Case Studies

Cambridgeshire County Council

Cambridgeshire County Council has acquired a Multihog to keep the pathway which runs alongside its Guided Busway free from ice and snow in the winter months. The 16 mile Busway is the longest of its kind in the world and offers residents an alternative to the notoriously congested A14. The car-free pathway is used as a maintenance track, footpath and cycleway. The snow clearing equipment designated for treating the Busway itself is too large to be used on the pathway, so Highways and Maintenance Manager Richard Kingston and his team needed to look for an alternative. “After seeing a demo of the Multihog we realised that this compact and very manoeuvrable vehicle would access all areas and so suited our requirements perfectly.” From the wide range of winter resilience attachments available for use with the Multihog, Cambridge Council chose a front mounted snow plough and rear mounted 1200L de-icing sprayer. The sprayer was preferred over a gritter to ensure very accurate spraying in a de­fined area, which minimises the environmental impact of stray grit. Multihog designers came up with a tailored solution for the spraying bars, which needed to be the same width as the vehicle itself and Richard was impressed with the flexibility of the manufacturer’s approach to design: “We now have a piece of kit we can put into operation at the onset of bad weather to keep the pathway cleared and safe for pedestrians and cyclists who are in close proximity to fast buses.”

If weather conditions are particularly adverse the Multihog will also be deployed for ploughing and spraying in other areas such as the town centre and on rural and narrow roads. With 4 wheel drive, a powerful 90hp engine and a top road speed of 40km/h it can easily be driven to trouble spots that other vehicles may ­ find hard to access. The Council is looking at 52 week a year operation for the base unit by adding further attachments such as a patch planer and sweeper once the winter season is over. One thing is certain, says Richard: “the all seasonal ability of the Multihog means it is not going to be sitting in a garage for half the year.”

  • Cambridgeshire County Council
  • MH

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