Truck parking bays and the problems travellers cause

Submitted: Friday, Jul 11, 2014 at 17:25
ThreadID: 108693 Views:3140 Replies:8 FollowUps:14
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Now we have the hate everything and everyone discussion, here is a problem that is becoming more of a problem on the road train routes.

Bear with me as I make a short story long. We left Barkly this morning before dawn headed for the Isa. The main reason was to get an hour or two in before we had to push the wind. On leaving there was a roadtrain also about to leave and it took to Avon Downs before he came up behind. Now I was travelling at 90 kph and he was pulling empty trailers, so he was up on 100 kph. Simple radio talk from me was, I will lift my speed until it is clear for you to pass and when you are out there I will ease. job was done with no hassles and both of us were happy.

At this time we pulled into Avon downs rest stop so my lovely wife could visit our gold plated loo.

Well off we went still doing 90 and me watching my auto gearbox temps in case the head winds sent them soaring. All was good with the temp sitting between 97 and 98c.

We cruised through Camooweal and noticed vans/ camper trailers and vehicles parked on the truck parking pad. I commented to the missus about this as some were parked in a way that could cause problems for road trains entering the pad.

Slipping along at our 90kph we came across a bit of roadkill down in the table drain with no less than 8 wedges having a feed. Now by the lack of road kill I think they were doing it tough this year. Bear with me, one of the great things about travelling a little slower, is you are relaxed and can back off before you hit one of these magnificent birds. For the uneducated a Wedgetail Eagle takes a long time to get mobile as 1. He will sit on his pray until the last moment and 2. he or she is not a swift.

Now having bored you all to death I will get back to the heading of the story. Twenty something K's out of the Isa a road train comes up behind, I says I will lift my speed Blah! Blah! Blah! to which the answer was didn't I pass you at Avon Downs. Yep I said and he came back with you must have had a short stop as I just stopped at Camooweal for 15 mins. I said yep, short stop and I still hadn't changed my 90 kph speed. 450 K and the train was travelling at 100kph. Not that this would happen once he crossed the border into Qld.

Now to cut to the chase. Got talking on the radio and I mentioned the sprawl of parked vehicles on their truck pad and he said yep it is a problem. Now we are here at the start.

The driver Laurie told me that he had pulled into a truck parking bay the night before but the truck in front was to far back for him to get his trailers off the road properly. He backed out and then flung out WHY. 2 caravans a camper trailer and 2 vehicles. Now he has to find another spot that will be up to 50k further on. I know exactly what this can be like.

What I am saying is, everyone for god sake be tolerant of others and respect each others rights on the road.








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Reply By: scruffy - Friday, Jul 11, 2014 at 18:12

Friday, Jul 11, 2014 at 18:12
Well said and fully agree. Bob
AnswerID: 535910

Follow Up By: AlanTH - Friday, Jul 11, 2014 at 18:50

Friday, Jul 11, 2014 at 18:50
Yes a good point well made, not any consideration shown at all by so many road users for others.
As concerns the eagles on road kill, what I've done a couple of times when safe to do so is pull dead roos off the road so the birds aren't in danger from vehicles.
Of course this can't be done with a big beast like a cow or horse but is worth it with a smaller animal.
AlanH.
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Follow Up By: pop2jocem - Saturday, Jul 12, 2014 at 12:39

Saturday, Jul 12, 2014 at 12:39
Yep, big tick from me too. Well said.
Just on the matter of wedgies, these beautiful birds very often have trouble disengaging their claws from a road kill as the natural tendency is for the claws to clamp onto whatever to prevent live prey from escaping. This means that before they can even start to take off, they must let go of whatever they are sitting on and of course, as said, the takeoff is not that quick.

Cheers Pop
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Follow Up By: SDG - Saturday, Jul 12, 2014 at 21:21

Saturday, Jul 12, 2014 at 21:21
Another thing I was told recently by some people who specialize in treating injured Wedgies, is that they can only take off in the direction that they are pointed in. Other birds apparently can take off side ways
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Follow Up By: Bob Y. - Qld - Saturday, Jul 12, 2014 at 23:02

Saturday, Jul 12, 2014 at 23:02
I'd suggest that they, the wedgies, have been flying long before Orville & Wilbur, so they prefer to take off into the wind.

Downwind take-offs, with a full cargo of shredded 'roo, tend to take a little longer :-)



Majestic birds, with a similar attitude to a 8' 6" long King Brown........

Bob



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Can't remember most of it.

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Reply By: wholehog - Friday, Jul 11, 2014 at 19:45

Friday, Jul 11, 2014 at 19:45
Well said Tony...I have seen them parked in front of cane fields, under the cover at RTA stops, and truck stops, bloody inconsiderate inexperienced pricks.
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Reply By: Angryz - Friday, Jul 11, 2014 at 19:46

Friday, Jul 11, 2014 at 19:46
Another issue for interstate truck drivers is that they pull into the stop to have a sleep during the day. Then Dad,Mum,three kids & caravan pull in directly along side for a lunch stop. The kids finish lunch & let off some steam running around playing Which wakes the truckie up. My brother, an interstate truck driver brought this up not long ago. He said this happens quite often when there is plenty of room & parking spaces away from his parked truck.
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Reply By: Member - Terry W3 - Friday, Jul 11, 2014 at 19:52

