Watchdog calls for a plan of action to improve England’s roadside facilities

26 July 2016

Lorry drivers have said their needs are not being fully met by roadside facilities in England.

They are also struggling to find space to park at the locations and times they need to stop.

Car drivers are broadly satisfied with services on motorways, but are less happy with services on major ‘A’ roads.

Better roadside facilities, with more spaces for HGV vehicles, will make roads safer for all users. It will help to ensure people don’t drive tired, don’t stop unnecessarily on the hard shoulder and don’t run out of fuel. All factors which contribute to accidents causing injury or worse.

These are the findings of new road user research, published today, by Transport Focus, the independent watchdog. A wide variety of road users, including car, lorry and coach drivers, as well as motorcyclists and disabled people, were asked their views on roadside facilities.

Guy Dangerfield, Transport Focus’s road user director, said:
“This insight into road users’ views should help everyone focus on providing facilities that fully meet the needs of all road users.
“The struggle many lorry drivers face finding somewhere they feel safe and comfortable to stop is a key concern. Highways England, the freight industry, and national and local government should work more closely together to solve this.”

This research found that:

• People’s needs are largely functional. They want to be able to use the toilet, buy a hot drink, sandwich and fuel. These needs are generally being met at motorway services, but concerns were raised about the cleanliness of toilets and the cost of fuel, food and drink.
• In contrast to motorways, people aren’t confident that even their most basic needs will be met at services on Highways England’s ‘A’ roads. They talked about the inconsistent quality they found at these services.

Transport Focus will use this research to work with Highways England, government and services operators to address the issues highlighted.

Click the link below to download the report.

Take a break – Road users’ views about roadside facilities