitters put in an extra two hours on the first of the two nights in order to deal with problems that are beyond the drivers' province. There are no bonus or incentive schemes at York. Salvage was given up four years ago when it was found to be unprofitable; but this has had one unfortunate repercussion in that the situation in respect of tipping space has been further aggravated.
York is well known as the home of chocolate manufacturers, Rowntree and Terry. Both of these companies deal with their own waste, transporting it to the tip where Mr. Sturdy's men accept it.
The Knavesmire on race days is almost a military operation under Clerk of the Course, Major Fetch. I was told that lie engages his own " army " who line up across the course and at a given signal advance together. The litter virtually melts away and is piled on to corporation transport for disposal at the tip. "So, it's no trouble at all" said Mr. Sturdy. At other times the parks department looks after this famous public area.
The balance of York's fleet, so far unmentioned, can be summed up as comprising a little of everything. There are three Austin and two Commer school meals vans, two Bedford-Eagle 3 cu. yd. collectors employed in connection with street sweeping, five Manuleetric pedestrian-controlled vacuum cleaners, two Karrier-Yorkshire sweeper-collectors, a Bedford-Lacre suction-sweeper, a Dennis gully-emptier and three Yorkshire gully-emptiers on Karrier, Ford and Bedford chassis, also Ford and Bedford vans and pick-ups engaged on highway duties. G.P.