Caravan parking bays at motorway services
I could not park our car and caravan at a motorway service area today, purely because several of the limited number of long parking bays marked “CARAVANS” were occupied by single (short) motorhomes.
The Club re-branded itself to emphasise the difference between touring caravans (i.e. being towed by a motor vehicle) and motorhomes and to improve its inclusive nature.
Motorhome owners presumably consider their vehicles as caravans, and thus feel entitled to park in bays marked as such. Whilst many smaller motorhomes are capable of being parked in standard car-sized bays, drivers towing tourers face many more difficulties in parking their longer outfits, and genuinely need a long bay that will accommodate the whole outfit, which can approach the length of an HGV.
Perhaps the answer is for service stations to distinguish between touring caravans and motorhomes when marking out their car parking bays? I doubt that driver education would work!
Comments
-
There’s little can be done about it. It’s also discussed in the following thread and several others over the years.
0 -
I've lost count of the number of times we've tried to park our previous car + caravan and motorhome on a motorway services area and had problems. In our experience, quite a few "white van-man" vans use the Caravan parking areas, parking in such a way that it's impossible even for a small MH to park either in front or behind. And I would say also that about 80% of the time, cars use those parking bays.
I don't think that differentiating between caravan parking and MH parking (even if that were to happen) would make any difference. In a MH, we do follow the signs for Caravans, as that's the nearest equivalent. In reality though, we tend to end up sandwiched between HGVs, as the number of caravan bays are very limited and for the reasons in my first paragraph.
"Over there" service areas tend to be much bigger, with much more room for caravans and MHs, but in the UK it's very much hit and miss as to whether you can bag that parking space when you feel you need to have a break.
0 -
Basically the site operators do not care about caravans or motorhomes. They add the spaces as they have to but that is it. As customers we are possibly the least profitable as we need lots of space, usually bring our own food and spend nothing although we may use the toilets.
Private cars tend to use the services for food and take up less room in the car park. Coaches bring lots of customers and lorries are regulars, so are all far more profitable, so why should they bother with us.
0 -
Motorhomes are classed as motorcaravans. My van is 6.4 m long. I park in that part indicated by the caravan symbol. I try and park either at the front or rear of a long bay. I can’t park in a normal car park space. But even vans that can need space to get out of the space. Turns in car parks are often just too tight. The real issue is insufficient space and insufficient signage.
1 -
This is spot on. Only small campers and some smaller PVCs can realistically use the car park (or, indeed, should use the car park). As a motorhomer for 36 years I only ever used the caravan bays and, if these were full, as was often the case, I had to be prepared to use the HGV area. This is the same for all of us whether motorhomers or caravanners.
This has come up many times before. I recall a thread where a pedantic OP insisted that caravans had to be taken literally to mean only touring caravans. That is palpably ridiculous. When I had my first motorhome, it never even occurred to me that the caravan bays did not also embrace the motorised caravan. Indeed I assumed that the car park was absolutely out of bounds, although I remember another thread where someone had clarified with Moto (I think) that smaller vans can use the car park if space is available.
As HJA rightly writes, so many car parks in services are much too tight to park anything other than a tiny camper van.
If the caravan bays are full, the only thing for it is the HGV park. I didn't like that any more than any one else, but it is a case of needs must. Too many services simply do not have enough space for caravans and motorised caravans.
Another problem, again as pointed out above, is HGVs and other commercials using the caravan bays. Donington, J23a/24 of the M1, is arguably the very worst case of this as I know only too well. In the picture below, the spaces in the foreground are for coaches. The spaces in the background, full of lorries, are the caravan bays. There is a quite separate area, of very considerable size, for lorries. You will regularly see this at Donington, especially at the weekend.
0 -
I think there is a perception amongst some caravanners that motor homes are smaller than they actually are. Whilst some sub 6 metre vans might be above to park in a normal parking space they could still have difficulties getting in and out of a space. Even if you choose the far end of car park which might be a bit quieter someone in a car will park without regard for how you will exit. I am not without sympathy with the OP as it can be difficult to find parking for either caravan or motorhome and in the past I have had to leave a service station when not being able to find a space. The famous Gloucester Services on the M5 southbound should be the example that others have to rise to but I can't see that happening anytime soon.
David
0 -
A bit like this at the Dartford Services a couple of years ago?
David
0 -
I have been a contributer on this topic before and have notified MOTO in particular of the many instances where both the Coaches ONLY bays and Caravan ONLY bays are full of HGV's. In retrospect I pointed that MOTO believe that Motorhomes can park in the normal CAR areas, even if they take up more than 1 space. However I now am convinced that a Motorhome needing two spaces has a much longer wheelbase than a car, therefore needing extra room to manouvre.
The Caravan ONLY areas may also be used by cars towing trailers etc.
The supervision of parking on MSA's has usually been passed to a 3rd party for issuing parking infringements. so in effect, MOTO do not personally oversee it.
I do realise that our economy relies on the movement of goods around our country, and that industry, is growing.
I did actually ask a HGV Driver why he had parked his car transporter adjacent to a sign that Clearly stated 'Coaches ONLY'. He told me he had permission as his vehicle had a trailer. I pointed out that it stated COACHES ONLY and not Caravans ONLY.
This kind of attitude and total disregard for the Rules for Motorway Service areas has sadly been in operation for so long now, that it is considered normal practise for some HGV drivers as they get away with it, and the company pays for the subsequent Parking Charge Notices. No loss to the driver who commited the civil offence.
There is no legal basis on which to involve the Police to intervene, (public behaviour excepted) as most MSA's are privately owned.
It is a sad day when anyone can park anywhere on a Motorway Service Area and get away with it. making it difficult for other drivers and motorists to park and rest and keep our roads safer.
0
