Refuse crews urge public to think about where they park on streets

Published: 19 January 2021

Refuse and recycling crews in Exeter are urging the public to think carefully about where they park their cars, as an upsurge in vehicles staying put as a result of ‘lockdown’ has caused some problems with trucks trying to negotiate narrow streets. 

With more and more people staying home in line with government advice, there are ultimately more vehicles on Exeter’s residential streets, the City Council’s Lead Councillor for City Management, Cllr David Harvey said.

Most people are parking considerately but crews working for the Council have experienced some problems when carrying out waste and recycling collections in the city. If this is a problem for refuse collection vehicles, this is also likely to be a problem for emergency vehicles.

“The vast majority of people are good as gold when it comes to parking,” said Cllr Harvey.

“However a 26-tonne truck needing to swing around the corner of a street is going to come unstuck if people park too close the bend,” he added.

If this happens and the crew can’t get down the road, they will try again later in the day. If unable to do so, they will return the next day with a smaller vehicle. However this isn’t ideal and can cause inconvenience with delayed collections.

“We understand that Exeter is a compact city that can be difficult for parking but all we are asking is for people to stop and think before leaving their vehicle, asking themselves the question ‘would I be able to manoeuvre a 26-tonne truck safely down that road?” added Cllr Harvey.

Recently the operator of a mechanical sweeper clearing up fallen leaves that had become a slip hazard in Gras Lawn, St Leonards, had to get out of his vehicle to clear up a pile of leaves by hand after a car was parked in the way.

A member of the public took to social media to thank the member of staff driving the mechanical sweeper for “his professionalism” and determination in getting the job done.