The Mercedes-Benz Econic municipal vehicle has taken part in a traditional Cart Marking ceremony in the City of London.
The High Visibility Safety Truck, a cyclist- and pedestrian-friendly construction vehicle, was a star attraction at this year’s historic Cart Marking ceremony by the Worshipful Company of Carmen, which was held in Guildhall Yard.
The Corporation of the City of London has exercised its rights over carts and carriers since its inception – the City was regulating the trade of a fellowship of Carmen as long ago as 1277, while the Cart Marking ceremony dates back to 1665. To this day, Carmen bring their horse-drawn wagons and carriages, steamers, buses and coaches, as well as trucks new and old, to be inspected by the Master then branded – or ‘marked’ – with a red-hot iron, on a wooden plate, with the year letter and the cart number.
The Mercedes-Benz Econic was designed for municipal duties, but is now being marketed to the construction sector. Econic-based tippers, mixers and skip-loaders offer significant safety benefits to reduce the risk of one of a vehicle being involved in a potentially fatal collision with a cyclist or pedestrian.
Key to the vehicle’s appeal for urban operations are its low-entry cab with deep, panoramic windscreen and fully-glazed, bus-style folding passenger door. A relatively low seating position means the driver is at the same level as pedestrians and cyclists and has unimpeded cross-cab vision, so that direct eye-to-eye contact can easily be made.
To further minimise blind spots, the vehicle presented at the Cart Marking ceremony is additionally fitted with a suite of cameras, while a ‘tridem’ rear bogie set-up is designed to make the truck exceptionally manoeuvrable.
