Have your say on Motorway Service Areas
Comments
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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.
Possibly zero charge for electricity and a timed parking charge at hook up parking
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It may also be useful for you to write this in response in the appropriate section of the questionnaire. Do pass the link on to anyone else too.
https://www.snapsurveys.com/wh/s.asp?k=152145866477
David
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When we had a caravan we never ever left the caravan unattended as an insurance requirement was that it should have its hitch-lock & alko wheel lock fitted if left unattended.. Frankly we never thought it worth the hassle just to get some overpriced junk food so always stayed with the outfit. Never bought fuel on a motorway either.
Now we have a motor-home, we are no longer governed by any insurance limitations, but still stay in the van. All we need ever, is somewhere to park for a quick comfort break and perhaps something of our own to eat. I don't imagine we have ever had any financial impact on any service stations revenues so am not surprised that dedicated parking places are not provided.
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Thanks DSB, again fell at the first hurdle being a non towing motorhomer.
I agree with Justus2 that we rarely contribute to the services, unless absolutely necessary BUT I thought they were designed to allow breaks whilst driving, making the entire motorway system safer. We require 1.5 car length space or are quite happy with a decent space we can overhang. Again I agree that it is unlikely folks will their caravan unattended for the reason justus2 states. Do lorry drivers contribute? By the smell I'm not sure they avail themselves of the facilities 😲.
Rowena out of interest have you raised the issue of motorhomes? After all the fanfare, cost etc of the name change is it just that? No interest in motorhome concerns.
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Peterborough services is a joke, there is only one caravan space that I have seen and that's in the lorry section 90 degrees to the lorries so easy-to-use. But my unit is 43 feet and just about fills it!
Last summer I pulled into Woodall msa south bound and followed the caravan signs, we ran out of signs in the lorry section and parked under a sign that warns of fines if you park in the wrong place!
I used to be a hgv1 driver and have stopped in many msa's. I have found the best time to travel is at night, I usually start about 21:00 hrs, when I need to stop if the caravan bay's and lorry bay's are full then there's usually plenty of spaces in the car park.
I only tend to use msa's to have a quick nap when tired
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Unfortunately I came to this thread too late to complete survey. But like others, I find the lack of designated caravan/MH parking an important safety issue. We have recently done Scotland to Dover to Scotland (not in one day!), on some of our major UK roads, both weekday and Sunday. Few services offered proper parking and even if they did, we had to drive on to the next area, on more than one occasion to find a space. Cars and vans parked in caravan bays were a constant. It is tiring to drive a large vehicle and rest stops are a necessity. The caravan and motorhome clubs DO need to lobby on this issue. If we are to believe the reports that van and MH owners are increasing in double digit percentages, year on year, this is only going to become much, much worse.
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I frequently end up in with the hgv's due to the caravan parking being taken up with work vans also found it awkward following the signage for caravans most times. We resently tried to park in services but could not due work vans and cars, we moved on, on our third motorway services try we managed to park.
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Stopped at Birchanger Green services on the way to Dover. The caravan parking is the last of the parking areas before exiting the site having passed the HGV park and the main car park. When we got to 'Caravan Parking Only' of the approximately 8 spaces two had caravans, one was empty (which we quickly grabbed) and the others were full of transit type vans and solo cars - except for the fully loaded 2 tier full size car transporter, far longer than the parking bays !! How he got in there is anyone's guess as there are bollards to stop HGVs from getting to the area.
On the return trip I just went straight into the half empty HGV parking.
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Hi everyone,
Just to let folk know, now the survey has been long completed, I did email Highways England who chair the National Towing Working Group, being the group who produced the survey, asking for the results/ feedback from the survey. Unfortunately, they have not replied to the email I sent at the end of September.
I did bring the subject up again at the Club Council Meeting, with the hope that the Club can secure a response from them. If folk have taken the trouble to reply to the questionaire, personally, I think it is only courtesy to give a response.
I will continue to press for a response and will do my best to pass on any responses I get.
Best wishes
David
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Has there been any feedback to the Club on this survey yet? Nothing much has changed on the ground. I was at Norton Cannes services a few days ago and two of the spaces were just occupied by small vans preventing at least three subsequent caravan arrivals from being able to park.
peedee
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Just a heads up for anyone using Corley Services on M6. I happened to call there last weekend and was surprised, after not using them for more than 20 years, at how nice they are now. There were lots of HGV spaces (with a couple of T/As parked) but about 15/20 dedicated caravan bays and all were empty. Perhaps, like me, having a long memory can sometimes put us off using these services where we have previously had poor experiences?
