Residents along a stretch of the Princes Highway at Albion Park Rail are finding themselves stuck at home due to trucks parking across their driveways.
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Don Tate lives on the highway and said it was a daily occurrence to find trucks parked outside his house.
Sometimes they’ve parked across his driveway, making it impossible to leave until the truckie returns.
Other times they’ve parked so close to the driveway that getting in and out becomes a risky manoeuvre, he said.
Mr Tate said the problem is caused by truck drivers looking to go to the 7-Eleven store several doors down from his house.
Rather than look to park within the service station parking area, the truckies opt for street parking.
“Ever since the 7-Eleven opened up two years ago we’ve had trucks parked across our driveways and right up to the edge of our driveways,” Mr Tate said.
“So when we have to reverse out we have to negotiate around trucks onto a two-lane highway – or we can’t even get out of our driveways because they’ve parked across them.”
He said the truck drivers would often leave the engine running on the vehicle while at the nearby 7-Eleven.
“I've seen them leave their trucks unattended on the highway for up to an hour,” he said.
“So we have to put up with the noise and the smell of it.”
Mr Tate added that there have been “confrontations” with drivers over the issue.
Mr Tate claimed on-street parking was meant to be limited and signage erected as a condition of the development’s approval – but this has not happened.
Shellharbour City Council General Manager Carey McIntyre confirmed this requirement.
“The development approval does not have any conditions relating to truck parking on the Princes Highway, however there is a requirement for the developer to extend the existing no-stopping zones both north and south of the site to improve road safety and traffic management,” Mr McIntyre said.
The general manager said council was addressing the situation.
“Council is aware of the issue and conducts regular patrols in the area which can includes static observations of up to 15 minutes,” Mr McIntyre said.
“On occasions where an offending vehicle has been reported to council those vehicles have generally moved on by the time council staff arrive to investigate.”
The Princes Highway is a road supervised by the state government, and a Roads and Maritime Services spokeswoman said they were working with council to resolve the issue.
“ ‘No Stopping’ zone signs will be installed by the council,” the spokeswoman said.
Glen Humphries
I'm an award-winning senior journalist with the Illawarra Mercury and have well over two decades' worth of experience in newspapers. I cover the three local councils in the Illawarra for the Mercury, state and federal politics, as well as writing for the TV guide. If I'm not writing, I'm reading.
I'm an award-winning senior journalist with the Illawarra Mercury and have well over two decades' worth of experience in newspapers. I cover the three local councils in the Illawarra for the Mercury, state and federal politics, as well as writing for the TV guide. If I'm not writing, I'm reading.
