Motocrotte
Encyclopedia
The Motocrotte, officially called Caninette was a small motorized vehicle designed to clean up dog
faeces in Paris
, France
.
Introduced in 1982 by then mayor Jacques Chirac
, the idea was to provide a rapid mobile strike force, which could travel great distances with access to sidewalk
s in a minimum of time, to perform a very specific action. The fleet of 100 vehicles was based initially on Yamaha XT550 and later the XT600, with a large tank to the rear which housed both water and waste, attached to a vacuum-powered hose which was placed over the material required to be removed.
The project was abandoned in 2002, for a new and better enforced local law which now fines dog owners up to Euro
s 500 for not removing their dog faeces. It was estimated at the time of their removal, that the fleet of 70 Motocrottes were only cleaning up 20% of dog faeces on Parisian streets, for an annual cost of £3million.
Dog
The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
faeces in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Introduced in 1982 by then mayor Jacques Chirac
Jacques Chirac
Jacques René Chirac is a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. He previously served as Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and from 1986 to 1988 , and as Mayor of Paris from 1977 to 1995.After completing his studies of the DEA's degree at the...
, the idea was to provide a rapid mobile strike force, which could travel great distances with access to sidewalk
Sidewalk
A sidewalk, or pavement, footpath, footway, and sometimes platform, is a path along the side of a road. A sidewalk may accommodate moderate changes in grade and is normally separated from the vehicular section by a curb...
s in a minimum of time, to perform a very specific action. The fleet of 100 vehicles was based initially on Yamaha XT550 and later the XT600, with a large tank to the rear which housed both water and waste, attached to a vacuum-powered hose which was placed over the material required to be removed.
The project was abandoned in 2002, for a new and better enforced local law which now fines dog owners up to Euro
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
s 500 for not removing their dog faeces. It was estimated at the time of their removal, that the fleet of 70 Motocrottes were only cleaning up 20% of dog faeces on Parisian streets, for an annual cost of £3million.