Road
sweepers do extremely valuable work and are a fairly common sight in Britain,
clearing our streets of dust and debris, keeping them clean. However, many
commercial businesses are now employing such vehicles for their own private
roadways and access roads. However, before you consider road sweeper hire for
yourself, there's a few things you’ll want to know.
As far as
the average motorist is concerned, road sweepers fall into the same category as
refuse collection vehicles, along with RCV’s and tractor pulling trailers. We
all have an expectation for our roads to be cleared of litter and general
detritus, our bins emptied, and materials transported. They may not be held in
the highest esteem by commuters and pedestrians due to their slow-speed, but sweepers
are an essential piece of machinery that classify as one of the fundamentals of
many local authorities fleet of municipal vehicles. Despite many cuts being
made to local authorities, the industrial cleaning sector has largely not
impacted negatively from this.
One of the
most favoured models of road sweeper is the conventional model, this type
operates using two spinning brushes at the front to remove litter, a
cylindrical brush near the rear of the vehicle which deposits the detritus into
a storage hopper. A pair of water jets underneath decrease the amount of dust
and dirt emitted into the air during the procedure. In some circumstances the
cylindrical brush will be replaced by a nozzle for a more accurate clean.
Why are they so important?
Whether its
an average day on the streets or theres a big event on like a carnival,
festival, or fête - our roads and
streets take a constant battering by foot and vehicle - not to mention general
litter. Here are just a few of the main benefits of road sweepers…
They promote safety
Whether it's
a small piece of glass or a shard of metal, damage to tyres is one of the most
common causes for car breakdown in the UK, not to mention notorious for huge
pileups. Although you may not realise it, ridding the roads and streets of dust
and debris can massively decrease the amount of road accidents that
happen.
Prevention of flooding
In extreme
weather, the guttering that runs along the sides of roads can get plugged up
with rubbish and soil, this build up gets trapped in the drain - then prevents run-off from going into the sewage.
A flooded road is not only a danger to the traffic but also the environment -
particularly if there’s wetland nearby. The runoff from flooding can also be
filled with a mixture of nasty chemicals that can spill into low-lying land and
damage vegetation and wildlife.
Environmental protection
Roadside
rubbish may contain old takeaway wrappers and food packaging that can attract
wild animals. Animals cannot distinguish the difference between food and
inorganic materials such as paper and plastic packaging, so it's likely that
those will be eaten too - which is extremely dangerous and potentially life
threatening.
Looking for a road sweeper? At Graham Churchill
our road sweepers can be hired out on a one-off basis or on a contract basis.
Based in Silverstone, we can hire out to locations in Oxford, Northampton, and
throughout surrounding areas. Unsure what kind of road sweeper you need?
Get in touch
today for more
information.
