- Target:
- Darren Chester MP - Minister for infrastructure and transport
- Region:
- Australia
- Website:
- www.truckright.com.au
There are not enough rest areas,
Not one Australian highway meets the national minimum standards,
There are growing numbers of trucks, caravaners, motorhomers and free campers using these facilities. Most car rest areas do not get used at night because a single motorist feels vulnerable, so in an effort to feel safe, they will inevitably come to the truck bays. Trucks are required by law and severely punished for non compliance with the law, therefore we need suitable, sufficient and well designed rest areas to suit all users.
We ask all groups of the above and other interested parties including motoring groups to circulate, sign and support this petition.
No driver should be forced to drive on tired because there is nowhere safe for them to stop.
Dear Minister, I am sure you are aware of the increasing issue with the current lack of rest areas. There are three issues at play.
1. The increasing number of vehicles on the road, both trucks and cars and specifically, the growing number of caravans, motorhomes and those who free camp, putting even more pressure on the insufficient truck rest areas currently available. Trucks are the only group legally required to have rest breaks on the road and the current sites are insufficient in number and lack shade and toilets particularly. Vanners and others do at least have the option of going to a van park, or motel, or simply off the road, but trucks cannot legally park in an area with streetlights and even in industrial areas in Sydney, this is being more savagely policed. How ridiculous is that?
2. Current car rest areas are often designed and or signed to exclude trucks, yet these facilities are more often than not ignored by car drivers at night, as they feel alone and unsafe in such sites. So these sites are underutilised to a large degree.
3. The cost of new rest areas is substantial and whilst we would love to see more for each, that is as unlikely as having truck rest areas built separately for those trucks with frig motors or stock crates, which do affect the sleep of other drivers, yet they too need to manage their fatigue.
So the solution? As per the petition, we have just released a video aimed at better sharing current rest areas, yet we need more and they must be better designed and suited to the users. I am hoping this petition will show you the depth of need and urgency felt by those who live on the road and hope you agree, that no driver should be forced to drive on tired, because they had nowhere safe to stop and sleep.
The Pacific Highway whilst improving markedly with the current upgrades, has long been short of sufficient truck bays. I have been asking and can supply a list from 10 years ago, seeking improvement and yet, with the current bypasses and roadworks, there are substantial shortages and again, I did put forward a request for consideration of a change over facility on the Pacific when Clybucca was bypassed, but again this has fallen on deaf ears and we are still having drivers doing change overs on the side of the road, surely a ridiculous situation.
I would ask that you give this petition serious consideration and as previously, I would both welcome your company for a trip in the TRUCKRIGHT Industry Vehicle to see and feel these issues first hand and will do all I can to assist with any such improvements you can propose and secure, towards better road safety and fatigue minimisation on the roads of Australia. Thank you, Rod Hannifey.
You can further help this campaign by sponsoring it
The We need more rest areas petition to Darren Chester MP - Minister for infrastructure and transport was written by Truckright and is in the category Roads & Transport at GoPetition.