Roundup: Space invading giant utes all the rage

shutterstock_317371814.jpg

Mercedes Benz X Class – coming to a car park near you

Is it getting a bit squeezy in your car park?  If it isn’t it soon will be.  The biggest selling vehicle in Australia last year was the giant Toyota Hilux “crew cab” utility – the one with four doors and a rear tray.

And now we hear Mercedes is planning to launch its own tradie truck (pictured) next year in both an off-road and urban version.

So it seems the days of “less is more” in cars has passed us by and now it’s just more is more.

What does that mean for apartment dwellers? You would think, nn a worst-case parking nightmare, with one of these giants on either side of your space, you might have to crawl out the rear of your hatchback or push your car into its space – because you won’t be able to open your car doors.

But as my Flat Chat column this weekend will reveal, most of these monster trucks are narrower than the car on which the standard parking space was based.  The problem is their length.

It’s bad enough when tradies use their garages as workshops and then permanently occupy visitor parking.

Now everybody wants a truck and, especially in older buildings, there just isn’t enough parking space to go around.

Which brings us to our Forum questions, the first of which is an issue that’s as topical as today’s traffic report.

  • What you do about a vehicle that’s just too big for its boot? a large 4WD and a motorbike intrude from the parking space on to the public roadway, making it hard for other owners to park. Who do you even complain to?  That’s HERE.
  • There are two questions about whether old pet by-laws are still effective after the change in strata law.  That’s HERE and HERE
  • A tenant usually gets his landlord’s proxy vote – plus another one from a friendly owner. Do the new laws mean he can only now have one?  That’s HERE.
  • Should the owners corp pay for the removal of a tree in a neighbouring property?  That’s HERE.
  • Do I need to get additional insurance now that I have started renovations that include the removal of a supporting wall?  That’s HERE.

There are lots of other questions and comments on Flat Chat – and there will be even more by the time you read this.  So park yourself in front of your computer, log in to the Forum and enjoy.

And look out for the Flat Chat column every Saturday in the main part of the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper

 

Leave a Reply

scroll to top