Have your say on Motorway Service Areas
Comments
-
Rarely do I see a sign that says Caravan and Motorhome Parking? Are motorhomes allowed to park in caravan bays,
The expression "Motorhome" is misleading marketing speak. They are motor caravans (check your V5 if you have one). So they are legitimate users of caravan specific parking.
I did once get "challanged" by a lorry driver, who shut up completely when I pointed out his Class 3 vehicle was shorter than my Land Rover and caravan, and that I had a Class 1 HGV licence, which he didn't.
Still not a good idea to leave outfit unattended for long though.
0 -
"Avoid them like the plaque unless absolutely desperate"
Ain't that the tooth.
5 -
I completed the survey, but couldn't really name the best and worst because, like some others, we try to avoid motorway services completely. I think the last one we used was Thurrock, en route to a CL in Essex. In fact we've used it once (and got blocked in by lorries), and tried to use it a second time but couldn't get in because of lorries. Our plan of attack now is to stop in a layby, preferably one that is separated from the road, on an A road before we get on a motorway, and again when we get off, if necessary. Since we have our own toilet on board, it's so much easier.
0 -
That's an expensive way to buy fuel, EasyT!
0 -
Completely agree, for any improvements individual groups like road haulage and the CAMC need to get together but at present it wont make much difference. A lot of services were built too long ago and are badly out of date and lacking in space. Buying up land for new services is difficult and often consortiums own land along potential routes to make money, speculating on developments, either industrial or domestic.
However, the main pressure is on summer travel in the school holidays and this is the time van users need to think ahead when considering their best options.
1 -
The problem is the club always says that it isn’t into lobbying. It definitely won’t lobby manufacturers with regard to poor quality but it says it did lobby the government regarding caravan MOTs. Not really sure what the ‘club’ stands for, I suspect they talk with forked tongue, although I’m one of life’s cynics.
4 -
Thanks for that Rowena. I did bring up the subject of parking with caravans at motorway service areas at Club Council 12 months ago, highlighting that it was a safety issue if caravanners could not find a place to stop on service areas, and suggesting that the Club represent us to improve the situation. Driver fatigue is one cause of accidents on our motorways and I believe should be taken more seriously. The Club Council decided to refer discussion to the Technical committee and I hope that this survey will add towards making our motorways safer. David Klyne makes an important point about Motorhome parking too.
I would like to encourage as many as possible to fill in this survey. It just might result in more positive action if folk stress the safety aspect of being able to pull up at service areas in a caravan.
Please share the link that Rowena has posted on social media and amongst caravanning friends so that we can get as many responses as possible.
David
0 -
Thanks Rowena, all too often we are unable to park in dedicated caravan areas. Charnock Richard comes to mind, last year, we pulled in and managed to park in the last dedicated bay, the rest were full with vans & one car. Took photo's of them all and showed staff but nothing was done.
Survey completed
Thank you
0 -
When I bought it up at Club Council, folk seemed to think one of the most effective ways of dealing with it and getting an immediate response was to post of the particular Service Area Facebook or other online page, in order to get a satisfactory result. Companies generally don't like poor/ adverse online comments and are quick to respond. It might be worth a try Richard. Try as many different avenues as possible to get the message over to these people.
David
0 -
Survey completed and just hope it has a positive effect.
0 -
We very rarely use them, never for fuel, and most stink!!
Have completed the survey however.
1 -
I have completed too - and like many others try to avoid Service Stations (one diesel top up in about 10 years). I am perfectly happy to use HGV areas that haven't been used as a toilet - but so many of them have been!
If Motor Homers have to use the Caravan spaces please be kind and park so someone can come in behind you - don't hog the middle of the space. I would say something needs to be done for MHs and for white van drivers too.
I am also not holding my breath but it is good to get a word in THANK you Ro.
1 -
David
I have seen your hard work elsewhere spreading the word so hopefully there should be a good response.
David
0 -
Thanks to everyone for completing the survey - we really appreciate it.
0 -
Rowena
I agree entirely with others who have commended your initiiative but as a "caravanner" of the motor-caravan species it seems that I am excluded from contributing to this survey. That is a shame because I do have some of the same issues with motorway service areas as caravanners of the towing species.
When I stop at a MSA (and I try to avoid that wherever possible ) I have never ever seem an area designated and/ or signposted for motor-caravans. My vehicle is not a car it is not a caravan unless "caravan" includes "motor-caravan" but clearly as a matter of fact and law a caravan and a motor caravan are not the same thing.
