It
takes a lot of people power to maintain Greater Geelong’s roads, footpaths,
parks and sporting ovals.
The right amount of horsepower is also
needed to help City staff successfully deliver our huge works program.
The City aims to maximise efficiencies,
improve safety, reduce our environmental footprint and provide value for money
when it upgrades vehicle and plant.
The fleet team works closely with users
and operators to ensure that we source the most suitable equipment available
for the required task.
Almost 70
fit-for-purpose plant and light vehicles, with a combined value of $7 million,
were purchased by the City in 2018-19.
This includes
more than 20 small and medium-sized trucks, 12 mowers and a range of tractors,
sweepers, rollers, loaders, backhoes and utilities.
The
City’s plant and light vehicles help our teams maintain:
– More than 1600km of sealed roads;
– More than 470km of unsealed roads;
– Almost 1600km of footpaths; and
– About 61,000 drainage pits
We
also mow, slash and weed a wide range of parks, gardens, reserves, sporting
grounds (including Kardinia Park), roadsides and City golf courses.
Environmental and operational
efficiencies are key factors when it comes to choosing the right piece of
equipment.
Through the Zero Carbon Emissions Strategy, the City is committed to
reducing the carbon dioxide emissions of its fleet.
We
are now sourcing hybrids where available for our light vehicles. The first of
those, a Toyota Camry, is among the new additions in 2018-19.
The City has also purchased its first
electric vehicle. The electric John Deere Gator is used at the Botanic Gardens
to move consumables and equipment around the precinct.
The City has also recently bought a
Spider Slope Mower – a remote-controlled self-propelled mower that safely mows
steep grass embankments and roadsides.
Requiring only one
operator, the mower performs the required work several times faster and safer
than traditional means and with less staff.
Director City Services Guy Wilson-Browne
The equipment
we use can help us find ways to reduce work costs, time and our impact on the
environment.
This is why we
are diversifying our fleet through the introduction of more fuel-efficient
hybrid and electric vehicles, and investing in new technology, such as the
Spider Slope Mower. The
remote-controlled mower more quickly completes those difficult jobs, allowing
us to maintain more grassed areas of our city daily.
