Bellambi resident takes aim at coal truck 'hell'

In scenes more reminiscent of the wild west than Bellambi, resident Dick Knappett has launched a one-man vigilante campaign against coal trucks.The sight of the Bellambi Lane resident patrolling the street, taking aim at passing trucks with a speed gun has taken many motorists by surprise. The gun is part of Mr Knappett's campaign to have coal trucks using Bellambi Lane comply with speed limits. He ordered it from a United States website."It cost me $140 delivered to the door, but you can get them for around $280 over here," he said.His intention is to compile data and pass it on to authorities.Mr Knappett described life on Bellambi Lane when the coal tracks are running as "a living hell". He said it was " squealing brakes" and the noise of the trucks that caused him concern."Ordinary trucks are peaceful in comparison," he said. "Coal trucks bang and rattle."When Mr Knappett first used the speed gun last Friday, he claimed to have clocked one truck at 68km/h, which is above the 60km/h speed limit and 18km/h above the agreed limit for coal trucks in the area.Sergeant John Klepczarek confirmed the use of the speed gun was not illegal, but said gadgets like them needed to be calibrated regularly and police cautioned against taking the readings as accurate.A spokesman for Gujarat NRE, which owns the nearby NRE No 1 Colliery, said the company had a code of conduct included as part of the contract with the truck company, which hauls coal from its mine to Port Kembla.He said the code of conduct had a number of guidelines to promote safe use of the roads and general community safety matters, and this included a 50km/h speed limit along Bellambi Lane."Following recent complaints of speeding the tachographs for the trucks have been inspected and made available to the police," the spokesman said."Satellite tracking has also confirmed these results."We found that the drivers were not exceeding the 60km (per hour) limit set by police and were complying with the 50km limit in accordance with the code of conduct."He said the company had an excellent relationship with residents, regularly inviting them to the colliery for information days, providing community newsletters and had an open-door policy for any complaints.