Truckies’ days of parking their rigs in the neighbourhood streets of Georges River in the southern suburbs of Sydney could be numbered if the local council and residents get their way.
Councillor Colleen Symington submitted a Notice of Motion at this week’s meeting of Georges River Council calling for a review of fines for heavy or long vehicle parking in built-up areas.
“The only enforcement tool that council officers have is a $117 fine if they park there for more than one hour on a residential street,” Cr Symington said.
“Council officers put in massive amounts of time and effort. It’s literally a cat and mouse game.
“We need a new updated tiered tiered penalty system that has teeth – council officers literally have one arm tied behind their backs.
“Updating the noise control regulation to include noise from vehicles over 4.5 tonnes and idling for a certain length time will stop noise reverberating throughout neighbourhoods causing sleep disturbances, anger and ultimately frustration.”
Symington said changes to the Environment Operations Regulation will provide council officers with another enforcement tool so they can afford affected residents more protection.
“Something needs to give because since 2018 this problem has escalated and I am regularly receiving emails from impacted residents who live in Beverly Hills, Kingsgrove and Hurstville.
“The despair in their voices when I tell them about the ridiculously low fines and limited EPA protection is heartbreaking.
“There has to be a solution that can be devised to provide industrial parking spots that do not impact on residents.”
Cr Symington’s Notice of Motion, which was unanimously supported, called for the council to write to the Minister for Metropolitan Roads, Natalie Ward, requesting the urgent review of fines for heavy or long vehicles which park in built up areas beyond the one-hour limit permitted by Road Rules 2014, with a view to introducing a tiered penalty system.
The council will also write to the Minister for the Environment and Heritage, James Griffin requesting the Noise Control Regulation 2017 be amended to remove the offensive noise exemption associated with entering or leaving a residential premises between the prescribed times for vehicles over 4.5 tonnes.
The council will also provide a report identifying suitable locations in the LGA for the provision of overnight parking for heavy and long vehicles.
The St George and Sutherland Shire Leader reported that one resident of Tallawalla Street, Beverly Hills said refrigeration trucks parked nearby in The Crescent leave their refrigeration units running all night with the humming, rattling and vibration heard inside her house and regularly disturbing her family’s sleep.
Another resident said the local Highway Patrol had told her that they were aware of at least 50 heavy or long vehicles illegally parked in the Hurstville area.