ESTA is calling on the European Commission to amend its plans for a network of Safe and Secure Truck Parking Areas (SSTPAs) to include abnormal transports and take account of the needs of women drivers.
At its meeting in early September, ESTA’s Board repeated its support for the concept but said the current plans remain a missed opportunity.
ESTA Director Ton Klijn said: “We know that for our industry to prosper in future, 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 their concerns that the SSTPA plans contain no specific provisions for abnormal transports.
Earlier this year, ESTA published a detailed position paper that was sent to the European Commission and was also lodged in the library of ESTA’s website.
It 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 that are 7m wide and up to 50m in length.
There are currently only 300,000 truck parking spaces available in the EU – an estimated significant shortfall of 100,000 spaces to meet demand. What is more only 7,000 spaces, or less the 3 per cent, are in certified safe and secure areas.