Call to amend plans for safe parking areas

ESTA wants new truck parking plans in Europe to consider the needs of abnormal load transports and female drivers

The European Commission has been called on to revise its plans for commercial vehicle parking areas.

European transport and crane association ESTA has asked the Commission to amend its plans for a network of Safe and Secure Truck Parking Areas (SSTPAs). Changes would include provision for abnormal transports and accommodate the needs of women drivers.

At a meeting in September, ESTA repeated its support for the concept but said the current plans remain a missed opportunity. Ton Klijn, ESTA director, explained, “We know that for our industry to prosper we cannot afford to only recruit from the male half of the population. But to succeed in that aim, it will be essential to develop good quality and safe parking areas.”

The Board also repeated the association’s concerns that the SSTPA plans contain no specific provisions for abnormal transports. Earlier in 2022, ESTA published a detailed position paper that was sent to the European Commission and was also lodged in the library of the ESTA website.

The paper urged the Commission to adopt a series of design features and service standards aimed at abnormal transports, including the request that parking areas should each have at least three designated abnormal transport parking bays that can accommodate vehicle combinations 7 metres wide and up to 50 metres long.

At the time of writing there were 300,000 truck parking spaces available in the European Union – an estimated shortfall of 100,000 spaces to meet demand. In addition, only 7,000 spaces, or less than 3 per cent, are in certified safe and secure areas, the association said.