Illegally-parked heavy vehicles are being targetted by Georges River Council.
Residents are enduring heavy vehicles parked for weeks in residential streets, engines left idling and trucks starting up in the early hours.
Georges River Council will write to the Roads Minister Melinda Pavey and Parliamentary Secretary for Transport, Mark Coure requesting the urgent review of fines for heavy vehicles or long vehicles which park in built-up area beyond the one-hour time limit permitted by road rules.
Peakhurst Ward’s Councillor Colleen Symington was unanimously supported when she filed a Notice of Motion at this week’s meeting of Georges River Council calling for a number of measures to stop the heavy vehicle owners from throwing their weight around.
These include a an urgent review of fines for heavy vehicles parking beyond the one-hour time limit, the introduction of a tiered penalty system and the amendment of noise control regulations to include vehicles over 4.5 tonnes that idle for too long.
Councillor Symington described the penalties for illegally parked heavy vehicles as underwhelming and inadequate.
“I find it extraordinary that the only real enforcement tool to stop heavy vehicles over 4.5 tonnes parking longer than one hour on residential streets is an underwhelming $112 penalty,” she said.
“If I stopped in a Taxi Zone I would be fined $187. Does that make sense?
“The likelihood of this penalty even being issued is dependent on the council rangers being successful in the predictable cat and mouse game that will usually play out, so it will involve a lot more time and effort to secure that $112 penalty.
“It is also common knowledge that it is cheaper for owner-drivers to pay a few fines as opposed to paying for off-site parking.
“A tiered penalty system needs to be introduced to ensure that the deterrent is much more effective.
“Recently, residents in my ward have had to endure two cement trucks parking in their streets for weeks on end and departing in the early hours of the morning.
“Apart from the visual disturbance and the dangerous obstruction of views, residents were also subjected to the noise of heavy vehicle engines starting up and then reversing down the street at 1am and 2am.
“This noise reverberated throughout the neighbourhood causing sleep disturbances, anger, frustration and eventually, despair.
“EPA noise control regulation also needs to be updated to include noise from vehicles over 4.5 tonnes and idling for a certain length of time.”
This will give council officers another enforcement tool to give residents more protection against the fall-out of heavy vehicles, she said.
Cr Symington also requested a report on the feasibility of providing unrestricted after-hours heavy vehicle parking in the council’s industrial areas to offer an alternative for owner-drivers.
