Pyrmont’s Fish Markets and Sydney’s motorsport precinct could be turned into overnight rest areas for truckies in a bid to find fixes for the city’s long-running truck parking issues.
With the $80 million dedicated truck-parking area in Eastern Creek still stuck in the early planning stages, both sites are being considered as options as councils report a sharp rise in trucks parking on suburban streets.
Blacktown Council, in response to a spike in complaints from ratepayers about truck parking in suburban streets, is in talks with the Sydney Motorsport Park and Sydney Dragway, about a proposal to allow hundreds of trucks to park within unused areas of the raceways at night.
A spokesperson for Sydney Dragway in Eastern Creek told Big Rigs that the council first approached them with the idea a few months ago, but he’s waiting for them to come back to him with next steps.
“It’s not something we’re averse to – we’re happy to help out where we can,” the spokesperson said
“Obviously from our point of view, there are fees that would be installed into this.
“Because we’re a multi-purpose venue, we’ve also got to look at what area won’t affect our day-to-day operation.
“We’re happy to work with Blacktown Council but obviously, there is a lot more to discuss about how this would work and fit in with our schedules.”
A spokeswoman for the Sydney Motorsport Park also confirmed raceway operators are considering the proposal, but said any arrangement would be subject to availability and “only in areas that do not affect the circuit and its operations”.
Blacktown City Council told Big Rigs it is aware of concerns about heavy vehicles parking in residential streets.
“We recognise that truck drivers provide an essential service to our economy and our community,” a spokesperson said.
“The challenge is to make sure truck drivers have safe places to park, while finding a balance that works for both drivers and residents.”
The spokesperson said council is considering a range of short- and longer-term measures, with further work required to determine which options are practical and effective.
“This includes investigating the formalisation of additional overnight on-street rest zones in selected industrial areas, and exploring requirements for future industrial park developments to provide off-street truck parking.
“We are also in discussion with major landholders about whether underutilised parking areas could be used on a commercial basis, providing more options for drivers.”
The spokesperson said council continues to work with the NSW Government to increase truck rest facilities, including at the proposed Eastern Creek site, to help meet growing demand.
“The pressure is being felt most by smaller operators who do not have access to depots or legal off-street parking for their trucks and trailers.
“Council is committed to working with industry, government and the community to find safe, practical and sustainable solutions.”
Road Freight NSW (RFNSW) said it also approached the City of Sydney Council and NSW government with plans for truck parking fixes.
One of those options put forward were around the Sydney’s Fish Market’s site at Pyrmont, which is due to close later this year for redevelopment.
“Because of the decades of underinvestment to address the parking shortage, drivers are spending huge amounts of time trying to find somewhere to park, and that’s having an impact on operating costs and efficiencies,” RFNSW CEO Simon O’Hara told the Sydney Morning Herald.
NSW laws prohibit trucks weighing more than 4.5 tonnes, or measuring longer than 7.5 metres from parking in built-up areas for longer than one hour, but Fairfield Mayor Frank Carbone said many truckies are happy to cop a $114 fine, rather than pay for private parking.
He also said fining parked trucks was “challenging” for councils as rangers had to “go out at night, mark the tyres of trucks, then come back to fine them”.
According to the Blacktown Council, truck parking complaints from its residents has shot up to 2170 in the last financial year, which is a 43 per cent jump on the previous 12 months.