Motorway Service areas

silverwitch

All the service areas I have used seem to have signs limiting parking to 2 hours else you can pay a large hourly fee and threatening large fines if you do not pay.
Are these just as unenforceable as the ones from Tesco etc car park

trisontana

Yes they are just as unenforceable. The parking companies should be ashamed of themselves for imposing these limits on motorway service areas. On the one had we are told to take a rest if we feel tired and tiredness causes accidents, and then we have these parasites doing this. The stupid thing about this whole thing is that ordinary lay-bys have no time limits on them, but motorway service areas, which are just glorified lay-bys, have these " 2 hour maximum parking" rules.

Spartacus_Mills

silverwitch wrote: »

All the service areas I have used seem to have signs limiting parking to 2 hours else you can pay a large hourly fee and threatening large fines if you do not pay.
Are these just as unenforceable as the ones from Tesco etc car park

Woodall services also threaten to clamp you. The notice laughably says you consent to be clamped if you overstay your two hours.

They are completely unenforceable and are issued by the usual PPC's, usual scam.

There is also an issue here of safety. You are advised to pull over and rest at services if you are tired when driving. If you sleep for, say 3 hours, it is not reasonable to fine you or expect you to carry on driving when tired.

Alx*27

CP Plus haunts most of the motorway service stations.

MSAJ

I don't know whether anyone on here is interested in this link - it suggests writing to the Highways Agency to put a stop to these fines:

motorwayservicesonline.co.uk/parking/

trisontana

This is a full link to the above site :- Motorway Services Online

I wish, though, they wouldn't keep calling them "fines".


I have just sent my letter to the Highways Agency via that link.

Mark_Hewitt

Plus in most service areas, you can't pay by cash any more, you have to phone a number and give your credit card details to pay. Then they'll charge you a service fee on top of that!

peter_the_piper

And we'ed all feel safe giving these cowboys our credit card numbers wouldn't we?

trisontana

As per post #5 I did write to the Highways Agency and have just received this reply. As you see, they don't address the question of the excessive charges demanded by the PPCs:-

Thank you for your email dated 30th November 2009 sent to our information line regarding parking charges at Motorway Service Areas (MSAs). Your email was passed to the Spatial Planning Team to respond to as we are responsible for policy relating to roadside facilities.



Since 1992, it has been up to the private sector to identify, acquire and operate such sites within the requirements of Government Policy. DfT Circular 01/2008 (Policy on Service Areas and Other Roadside Facilities on Motorways and All-Purpose Trunk Roads in England) sets out policy on the provision, standards and signing of roadside facilities on the SRN including motorway service areas, motorway rest areas (MRAs), truckstops, and services and lay-bys on all purpose trunk roads (APTRs). It also sets out the role of the Highways Agency in relation to such sites. You can obtain a copy of the policy using the following web address: https://www.highways.gov.uk/knowledge/14986.aspx .



The policy requires MSA operators to provide free parking for up to two hours for all types of vehicle, allowing people to take a break, use the facilities and/or eat a meal. After this operators are permitted to charge for parking. This is because the main safety function of MSAs is to allow drivers to take a short break from driving. Given that MSAs are privately owned businesses, Government has no direct control over the operation of these sites.



It is important that motorists plan their journeys carefully to increase the safety of both themselves and other road users. Current advice from the DfT on tiredness states that drivers should not start their journeys if they are already tired, should avoid making long trips between midnight and 6am and should plan their trips to include a 15 minute break every two hours. If beginning to feel tired, drivers should drink a cup or two of strong coffee or high-caffeine drink followed by a short nap of no more than 15-20 minutes, once they have stopped somewhere safe. Drivers who need to break for longer than this should consider an over night stop at a motorway lodge or motel.



Policy has long been that MSAs should be provided at regular intervals along the motorway network, giving motorists the chance to stop and rest every half an hour or so at normal motorway speeds. That network of MSAs is now in place around virtually all of the motorway network and, on many of the busier stretches, services are available more frequently still. Therefore there should be no need for motorists to stop unexpectedly for long periods of sleep.



If you require further information on MSA policy then please contact Samantha Peckham at the Highways Agency on 0121 678 8452.



Yours sincerely,


Claire Sacre
Highways Agency | 4 Broadway | Broad Street | Birmingham | B15 1BL
Tel: +44 (0) 121 6788468
Web: http://www.highways.gov.uk

edgex

The policy requires MSA operators to provide free parking for up to two hours for all types of vehicle, allowing people to take a break, use the facilities and/or eat a meal. After this operators are permitted to charge for parking. This is because the main safety function of MSAs is to allow drivers to take a short break from driving. Given that MSAs are privately owned businesses, Government has no direct control over the operation of these sites.

so they are allowed to 'charge'

therefore they should display the charging tariff, & allow users to pay the charge for the period of time they wish to park.
just like a car park

peter_the_piper

Charging is fine (as in OK) but penalising is not on. Obviously the highways agency have not realised the difference between a legitimate price for a service and an illegal penalty.