A serious traffic accident on the E19 motorway near Sint-Job-in-’t-Goor has once again drawn attention to the dangers of illegal roadside parking on high-speed roads and the wider shortage of adequate truck parking infrastructure across Europe.
According to the Belgian news magazines GVA and Flows, a passenger car collided with the rear of a stationary truck that had been parked alongside the motorway because a nearby park area was full.
ESPORG Technical Advisor and Road Safety Advocate Marc Van Grootel declared for Flows: “Truck drivers are required to comply with driving and rest time regulations, but where can they park in order to do so? Every night in Europe there is a shortage of more than 300,000 parking spaces, with all the dangerous consequences that entails. A great deal of work remains to ensure drivers are guaranteed a quality night’s rest and to improve road safety. It is regrettable that, in accidents like these, the transport sector is so often made the scapegoat.”
This accident illustrates a critical European issue: the dangers of Europe’s parking shortage. A recent European Commission report on Safe and Secure Truck Parking in the EU, based on a comprehensive study carried out by ESPORG highlights the serious challenges faced by transport operators and professional drivers due to the ongoing shortage of secure parking facilities. EC report confirms the urgent need to expand the European network of Safe and Secure Parking Areas (SSPAs), in line with TEN-T corridor requirements and EU mobility objectives. The lack of secure truck parking areas directly affects driver safety aggravating the drivers’ shortage and undermining the efficiency and resilience of European logistics chains.
“It is also not just a matter of a lack of parking spaces; the quality of facilities is often inadequate as well. In particular, there is a shortage of clean and sufficient sanitary facilities—especially for female drivers.” said also Marc van Grootel. The solution must therefore be twofold: more parking spaces, but above all safer and better-equipped parking facilities.
ESPORG continues to advocate for coordinated European action to accelerate the development of EU Parking standard – certified safe and secure parking infrastructure, ensuring safer roads, improved working conditions for drivers, and a more robust transport system across the European Union.
Source: Belgian media report (GVA) citing Fire Brigade Zone Rand; Flows; European Commission report on Safe and Secure Truck Parking based on the ESPORG study.
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