Friday, Jul 11, 2014 at 19:52
Yep Agree with the comments above, as an ex road train drive the worse thing is parking half way along a parking bay, either park at the start or better still park at the far end. I have always tried to do the right thing but out of Longreach one night I really lost it with a group of caravaner's ,and I reckon they are still driving and too frightened to pull up , I was very cranky that night . I tried to get into two parking bays to no avail ,and unfortunately they wore the brunt of my frustration, at about 2 am in the morning . Stay Safe , Washo
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Follow Up By: Dave(NSW) - Friday, Jul 11, 2014 at 22:26

Friday, Jul 11, 2014 at 22:26
It's worst still when you leave the first parking bay cause you can't get in and before you get to the next the mermaids or police nock you off for driving over you time.
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Follow Up By: Mark (Geelong) - Sunday, Jul 13, 2014 at 18:35

Sunday, Jul 13, 2014 at 18:35
Well said Washo
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Reply By: The Bantam - Saturday, Jul 12, 2014 at 11:38

Saturday, Jul 12, 2014 at 11:38
Unfortunately lots of people dont grasp that these laybys are specifically constructed for heavy transports, and they are located in specific places where they are needed.

The long distance truckies is required to have absolutely rigid rest breaks and enter them in his long book..uinder the threat of heavy fines.

AND these guys cant just park anywhere..they need considerable length and space and in many cases they are specifcally prohibited parking in other locations.

These guys have little choice where they stop and when.

please understand this.

In fact on many of the heavy transport laybys, I have seen "no standing, heavy vehicles excepted signs"

If travelers are to contunue to use these areas specifically intended for heavy vehicles they need to be very carefull where they park and how they use them..or they may find signs errected and officers enforcing, thus preventing then from using these sites at all.

cheers.
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Reply By: Alloy c/t - Saturday, Jul 12, 2014 at 16:10

Saturday, Jul 12, 2014 at 16:10
A classic example of truck stop abuse yesterday in Longreach , opposite the Caltex is a large pad for trucks and road trains , its well sign posted as such , going past behind 3 triples you could hear [on the uhf ] and feel the frustration as none of the trains could pull in to stop , why ?? Richard Cranium terrorists [ some people actually think they are tourists] taking up space in such a manner and kids running around that there was no room for whom the pads are designed for and sign posted for .
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Follow Up By: Ozrover - Saturday, Jul 12, 2014 at 16:22

Saturday, Jul 12, 2014 at 16:22
I know the place well, most times that I've been through there, there has been a caravan or two parked there.
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Follow Up By: Alloy c/t - Saturday, Jul 12, 2014 at 16:41

Saturday, Jul 12, 2014 at 16:41
I go past it 3-4 times a week every week , seems this 'terrorist' season is actually worse than in years past , lots and more of them that have not got a clue or common sense , council put in dedicated c/van parking spaces in a well sign posted car park and at the bottom end of Eagle st, yet we still get them parallel parking in Eagle st taking up 8/9 vehicle spaces ..
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Follow Up By: Tjukayirla Roadhouse - Monday, Jul 14, 2014 at 10:05

Monday, Jul 14, 2014 at 10:05
yep Alloy, I know the feeling,.. when we lived around Winton, you'd go into town this time of year and couldn't get a park because the vans were lined up accross all the angle parks in the main st.. meanwhile, the nice big flash caravan parking area the council put in, complete with shade, sits empty.
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Reply By: Member - Frank P (NSW) - Saturday, Jul 12, 2014 at 17:07

Saturday, Jul 12, 2014 at 17:07
Moving down the scale a notch, it's not just the caravanners blocking truckie access to rest areas and truck parking bays.

What about the dizzy bleep car drivers that park halfway along a marked long vehicle parking space at service centres - when there are car spaces available?

Grrrr
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Follow Up By: Slow one - Saturday, Jul 12, 2014 at 20:04

Saturday, Jul 12, 2014 at 20:04
Frank the odd small vehicle is easy to get rid of, you just park a fridge pan one side and a cow remover the other side. Between the pan motor and the cows tap dancing all night they will remove themselves. The real problem starts when the freezing and removal team can't even get a park in the night.

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Follow Up By: Dave(NSW) - Sunday, Jul 13, 2014 at 01:04

Sunday, Jul 13, 2014 at 01:04
I never had a problem with a Bitumen tanker, Just wheel in jump out light the burners and go to bed, I usually find when I wake up in the morning I'm all alone for some reason.
Cheers Dave
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Follow Up By: Member - Scott M (NSW) - Sunday, Jul 13, 2014 at 09:44

Sunday, Jul 13, 2014 at 09:44
Dave - I laughed at your post, however the bugger in one of those who parked in the main CP at Longreach wasn't terribly popular in the morning...
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Follow Up By: Garry E1 - Monday, Jul 14, 2014 at 00:31

Monday, Jul 14, 2014 at 00:31
Hi all, I use to drive coaches for some time & I have always said that 98% of the motorists do not know road rules & every five years should go to be retested on their road rules.

I would be interested to see what the pass rate would be.

Majority of motorists /caravaners probably don't even know it is illegal to park in a truck rest area.


Cheers
Gaza
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Reply By: Penchy - Monday, Jul 14, 2014 at 07:27

Monday, Jul 14, 2014 at 07:27
Surely van drivers sight isn't that bad? Don't the signs say truck parking bays? Perhaps van drivers need to plan their trips and toilet stops better and park in town.
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Follow Up By: Slow one - Monday, Jul 14, 2014 at 08:05

Monday, Jul 14, 2014 at 08:05
Yep, it is not only van owners that can't read but camper vans, camper trailers and vehicle owners.
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