The city of London further improves its traffic safety measures with the Econic 3235.

The city of London is one of the most densely populated cities in the world. In order to increase safety for cyclists and pedestrians in daily traffic, a number of road reconstruction projects have been completed over the past years. The City of London Corporation is responsible for this and relies on Mercedes-Benz construction vehicles: the yellow Econic 3235 owned by JB Riney, the municipal fleet corporation, is perfectly suited for city construction sites with its manoeuvrability, its safety features and its distinctive colour.

The yellow hero on the construction site.

The London district of Aldgate is part of a huge development project intended to enhance traffic safety by creating new cycling and pedestrian lanes. The yellow Econic has the job of transporting excavated earth from the construction site to the reloading point and to the recycling depot. Thanks to its equipment with a Charlton steel tipper and remote-controlled Palfinger crane with clam shell bucket, it is ideally equipped to load and unload materials like sand, concrete and paving stones.

Good visibility and safety.

The construction vehicle is not only easily recognisable to all road users, thanks to its striking paintwork, but with its features it provides added safety: the Econic has a low panoramic windscreen, a fully glazed folding side door and a low seating position for the driver. This enables better visibility and direct eye contact with pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists. The general safety is enhanced by a retrofitted camera system.

Econic as a reliable helper on the construction site.

Michael Welbank, Chairman of the Planning & Transportation committee at the City of London Corporation, says about the Econic: "We take the issue of road safety incredibly seriously. I am delighted that we have adopted this new, high-visibility tipper. Anything which improves the field of vision for a lorry driver, so they can better see vulnerable road users, is a welcome step forward."

More manoeuvrable than the competition.

The Econic 3235 has a front steering axle and a dual-drive tandem axle with a steered trailing axle. This configuration gives it an impressively tight turning circle and makes it far more manoeuvrable than conventional 32-tonne eight-axle vehicles – a huge plus when working in London's narrow streets.

Barry Parker is Transport & Vehicle Purchase Manager at JB Riney and remembers clearly how the decision to buy the Econic was made: "We talked a lot with the Mercedes-Benz reps and with the key account manager of S&B Commercials, Vick Croker. We wanted to be sure that we'd got the specification exactly right." It was worth the effort, he says of the Econic, with enthusiasm: "It's a beautiful piece of equipment, the rear-steer system being particularly impressive."

Visually striking. Technically impressive.

The Econic has a fuel-efficient 7.7 l six-cylinder engine with an output of 260 kW (354 hp) and six-speed Allison automatic transmission. Also, the vehicle is fully air-sprung and therefore quite quiet in operation. Thanks to the low entry cab, the crew only have to climb two steps instead of the usual four, making boarding and exiting much easier.

Safety and praise from all sides.

As the Business Manager of the City of London, Vince Dignam also encouraged the fleet company JB Riney to order the new vehicle. "I really like the concept," he says. "We are committed supporters of all kinds of safety initiatives and the Econic definitely sets new standards here."

An exemplary model.

The entirely positive response to this agile construction site truck meant that others became interested and more orders were placed on the part of the building sector. The first Econic tipper without a grab arm has already been put into urban operation, and then the manufacturer developed a 26-tonner and an 18-tonne skip loader for demonstration purposes. In London, they continue to put their money on safe concepts.