Wyndham council has announced additional ‘no truck stopping’ areas will be established in hot spots across the municipality.
Signs are already displayed on Bolivar Esplanade and Elmhurst Road, Truganina, however additional signs will be installed further along Bolivar Esplanade, from Elmhurst Road to Sayers Road, on Elmhurst Road, and from the Bolivar Esplanade/Elmhurst Road intersection up to Palmers Road.
‘No truck parking’ signs will be displayed at Sedgefield Avenue, located between Bolivar Esplanade and Palmers Road.
The recommendation for the increased signage is the result of an audit, which revealed truck parking in these areas could be putting residents, pedestrians and cyclists, at risk.
Wyndham council community safety portfolio holder Cr Susan McIntyre said the trucks obscured the line of sight for drivers attempting to back out of their driveways into street traffic.
“The audit report also found there was reduced visibility of children and adults who need to cross the street in front of the stationary trucks,” she said.
“It also found that Bolivar Esplanade provides an on-road cycle lane in each direction.
“Given heavy vehicles are wider, cyclists may be forced to swerve to the right – into the traffic lane to ride past them – increasing the likelihood of cyclists being hit by cars in the traffic lane.
“There’s also the potential that truck drivers can open doors into on coming cyclists as there’s a limited buffer between the trucks and cyclists.”
Cr McIntyre added that trucks, often used for freight and commercial services, can pose a safety risk to residents, put pressure on road infrastructure and contribute to air and noise pollution when air brakes are used and when engines are left idling prior to start up.
“We appreciate that truck drivers have a business and a livelihood to maintain but they need to park legally, act responsibly and be considerate of neighbours – heavy and long trucks were not designed to be parked in residential streets,” she said.
“The trucks may also damage local road infrastructure due to weight and size.
“Drivers should consider ‘park and drive’ options to park their vehicle overnight at heavy and long vehicle, secure parking facilities. Drivers interested in these options should contact council.”
Council said it is in the process of ordering signage which is expected to take about four to six weeks.
Residents can report instances of heavy and long vehicles parked along residential streets via council’s customer service portal.
Details: wyndham.custhelp.com/
