ABPA - Australian Bush Poets Association

So....I discover that (officially) it is perfectly fine to leave a heavy vehicle (bloody big truck & dog) on the kerb UNATTENDED while STILL RUNNING, & pumping toxic diesel fumes into my home, for half an hour or more, while you go get a hamburger etc....BUT...I can get booked for leaving my car unlocked when parked...??? This toxic air freshening happens regularly outside my country town home as there is a fuel stop/cafe diagonally across the road. It just gives me headaches & nausea but was a MUCH bigger concern for croc before he died earlier this year, as he had chronic breathing problems....but it's perfectly fine & legal to keep doing. (??) The ONE time I politely asked a truckie if he'd turn off his engine please, I was soundly abused.
The 'powers that be' tell me that the truckies can't turn off a diesel engine or it will 'break.' Now I'm only a girl so I dunno about that. Is there a well informed bloke out there who can explain this to me please....Any ideas better than 'why don't you ask the Council to build you one of those big freeway type fences along your front yard.' (Anyone got a nuclear bunker for sale?)

There is one idea, but I got it from people who I had to lock up so I'd better pass on that

I'm not a truckie, I could be wrong but I think that running the engine has something to do with maintaining the brake pressure..I think, someone will correct me.

We had a bloke in Bourke who regularly had a large truck full of ultra smelly goats park outside his house overnight, not legal but my boss said that in a far western country town that's how things go, suck it up....you didn't want to hear that did you Glenny.

Yea but it doesn't take all that long for that air pressure to build up again so I would reckon that was a PP excuse. I remember we used to leave ours running for a couple of minutes after we actually stopped something to do with the turbo cooling down after a long run but it was only a couple of minutes . If it was first thing on a cold morning and he had just fired his rig up I could understand him leaving it running especially if she had a cold motor but other than that I'd be suggesting to matey that he shut it off. that way no one will drive off with it while he is in the store. it also has the side effect of saving fuel too.

Use your womanly wiles Glenny, smile a lot and bat those eyelashes and play the dumb female to the hilt make him feel big and strong and macho...that should work.

PS - be sure to like like like his truck - that should do it

Not really Neville....cos I've been well & truly 'sucking it up' for over a year. BTW that 'official' advice was from one of the mob you used to be.... AS far as goats go....well, he parked them outside his house at least. Where's David Delaney when ya need him?

Hey Maureen...you genius!! All I gotta do is hire a shifty kid to drive the bloody things off!! Yess! Or...even better...when he finally returns to his truck I could be sitting there with rollers in my hair & a packed suitcase...(my 'wiles' are a tad rusty for any other successes I think.) Me bruvver told me to shove a potatoe up his....exhaust pipe...?? xx

Oh Glenny I wasn't suggesting that I agreed with my boss or that you should take that on board as my solution idea. Just an illustration of how difficult it can be to get some satisfaction for problem solving.
As I remember, despite the bosses attitude we had a talk to the goat man ( in NSW it is illegal to park heavy vehicles on a residential public street overnight, they have to be in a truck stop or truck yard ) and the problem was overcome by negotiation.

You mentioned that you didn't want to build a noise barrier. There is a truck stop in Singleton where , after representation by a resident, the council required the owner of the truck stop to build a noise barrier. I don't know how you might go with that proposition.
Also in NSW we have legislation called The Noise Control Act which would probably enable someone in your predicament to appeal to. I don't know what they have in Queensland.

Ah dear Neville. I musta sounded a bit curt...didn't mean to. Hey...go on...tell me wot the crims reckon...go on.
That flamin servo was not running when I bought this place. It used to be sooo peaceful (in comparison.) The blighters operate from 5am to 7p every day including Sunday. And they are smack bang in the middle of residential...plus the hospital is right across the road from them too. I've learned to cultivate a LOT of patience, but it's way overboard when the drivers leave their (often HUGE) rigs running for half an hour. I'm trying not to have any more fights on my hands as I'm trying to level out, but I guess I'll have to moan to the most likely 'respondents'....maybe the opposition candidate in my area? Surely there is a noise or pollution body that would frown on such blatant disregard for residents. We'll see...(deep sigh)
The servo operators can't do much as it is a tiny corner place diagonally opposite my home & they don't park there...no room. They park in the easiest spot which is outside my place. What do you reckon would happen if I painted my guttering yellow? When I suggested to our local constabulary that I put my own sign up he seemed to think it would egg them on even more..?? What the hell's happened to our once hard working considerate blokes who operated as a kind of brotherhood??

Anyway...enough whingeing. It's Sunday & it's a gorgeous day.....so far.
Cheeers Neville
Glenny

G'day Glenny, it is no help to you but the reason they leave it running, or the excuse they are using, is as Maureen suggests, to let the turbo cool down, they run very, very hot when the motor is working hard and it will damage them if you shut down a hot turbo too quickly. However, unless you are on top of a big steep hill that requires the motor to work very hard for the truck get up there, that shouldn't be necessary, but they still won't shut the truck down for that short amount of time, especially if it is not an owner driver that is paying for the fuel!
Maybe you could suggest that the council make it a no parking zone, you could get a driveway at each boundary of your block, then no one can park there!...

Write him/them a poem - stick it on the windshield - send copy to local paper - use a bit of humour but point out the issues re safety etc etc
that might do it - Put a red light outside the door and a sign on the footpath 'open for business" whenever the rigs pull in. but Ross's idea sounds pretty good - you only have to have the driveway easement cut in and a 2nd driveway would probably be handy anyway.

I think it is now illegal in Qld for trucks to be parked on suburban streets over night or on footpaths (cars as well) but don't think that is the issue here so probably not much help.

Glenny Palmer wrote: Surely there is a noise or pollution body that would frown on such blatant disregard for residents. We'll see...(deep sigh)

The issue of fumes I think is certainly a significant health issue worth pursuing.
In NSW we have the Environment Protection Agency ( EPA ) who will quite zealously go for these sort of problems. Again I don't know what is in Queensland.

I fear that what is happening is an example of our age of "speed, can't wait" mentality. Much easier to leave the motor running than to sit for a couple of minutes after your hamburger and coke to build up brake pressure again. Mustn't wait, jump out, quick feed, jump in , get going straight away. Move move move.
In the end everybody suffers, the residents from fumes and noise, the truckies probably from anxiety and stress and burn out from the need to keep moving.

Many Thanks Roscoe. The road here is as flat as a flounder.....as is most of the landscape around town & beyond. I've had a whinge at the Mayor but will probably get the same drivel that allows them to ignore me. We'll see what he comes up with anyway...

Hey Mausey...I'd have to get a ladder to reach his windscreen love, but now that you mention it there already is a driveway cut in on my adjoining corner block, & that is exaccerly what the last bloke parked across....and....the distance between the driveway & the corner is really insufficient to allow safe parking anyhow. Trouble is...they might move forward enough to have their exhaust pipe in direct line to my front door....but then again, that might be just a bit further they'd have to walk back to the servo than they want to... I reckon I might have a good chance of demanding a 'no standing' sign out there.

Thanks heaps for the feedback.
xx Glenny