If I park in the car bit I run an increased risk of impact damage and maybe a "fine or penalty" under the entirely revenue driven "rules" which I cannot negotiate. If I park in a caravan space I may be OK but I may incur the wroth of a "towing caravanner" and if I park in a bus or a truck space I will probably incur the wroth of others AND incur a penalty.
It might be tempting to imagine that MSAs exist only to derive revenue from overpriced food and fuel and other retail activities. Provision for rest and relaxation is secondary and is not assisted by the initial setup and stress even before you have left your vehicle.
I regularly drive in many other European Countries and find none of this nonsense. On "E routes" I can usually stop in pleasant landscaped areas with toilets water and air provided free.
I don't expect the UK situation (England really because Scotland has very few motorway service areas and I don't need to use them) to change anytime soon because the arrangements are governed by vested interests and a structure set out 50+ years ago when vehicles traffic volumes trucks motor-caravans and caravans were different animals.
CAMC claims the credentials to be THE membership organisation for caravaners so it would be lovely to think that it would lobby vociferously with government and trade bodies to bring about change but the problems have been around for decades not months or years.
The road safety argument is a very good one. Towing a caravan is skilful and tiring arguably on a par with driving a truck and truckers have compulsory rest periods. How can caravaners impose rest periods on themselves if the infrastructure is not geared to encouraging them to stop ?
9 -
+1, although I hadn't replied yet! But I agree with your post on page 1, Bakers2, I too decided to be honest and fell at the first hurdle.....We do use MSAs when we have to, and do sometimes wonder where exactly a motorhome should park, for all the reasons BlueVanMan has described very eloquently.
0 -
Brues point raises another interesting issue. If parking resources are presently tight for all road users at MSAs especially at peak times how is the position going to be impacted when (say 25%) of road users are electric cars needing recharging and thus need a stop of say 90 minutes compared with a "drive-through" for fuel.
Massive redevelopment redesign and more land will all be needed. This is coming down the track the only question is the timescale but I don't know how prepared our road authorities will be and I would guess that licences and franchises for MSA areas probably granted for very long periods at a time will need complicated disentanglement.
0 -
Well I wouldn't worry about that yet, it only takes a few minutes to fast charge our EV.
At present there is a huge pressure from increased haulage and lack of rest space on a lot of MSAs.
Having said that we have never had to drive out of a services without a break even if it means parking up round the edge somewhere both with previous caravans and our present M/H.
Has anyone had to drive through without finding a space due to no available spaces or poor signage?
0 -
"Has anyone had to drive through without finding a space due to no available spaces or poor signage?" asks Brue.
Yes, on more than one occasion. There is one MSA, but I can't remember which, where we followed the caravan signs and all it did was take us out of the area and back onto the motorway. Thinking we must have missed a turn we tried again later in the year, carefully following the signs and ended up back on the motorway yet again. They obviously didn't want caravans.
0 -
Signage does tend to be pretty rubbish.
0 -
"Has anyone had to drive through without finding a space due to no available spaces or poor signage?" asks Brue.
Absolutely Yes. Amongst the worse are Bridgewater, IMHO where the main car park is a multi story from what I can remember. It's been ages since of stopped here - I won't even try here any more. Amongst the best is Gloucester - If a fact Gloucester is certainly the best I have stopped at. I have had to drive on at various services before where I've been unable to find a space. This is dangerous if you are tired, and the main reason why I bought the subject up with the Club.
David
0 -
BVM, terrific post....
DSB, I guess the reason the Gloucester services are so good (and appropriate) is that they are so new, with a blank canvas from the start.
the 'caravan' area is huge and can easily acommodate towers as MHs.
this is the sort of coherent design seen on many large autoroutes in France which put our feeble efforts to shame...
i dont see any change happening here other than on new builds, too many vested interests as mentioned above...
would,be nice to see CC really getting stuck in to this one.....
0 -
If parking resources are presently tight for all road users at MSAs especially at peak times how is the position going to be impacted when (say 25%) of road users are electric cars needing recharging and thus need a stop of say 90 minutes compared with a "drive-through" for fuel.
Good point indeed. Not sure how many drivers just drive through for fuel though. I say that because I doubt that I use motorway services more than twice a year and only ever for their (expensive) fuel. I don't see many at the pumps though. Maybe price puts them off?
0 -
Hopefully by then battery technology will have moved on and ranges will be significantly extended. If not I can't see many wishing to use an EV for extended motorway journeys.
However, in the interim, It does raise an interesting point. Currently you can't charge more for electric than you pay for it, plus a bit for infrastructure. So a bit different to the fuel stations where you pay 20 / 25 p more a litre. I can't see the service areas being happy providing all these recharging points and not making any money out of them.
0
