At the November Council meeting, I moved a successful motion to request the State Government to disallow caravans, boats and trailers to be indefinitely stored on suburban streets.
Under South Australia’s interpretation of the Australian Road Rules, caravans, boats and trailers less than 7.5 metres in length, can be parked on our suburban streets with no time limit.
I have received numerous complaints about long-term storage of these luxury items on our suburban streets.
In my view, our streets are not meant to be used for free storage.
Caravans, boats and trailers parked on our streets impact traffic lane width, driveway access, visibility and the availability of on-street parking, which we know is very tight.
The rule that allows this to happen is set at the state government level. The national road rules are not law, but serve as a model framework for states to interpret.
The State Government needs to review the legislation to allow councils to limit the long-term parking and the storage of caravans, trailers and boats so that our streets can be better managed.Victoria is allowing councils to have time-limit restrictions. For example, the City of Kingston and Hobsons Bay require permits for extended stays. In October, the Queensland Local Government Conference called on their State Government to review their legislation.
Council also voted to pursue this matter through the Local Government Association at its annual general meeting. Watch this space!
Dr Christel Lorraine Mex 