National Road Freighters Association president Rod Hannifey is calling for more designated parking for truckies in Coonabarabran, NSW, after two recent incidents there he believes are heavy-handed.
Hannifey said one truckie, who preferred not to be named, was fined $200 by police after parking his truck on the southbound side of the Newell Highway opposite the Coonabarabran Shell to use the toilet.
He was only gone for around three minutes but Hannifey said police refused to budge.
Another was fined $175 for parking in a smilar spot while getting a coffee.
Hannifey concedes that the southbound side of Newell, where the truckies were parked, is not currently designated for truck parking.
“But there is no reason we couldn’t utilise that [area],” said Hannifey.
“At the moment there is no truck parking southbound in Coonabarabran that’s legal or safe.”
Hannifey said the issue is being exacerbated by the closure of the Narrabri Shell, 127km to the north, for rennovations.
“With the Shell at Narrabri closed there is now nothing for truckies in a three-hour gap that’s recognised as a fatigue black spot.”
Hannifey said a quick fix would be for the local council to allow trucks to park southbound between 7pm and 7am on the Newell, and allocate 15-minute bays, like they have at Narrabri.
Big Rigs has approached the Warrumbungle Shire Council for comment on the recent tickets, and whether council would consider allocated parking for truckies along the lines that Hannifey has suggested.
We were told via email that we’d get a response within 10 business days.