Bathurst council and police cracking down on parking in loading zones

Police and Bathurst Regional Council rangers will be on the lookout for anyone illegally parked in loading zones throughout the city.

Councillor Warren Aubin said the problem has been occurring in Bathurst for a long time, but had become even more prolific in the last six weeks.

It is most common in the loading zones along George Street and William Street.

The problem has gotten to the point that it needed to be raised at a recent council traffic committee meeting, with Bathurst Highway Patrol offers asked to assist.

Now, the crackdown begins.

"We've got to stop people parking in loading zones and going to get coffee, or going to get their groceries and that sort of thing, when it's a loading zone for delivery vehicles to use as a delivery zone.

"That is what they're made for. They're not made for John Smith to pull up in his family sedan to go and get lunch and coffee when he can't find a park on either side of the road, and then block it so delivery vans can't get in and do their job."

Drivers risk copping fines of $183 every time they park in a loading zone.

But illegal parking isn't the only reason why Cr Aubin wants to crackdown on the behaviour.

He said that delivery drivers are constantly copping abuse when they approach someone illegally parked in the loading zone.

"There's been a lot of problems and a few of the delivery drivers have emailed me and sent me photos of vehicles that are parking in those zones illegally," he said.

"One of them was absolutely disgusting with what he said to the delivery driver. I wouldn't repeat it. It was absolutely disgusting; he screamed it at the top of his lungs and took a breath and screamed it again down the bottom of William Street.

"That's an ongoing thing. It just happens all the time. Whoever parks there, if a delivery bloke happens to say to them, 'You should move, you're not allowed to park there', they get an absolute tirade of abuse. That's not fair on the delivery drivers."

In addition to getting the police and rangers to monitor loading zones, Cr Aubin has requested that the loading zones be more clearly marked with stripped paint.

"Hopefully we can get the message through that only delivery drivers should be using those zones," he said.

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