News

The FTA's national council has hit out at the lack of driver facilities on trunk roads and motorways.

The association says the Highways Agency should see the provision of adequate facilities as fundamental as creating the road itself. "No-one would build a house without a kitchen and a toilet, so why are we still seeing roads without proper driver facilities? We want our main roads to retain their customers throughout the journey, and this includes the need for toilets, rest breaks and  refreshment," says FTA chief executive Richard Turner.

He adds that "in the case of long-distance lorry traffic this also includes the need for long-stay parking."

• The secure lorry parking crisis in the UK continues to intensify with the closure of Night Owl's truckstop at Birtley, near Durham. The popular truckstop with a secure lorry park - just off the A1 on Portobello Road - closed on January 23. Four Night Owl truck stops remain in Wolverhampton, Alconbury, Carlisle and Rugby.