Echoing the sentiment of many truckies who use the new Gatton decoupling facility, one local has taken the issue of its lack of toilet facilities into his own hands.
Fed up with the lack of bathroom facilities and amenities for truckies at many of the country’s rest areas, he’s taken aim at the Department for Transport and Main Roads and launched a petition pushing for toilets at Gatton.
Wes Walker isn’t a truckie himself but he has many mates who are, and he’s tired of the way they keep getting treated. “Without truck drivers you’d be sitting there butt naked. Why should truckies keep getting treated like second class citizens?” he said.
Walker started pushing for toilets at Gatton not long after the facility opened, but last week he upped the ante. He’s been sitting at the site in protest with a sign painted in bold red letters that simply reads: ‘Help truckies get toilets here’.
He’s also started a petition, with the assistance of Member for Lockyer, Jim McDonald MP, who has helped to get it up online. Within hours, hundreds of truckies had already signed the petition – despite it only being open to Queensland residents.
“As the petition is being presented to Queensland Parliament, only residents of Queensland are able to sign,” wrote McDonald.
Walker said people are disgusted and they’ve had enough of the lack of facilities for truckies. “This becomes a workplace requirement and under Workplace Health and Safety it needs to have amenities but they don’t want to put their hands in their pockets. They just want to have their caviar every any night,” he said.
“Let’s put that sign of mine front and centre, let’s get the community behind it. I’ve seen it all my life the way these truckies are treated.
“My opening line to all of these muppets is always the same: I’m going to ask you a stupid question first up. Have you got bathroom facilities where you’re working? The answer of course is yes. So why haven’t truck drivers?
“A lady truck driver told me today that she had to go the other night so she was squatting down and another truck came down and started shining their lights on her. It’s just not right. Maybe they should just get all the truck drivers to park up and stop the show.
“What do I want out of this, I want facilities for these people and don’t want any recognition whatsoever because it should have already been done.”