O’Donovan Waste Disposal unveils safety-optimised vehicles at CLOCS event

O’Donovan Waste Disposal will unveil three new lorries, which have factory-fitted innovative safety features, at the Construction Logistics and Cycle Safety (CLOCS) event today (February 26).

Transport for London’s (TfL) CLOCS programme is designed to improve the face of construction logistics and ultimately protect vulnerable road users.

The CLOCS progress event, which is taking place at ExCEL, London, is held bi-annually and  provides key stakeholders from the construction industry with regular progress updates and achievements.

O’Donovan, which has 85 vehicles, has been a CLOCS champion since the launch of the initiative two years ago. The safety features specified on its three new lorries deliver significantly improved driver vision. Low-profile safety guards have been added to provide further protection for cyclists and pedestrians.

Jacqueline O’Donovan, managing director of O’Donovan Waste Disposal, said: “Despite only being a relatively small player in an ever-increasing field, we continue to make substantial investments in our fleet to continue to raise our industry’s safety standards on London’s roads.

“By working closely with the vehicle manufacturers I have been able to determine the best-in-class for driver vision and the three trucks that we are showcasing today clearly demonstrate this. This, combined with the significantly lower side-guards which we are trialling, can only help provide even greater protection for cyclists and pedestrians”

The vehicles on display at the event are a Volvo FL818 skip truck and the DAF FA LF220 skip loader, both with the driving position lowered and nearside lower door having been glazed, to increase drivers’ direct vision of other road users. Also featured is the MAN TGM BB skip loader, with revised suspension to lower the cab.

Ian Wainwright, head of fleet and freight at TfL, said: “HGVs, in their current designs, are disproportionately represented in cyclists fatalities but thankfully O'Donovan Waste Disposal's innovation is a step towards safer roads. This demonstration of the industry’s appetite for increased fleet and freight road safety shows that by supporting other manufacturers and operators to follow suit, real progress can be made on London’s roads.”