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I only bought up the issue on Saturday, so I guess it will take a little while for the Club to secure a response. I was hoping that the Club had more chance in getting a response from Highways England than myself. I wrote to Highways England on 28th September, and to date, no reply!
David
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Gloucester services on the M5 are very good, and Sedgemore between jun 20 and 21 M5 have given the caravan parking on the south side a massive refurbishment, you can know drive in and out of slots with ease.
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My friends stay over nite at Wallmart car parks what we call parkinglots
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We learned long ago to avoid Service Stations. Has to be an emergency nowadays for us to pull into one for anything. That’s with both van towing, and in MH. Too expensive for everything, rarely safe in the parking areas with all sorts of inconsiderate drivers, car park surfacing is usually dire and there’s inevitably a queue for the loos. We use a lot of A roads on our tours, so have no problems discovering new and nicer places to pull up for a break. Appreciate that this doesn’t suit everyone though.
Gloucester and Wetherby least gruesome we have come across, but still very expensive.
Top tip is look out for those with a Greggs. Coffee is nicer than Costa, and half the price, good range of sandwiches and snacks for the desperate or unorganised
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Late at the party here, sorry, and the survey's closed.
Coming back up from Southampton, we found some useful caravan space on the M40 j10 Services, the one where the A43 goes off to Brackley. But it's a good-ish walk to the buildings, so maybe not best in foul weather.
And not really on the M-way, but the "Family Farm" services between Oxford and M40 on the A34 didn't appear even to pretend to offer caravan space, so we drove through & out.0 -
I would like to report a "first."
For the first time ever, at Wetherby Services the two gentleman who were visibly keeping an eye on all the busy parking areas (and cleaning up litter left by unmentionable lazy people) were also tackling lorry drivers attempting to use the caravan area.
Well done Wetherby and also the increasing use of "caravan only" warning signs on other M1 services.
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We have used Wetherby Services a couple of times recently on our trip to the North East and both times there were marshals in the car park organising the caravan/motorhome parking with motorhomes usually being sent to the lorry park just next door which being the weekend there was plenty of room. I had no objection to that as they were trying to keep the longer bays for towed caravans. Shame that other service areas didn't pay the same amount of attention.
David
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The new caravan spaces at Sedgemoor South are indeed a great improvement, however, on our recent trip down to Dorset only two spaces were available the rest being taken up by articulated lorrys, despite the old caravan parking now a resurfaced and marked lorry park being less than half full. Still a long walk to the facilities though. North bound services still need to be improved but are better than previously.
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Motorway services and parking facilities were, I believe a government condition in their getting planning permission. Some services do have designated caravan/motorhome areas, although drivers of other vehicle types often treat them as 'overflow' 'parking. If other caravaners are anything like us, the services get no, or sparse, income from caravaners. We carry our own food and drink, and plan refuelling so as to avoid their abortive pump prices.
for example, on a long haul to west Cornwall, we do a one-night stop over at Cadeside in Somerset. And I refill at Sainsbury's whilst caravan is unhitched on site. Works out no dearer, and the stop over is far more pleasant than a couple of motorway services stops.
Oh, and yes, we have noticed the urine odour on the HGV parking areas. I understand many lorry drivers use containers (e.g., used milk cartons) and simply empty them when parked up - too lazy to take them to the toilets and wash them out!
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I reckon the survey will show that caravans are just a tiny fraction (way below 1%) of the immense number of vehicles on the road, and therefore not very important in the great scheme of things. And that providing double size motorway parking spaces especially for caravans and patrolling and policing and guarding them - just in case a caravan turns up - is never going to be a top priority.
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Thank you for your comments. As we speak, the Club Executive Secretary is attempting to get the results of the survey from Highways England and the National Towing Working Group. As soon as there is any further news, we will post it up.
David
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Well, where are the results? I won't bother filling in any more surveys if this is the way we are treated.
ps There used to be a designated caravan parking area at the Chester M56 services. No longer. They have given it over to just Coaches. LVs must use the lorry parking area, further away from the service block. Typical. Obviously the survey hasn't exactly helped us has it?
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