Council first in EU to convert city trucks to use veggie oil

MOTORISTS could be slipping into a cheaper and healthier, parking regime if Cork city council comes up with the right recipe.

The council is pursuing its green agenda by running 17 vehicles, including vans and refuse trucks, on vegetable oil as part of an EU project on sustainable transport.

While the council is carrying out experiments on part of its fleet the rest of the motoring population would be well advised to keep their oil in the frying pan.

Do not try to corner the market in vegetable oil once you have read this because it is illegal not to corner the market, but to fill up.

The man in the Garda Press Office was rather nonplussed by the enquiry regarding the legal status or otherwise of a tankful of vegetable oil.

Not so the Revenue Commissioners.

It is illegal to propel the family saloon with veggie oil unless you have paid the same rate of excise as you would on petrol or diesel, and, let's face it, you won't find that itemised on the local supermarket receipt.

The conversion of the vehicles has just been completed by the city council and performance will be monitored over three to four months.

According to the head of the Traffic Division, Pat Casey, the council may seek to promote the wider use of such low emission vehicles by lowering the parking charges applicable.

The council is the first EU local authority to use vegetable oil to power vehicles. The converted vehicles are being run on pure, cold press rapeseed oil harvested from Irish farms and extracted in Newtownmountkennedy, Co Wicklow.

Each conversion cost €1,000. The fuel is 33% more expensive than diesel and Mr Casey says the council will be urging Government to reduce the excise duty.

The council's initiative is part of an EU-funded project creating more sustainable transport and traffic management.

Other steps include the introduction of cycle ways and a system for parking payment by phone.

The council has also identified funding under the project to assist users of the new park-and-ride site now being developed near the Kinsale Road, Cork.