XN000022-1984-06-03 — Page 15

SUNDAY, JUNE 3, 1984

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$10 MILLION SPECIALISED VEHICLES TO JOIN FLEET

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TWO BATCHES OF SPECIALISED VEHICLES WILL BE ARRIVING FROM BRIT-IN AND JAPAN NEXT MONTH TO JOIN THE URBAN COUNCIL'S CLEAVING FLEET.

PURCHASED AT A COST OF OVER $10 MILLION, THE VEHICLES COMPRISE 25 REFUSE COLLECTION VEHICLES AND TWO GULLY CESSPIT EMPTIERS.

THEY ARE EITHER TO REPLACE AGING STOCK OR TO COPE WITH THE INCREASING WORKLOAD.

AT PRESENT, THE COUNCIL MAINTAINS SOME 750 VEHICLES, OF WHICH ABOUT 450 ARE SPECIALISED ONES SUCH AS REFUSE COLLECTION VEHICLES, STREET WASHERS, MEAT VANS AND MECHANICAL SWEEPERS. THE REST ARE GENERAL-PURPOSE VEHICLES INCLUDING PICK-UP VANS, MOTOR CLES AND LORRIES.

+SPECIALISED VEHICLES ARE VITAL TO THE SMOOTH OPERATIONS OF THE URBAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT, A SPOKESMAN FOR THE DEPARTMENT SAID.

+THEIR TASK IS FORMIDABLE BECAUSE DAY IN AND DAY OUT, THEY MAKE THEIR ROUNDS THROUGHOUT THE URBAN AREA TO GATHER AND DISPOSE OF A HUGE AMOUNT OF REFUSE.

+WITHOUT THEM, CLEANSING WORK IN HONG KONG COULD BE PARALYSED.+

TO ACHIEVE GREATER EFFICIENCY IN CLEANSING WORK, THE SPOKESMAN SAID, THE COUNCIL ORDERS FROM TIME TO TIME MODIFIED VEHICLES WITH THE LATEST IN SPECIALISED EQUIPMENT IN ORDER TO COPE WITH PRACTICAL NEEDS.

+FOR EXAMPLE, TRAILER-MOUNTED HIGH COMPRESSION COMPACTORS HAVE BEEN INTRODUCED INTO HONG KONG IN RECENT YEARS, HE SAID.

+ONE FEATURE OF THE COMPACTORS IS TO CUT DOWN ON THE STACKING OF REFUSE IN BASKETS WHILE AWAITING THE ARRIVAL OF VEHICLES.

+THEY ALSO REDUCE CONSIDERABLY THE OPERATIONAL NOISE AS ELECTRICITY IS USED TO SET THE WHOLE MECHANISM IN ACTION.+

HOWEVER, HE POINTED OUT, MOST SPECIALISED VEHICLES ARE INTRODUCED INTO THE UC FLEET ONLY FOLLOWING EXTENSIVE LOCAL EVALUATION.

EACH OF THE PRESENT APPROVED MODELS IN THE FLEET IS THE RESULT OF EXTENSIVE TESTS AND TRIALS OF VEHICLES MANUFACTURED WORLDWIDE, IN HONG KONG CONDITIONS.

+THIS IS PARTICULARLY TRUE OF REFUSE COLLECTION VEHICLES WHICH ARE WORKED HARDER IN HONG KONG THAN IN MANY OTHER COUNTRIES, THE SPOKESMAN SAID.

+EVERY REFUSE COLLECTION VEHICLE IN HONG KONG SERVES ABOUT 12 000 PEOPLE WHEREAS A SIMILAR VEHICLE IN BRITAIN SERVES ONLY ABOUT 5 500 PEOPLE.+

TO KEEP ITS BIG FLEET RUNNING, THE COUNCIL OPERATES TWO DEPOTS - ONE IN KING MING STREET ON THE ISLAND AND THE OTHER IN SA YEE STREET, KOWLOON. THEY PROVIDE MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR SERVICES.