PHILADELPHIA – The Streets Department today announced a new set of enhanced safety features under the City’s Vision Zero initiative for each new trash compactor truck purchased. The upgraded safety measures include four day and night vision cameras on each side of the truck, side guards, and enlarged side mirrors.
“After testing these new features, we are very excited to roll out these state-of-the-art safety measures on all new compactors,” said Christine Derenick-Lopez, Chief Administrative Officer for the City of Philadelphia. “This is just one piece in our effort to support the City’s Vision Zero initiative to reduce traffic-related deaths to zero in Philadelphia by 2030,” she added.
Each new trash compactor truck purchased will be outfitted with four 360-degree cameras that provide truck operators a complete view of the area surrounding the vehicle while moving forward. When the truck is in reverse, the camera will project the area behind the truck. Similarly, putting on either turn signal will turn on the camera to show the side of the truck.
“Our goal is to fully modernize the trash compactor fleet – with these added safety features – in the next four to five years,” said Michael Carroll, Deputy Managing Director for the Office of Transportation and Infrastructure Systems. “Improvements to the compactor fleet will enable more trash and recycling to be picked up on time, enabling a cleaner Philadelphia.”
Side guards – panels installed between the wheels of large vehicles – save lives. They are proven, simple, and effective pedestrian and bicycle safety tool. A common contributor to fatal crashes is “side underride,” in which a person is swept under the tires of a truck after a side impact. Should a collision occur, these new side guards will prevent pedestrians and bicyclists from being pulled into unprotected areas on the side of trucks.
Cross view mirrors will be custom-fitted to the front of each truck to allow for a wider front and side view of the vehicle. The Streets Department procured custom brackets to mount these larger cross view mirrors on the trucks, because they go above and beyond the standard-issue mirrors.
The Streets Department has been testing these truck safety enhancements over the last several months and will add these features to all new trucks purchased moving forward. Streets plans to purchase 34 trucks in fiscal year 2019, and currently has four trucks in operation with one or more of these added safety features. These safety improvements directly support the Fleet Management actions outlined in the Vision Zero Three-Year Action Plan.
The cost of these truck safety upgrades is $8,000 per vehicle, or $280,000 annually.
The City of Philadelphia is proud to adopt Vision Zero. Vision Zero aims to eliminate all traffic-related deaths and severe injuries on Philadelphia streets by 2030, while increasing safety, health, and mobility for all. For more information, visit www.VisionZeroPHL.com.