Truckies’ advocate Wes Walker believes driver safety is being compromised at the Roma breakdown pad due to the lack of lighting on site and has lodged an official complaint with WorkSafe Queensland.
Walker, a long-time campaigner for basic driver amenities at the Gatton decoupling facility, told Big Rigs that he was appalled to find lights missing on a recent site visit, along with no guide lines for parking and what appeared to be a woefully inadequate mobile camera security system.
He said WorkSafe Queensland is now investigating a possible breach of worksite safety regulations.
“A decoupling zone is a worksite and there needs to be lights there for safety,” said Walker, who is best known for his successful fight for toilets for truckies at the Gatton pads.
“Not only is it dangerous because there are no lights, the thieves there can do anything there under the cover of darkness.”
Walker said the mobile camera unit clearly isn’t doing its job with reports of theft on the rise amongst the truckies he speaks to who are regularly using the site.
“The little camera there is useless – a waste of taxpayers’ money. I could nearly kick that over with my foot.
“It’s too small and doesn’t cover the whole area.”
The local Maranoa Regional Council told Big Rigs it recently deployed a temporary mobile camera unit to the Roma breakdown pad due to “increasing user and community concerns” of fuel theft at the site.
Council said it’s advocating for the state government to install a permanent CCTV solution.
“The facility is important to the heavy vehicle industry and our region, so users need to have the confidence to use it without fear of theft,” a spokesperson said.
Council said it would encourage any feedback on lighting to be raised with the Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) and would be supportive of upgrades to lighting facilities that help with the overall safety and security of the site.
A TMR spokesperson said they will be investigating the expansion of the Roma breakdown pad this financial year and will consider the need for lighting infrastructure as part of this planning project.
Meanwhile, the rest facility on the Warrego Highway (Miles-Roma) listed for an upgrade in the Queensland Transport and Roads Investment Program 2024–25 to 2027–28 (QTRIP) is the Colts rest area, which is a motorist and heavy vehicle rest area on the eastern side of Roma.