By CAMERON LUCADOUWELLS
WAYWARD garbage truck drivers beware – you’re on camera.
George Thomson is installing a $2000 motion-sensing, high-res CCTV system in his quiet Dandenong cal-de-sac to detect the repeated off-road diversions by garbage trucks over the past 10 years.
He says truck drivers from a succession of several council-contracted waste-collection companies have mounted the gutter in Isobella Court driving across the nature strip and even the footpath on occasions.
Mr Thomson claims trucks have caused a deep gouge in his nature strip as well crushing a PVC drainpipe underneath.
He said children in the court, including those visiting a family day care service, were at risk.
He has spoken to WorkSafe, frustrated by Greater Dandenong Council’s inability to rein in the potentially unsafe driving.
“It doesn’t happen every week, but it still happens regularly.
“When I used to ring, the council would push me through to (waste contractor) JJ Richards. Now I refuse and I say ‘It’s up to you’.”
Mr Thomson has collected a compelling brief of evidence, including a meticulous log book of truck incursions.
On 31 December he resorted to taking video footage of a stray JJ Richards garbage truck, which drove over the court’s gutter.
A spokeswoman for JJ Richards, which has been the council’s waste contractor since last year, said after a check of the truck’s video-log camera there was no evidence of a breach.
After receiving a copy of Mr Thomson’s footage, the company didn’t comment by deadline.
“JJ Richards offered to bring out topsoil to fix the nature strip but that’s not the point,” Mr Thomson said.
“I’ve told them and the council that they’ve been videoed.”
Councillor Matthew Kirwan publicly raised the matter at a council meeting last month.
This month, Greater Dandenong acknowledged there was an “ongoing problem in Mr Thomson’s street which is not accepable”.
Engineering services director Bruce Rendall said he “apologises unreservedly to Mr Thomson for this”.
“Council staff will contact Mr Thomson directly to discuss the matter,” a council spokeswoman said.
“Council provides over 400,000 bin lifts on average a month.
“The level of complaints is very low, with an average of 48 per month (or 0.01 per cent of lifts). Council’s aim is to eliminate all complaints.”
The council didn’t respond to questions on how it would solve the problem.
View the video here:
