Taking a nap at night on a motorway service

vinylmusic

I have been appealing after receiving a PCN from a Roadchef where I took a nap at night for obvious safety reasons and slept longer than anticipated.
I appealed to the site manager and got nowhere so started a POPLA appeal
Then I thought I'd try appealing again but to Roadchef head office addressing it to the CEO
Here was their reply:
"Thank you for your email in respect of the Parking Charge Notice (PCN) you received at our Tibshelf service area and I apologise for the delay in responding to you.

I confirm that on this occasion your PCN will be cancelled in full. However I would like to take a little time to explain the reasons for our policy around parking at our MSAs.

All UK MSAs charge for extended stay parking and have done so for the most part for over 30 years. The advent of new technology with Automatic Number Plate Recognition systems is now making the management of these restrictions more effective.

The core purpose of an MSA is to provide a break for travellers using the motorway network to ensure that they are able to rest when needed to keep them and other road users safe whilst travelling. The average break at an MSA is around 20 minutes and so the free parking period of over 2 hours is usually more than sufficient for our customers needs. However a growing number of drivers are choosing to leave vehicles in the service area car parks either whilst car sharing or even whilst going away on holiday, and it is this practice which is blocking up the sites and in some cases restricting access for motorway users trying to take the rest break they need.

I can confirm that at every one of our sites a large notice explaining the ANPR process is displayed at the entrance to each car park, repeater signs are placed all around the car park and further notices are displayed in the toilets and main building areas.

I hope that you will continue to use our facilities again in the future.

Kind regards
MIKE HEATON

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I can understand their point when it comes to people leaving their car and going off on holiday or car sharing but those would be very much a minority and there could be other ways of dealing with it
Although Roadchef accepted my reasons they didn't go as far as saying that they wouldn't penalize drivers taking a nap at night in future

I have travelled to just about every country in Europe and all over the United States. I can honestly say that the UK is the only country that have time limits and charges on motorway services let alone PCN's. It's also the only country I know that charges for air, also a safety concern
Charging and penalizing motorists at night for taking a nap on a motorway is just very wrong
I think that there should be some kind of petition about this and perhaps some pressure from motoring organizations
Does anyone have any ideas?

Guys_Dad

I agree with you and wrote to the Transport Minister last year asking why, if the continent encouraged free overnight parking to avoid tired drivers, the UK took a different line.

Got back Civil Service speak defending status quo.

The point they make about motorists parking and then going elsewhere for the day/week is a valid one. In the summer, some service stations are very crowded. Fact. And I do know one friend who used to park his car at a service station and share a lift till he got caught by ANPR.

It is not beyond the wit of man to have an overnight period where you can park for free for up to 8 hours to rest but that would not be profitable for the PPCs so not likely to happen, certainly not under a Liberal coalition as they want everyone to cycle or walk.

SailorSam

I thought you meant a Map, now that we've got SatNavs.

Guys_Dad

SailorSam wrote: »

I thought you meant a Map, now that we've got SatNavs.

Mine only works between midnight on Fridays and 12.00 a.m on Sunday morning.

I have 6 others for the other days of the week.

Guys_Dad

vinylmusic wrote: »

I think your posting banter in the wrong topic @SailorSam and @Guys Dad

Thank you for your thought.

Stroma

But like elsewhere the abuse of car parks is done by a tiny minority of people, most people do not abuse any car parks including MSAs, I have yet to see a full MSA car park and I've been to loads of them in my travels. Particularly I have never seen one even approaching a quarter full at night.

This restriction of 2 hours is a perverse restriction on people taking a break because of tiredness, I fully endorse people using these car parks for as long as they need them, and to ignore any restrictions at these sites. Then appeal any stupid tickets given, also to make complaints to your MP and MSA operator to get the tickets cancelled and to end this madness.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/think-fatigue

Coupon-mad

A couple of years ago I found when Googling about MSAs, a Dept for Transport document and one of the report recommendations was that MSAs should offer motorists the chance to pay the extended parking fee (e.g. £11 overnight) after the driver has left, and the document criticised the 'penalising' of drivers with heavy 'fines' for staying over 2 hours. The wording went as far as to really tear into the penalties as unfair - whoever wrote the report was exactly right.

Well unfortunately the time for sending in comments was long gone and lo and behold, when the updated Guidelines for MSAs came out, the entire section saying that drivers should be able to just pay the overstay cost, was gone. The hand of the BPA, lobbying and twisting policy to suit their members, we assume. If the original proposal had been carried forward then PPCs would have been out of MSAs, and the BPA aka ParkingEye & friends, couldn't have that could they?

vinylmusic

Stroma wrote: »

But like elsewhere the abuse of car parks is done by a tiny minority of people, most people do not abuse any car parks including MSAs, I have yet to see a full MSA car park and I've been to loads of them in my travels. Particularly I have never seen one even approaching a quarter full at night.

This restriction of 2 hours is a perverse restriction on people taking a break because of tiredness, I fully endorse people using these car parks for as long as they need them, and to ignore any restrictions at these sites. Then appeal any stupid tickets given, also to make complaints to your MP and MSA operator to get the tickets cancelled and to end this madness.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/think-fatigue

According to your think fatigue link a 15 minute break every 2 hours is all well and good for the average drive within the UK but in my case I was near the end of a 1000 mile drive from the continent. I stopped because I had to. It was too dangerous to continue even after 15 mins and refreshments. it was gone midnight when I sat back behind the wheel and 1 dozed off for over 3 hours.. Being penalized for that was plain wrong. The rest was obviously necessary
I was only an hour away from home and feel I did the responsible thing by not continueing
I think that there should be a rule that the restrictions be lifted late at night and in the early hours.
Either that or unrestricted parking space set aside for resting