It’s been labelled as the least friendly place to drive a truck on the east coast, perhaps in all of Australia.
Now truckies have stepped forward to let authorities know exactly where new rest stops are needed for Sydney drivers.
When submissions closed on March 13 for the Transport for NSW (TfNSW) Have Your Say campaign a number of truckies aired their views on where rest stops should be in Sydney, with over 100 responses received in total for sites across the state.
“Transport will now review and evaluate the feedback internally and continue to engage with industry as the project progresses,” a TfNSW spokesperson said.
Here are just a few of the suggestions for Sydney, based on the TfNSW interactive map in which drivers were invited to drop a pin on their preferred location and outline their reasons for why they think it’s a good spot.
Chevrolet Place, Macquarie Fields
“Strongly advised a heavy vehicle rest area is assigned to the location, drivers are required to take regular breaks with no rest areas,” Tommmmmy.
Campbelltown Road, Glenfield
“An expansion of parking is required here before anymore development is in place. Uncle Leo’s is the last stop before you leave Sydney or the first as you come in, it also caters for trucks from Moorebank as there is no parking there either,” S-AM.
“Parking area needed to allow for more heavy vehicles to use the truck stop located nearby,” Kitsa200.
Western Motorway, Eastern Creek
Westbound:
“Improve and expand the existing parking area. You cannot apply Austroad ‘guidelines’ to Sydney they must be a pragmatic logical approach to upgrades and placements, a good knowledge of the industrial areas and number of trucks using the areas not just interstate,” S-AM.
Eastbound:
“An upgrade of this area and additional areas to add additional truck parking and improve service centre amenities, to provide better showers, drivers lounge, restaurant, laundry facilities,” S-AM.
BP Eastern Creek, Walgrove Road
“Currently there is almost no parking facilities within Sydney. Drivers are forced to park illegally to sleep. If authorities are serious about truck driver fatigue you cannot continue to ignore the lack of facilities within Sydney,” Kitsa200.
“Has always had capacity issues. If drivers park in the street they get booked by Blacktown Council as businesses complain. The numbers used to forecast usage of an area don’t really show the actual,” S-AM.
Mamre Road, Erskine Park
“Due to expansion of and new industrial areas in this location – Kemps Creek, Erskine Park, Badgery’s Creek. It is essential for a MAJOR truck rest area with full facilities and 24-hour rest breaks,” S-AM.
The Northern Rd/Dick Johnson Dr, Oxley Ridge
“Somewhere in this area there is going to be a new workshop for Gilbert & Roach Kenworth, suggested other factories etc. Has anyone thought to have a look at this area for a smaller parking facility with drivers lounge and food and fuel?” S-AM.
Dunn Rd, Smeaton Grange
“There is nothing here. BP built a servo here where trucks can fuel up, you have a big Coles DC a lots of truck / trailer business and Sydney trucks. All these truck-related industries but major industry and no provision for interstates to park for 7-hour break. They could park informally up to 24 hours once on Smeaton Grange Road near Orielton Rd but that’s been used now by the business’s in that area,” S-AM.
Friendship Rd, Port Botany
“There are times in the terminal that the driver must have a rest break after loading that is unplanned. There is a need for a facility to take a rest for at least 26m B-doubles,” Anonymous.