overnight in parking bays

Great, and about time. I always like to think that the truck driver driving up behind me is alert and has had plenty of rest, and can overtake me easily, rather than driving over me. Make sure it is policed and the fines stick.

I suggest that this problem highlights a lack of appropriate options for people in light vehicles.
Like toilets. If none are available, people will sh!t somewhere else.
Two things are certain...
1. People will sh!t.
2. Travelling people will stop somewhere overnight.
Banning either will have zero effect. If we want light vehicles to avoid truck stops we need to provide sufficient alternatives that satisfy these travellers. It is not rocket science.
Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 motorhome

Obviously something needs to be done to allow drivers of heavy vehicles to rest adequately, but this appears to be a poorly considered knee-jerk response.

I fully understand and appreciate the need to prevent light vehicles from taking up heavy vehicle resting areas - there are only limited spaces you can park a large vehicle, and the driving hours are so rigid that a driver of a heavy vehicle at the end of their driving hours does not have the flexibility to spend extra time looking for an alternative parking area.

However, this proposed reaction to the problem risks instead putting light vehicle drivers at risk of fatigue (you can't really function properly on only 4 hours rest overnight). A driver of a light vehicle who falls asleep while driving and wanders into oncoming traffic will still cause trauma (even if perhaps not quite as much as a heavy vehicle might).

It's been similarly unworkable in Victoria for many years - drivers are constantly hammered the message of the need to stop and rest, yet the rest areas have restrictions that prevent drivers from being able to rest adequately, and we don't all want to stop in motels which would mean being be restricted by, usually, the need to book in advance, arrive by certain times, etc. (and if you're a tourist spending money hiring a campervan, you probably expect to be able to sleep in it).

Interestingly, the proposal is to restrict overnight parking for vehicles under 12t, yet if I drive a mini-bus in a professional capacity (GVM around 5t), I am still required to comply with the professional driving hours, even though the vehicle is well under 12t.

High time I say.
And in my opinion should be double the fine value
and should socalled "move-on" power, but by the truck driver to move -on RV's parked there - WITH THEIR BULLBARS!
CJ

I thought most highways in the state have rest areas clearly marked as truck only, and they also have rest areas for other vehicles. Caravans pulling up in the truck rest areas are doing the wrong thing and deserve a ticket.

Ironic that this is in NSW, where if towing a caravan you get tolled as a truck, then can't park in a truck stop. Two bob each way for revenue.

We do a fair amount of free camping and because we still choose to use a roof tent we don't tend to use roadside stops for overnight stays for noise, dust and safety concerns where as a caravan or mobile home would not have those issues. In NSW there are rest stops for trucks only that are probably strategically located for their compulsory breaks, so it seems fair that they should only be used for trucks. We have noticed that a lot of truck stops don't have toilets or any facilities either.
NSW has a lot of rest areas for motorists but many are no designed nor intended for overnight stays. Generally if it has a proper fireplace, it will be signed as an overnight stop. That photo in Dave's post above is a blatant abuse of truck parking bays and those people should be fined. A little planning and something like EO Traveller or Wiki Camps that we use is all that is needed to find a decent spot to camp and keep everyone happy. If you cant find something that suits that's free, you have to be prepared to pay for a Caravan or National Park as we do. regards Michael

Doesn’t help that on some busy routes there are little or no rest stops. From Yelgun, heading north, you have to travel a good three hours until you come to a rest area of any sort. Must be one of the busiest stretches in the country, yet really inadequate facilities. Yelgun is a relatively new stop, built to fulfil the purpose but now you’d be lucky to find a spot at the end of a day’s drive.

The problem with Yelgun is the number of back packer vans and cars there most nights. They've been chucked out of near by Byron Bay and all the small coastal spots in this area because most of these small camper vans don't have toilets or showers built into them. So you can guess how the back packers deal with it, before they were banned from just parking anywhere they could fit.

I can understand the need for truck drivers to access to designated parking spots and I have witnessed inconsiderate Rvers parking either where or how they shouldn't. The restriction to a 4 hr rest period is another issue. Call me synical if you must, but I can't help felling this is a case of the caravan park owners pushing the the issue with government and trying to force everyone you use their parks.

They must learn to realise there are two basic types of traveller (C/van or M/home), those who will stay in C/van park only and those who don't, or when it suits. If we are all forced to stay in C/parks there will be less travellers resulting in the small town businesses missing out.

Could we not have boom gates erected at both ends of truck parking areas preventing access by others..

These boom gates can have sensors that recognise heavy vehicle number plates and only open for heavy vehicles etc..

This is already done to issue parking fines in public car parks and public street to issue parking fines ..

Just a thought..