The pressure on truckstops has been all too apparent in recent weeks, but will the Highways Agency consultation help provide a national strategy for lorry parking? Truckstops are an essential part of every driver's life. With strict legislation surrounding the number of hours they can drive, having safe and secure places to park up to take the required rest breaks is a must. But in recent weeks there have been a number of issues around truckstops that will not put drivers'
minds at rest.
Nightowl's Alconbury truckstop is due to close on 31 August (Alconbury nightowl truckstop to close), although the Road Haulage Association is trying to fight it. The previous week Orwell truckstop managed to beat the threat of closure and was given permission to serve LGVs and the public (Orwell truckstop allowed to serve the public). Pricing is the other issue that has caused some consternation and RoadChef's move to increase the price to overnight at Clacket Lane Services on the M25 to £25 has
angered many.
The problem seems to be the lack of joined-up thinking. The Highways Agency (HA) is responsible for the strategic road network in the UK and therefore the provision facilities that sit alongside it although not the facilities themselves. But its approach to parking places for LGVs can hardly be described as joined up or even national. At present the rules stipulate that there should be a place for trucks to stop every 30 miles on the strategic network. A Highways Agency consultation paper on the provision of motorway service areas was open for comment at the beginning of the year. While some of the feedback has been made public (see sidebar) the HA's full response has yet to be published.
James Firth, strategic road network manager at the Freight Transport Association (FTA), says the FTA was a little disappointed with HA's consultation document, because there was not enough emphasis on lorries. "Our view is that HA is responsible for the strategic road network and therefore has a responsibility to allow [LGV] drivers to take their required rest. But other parts of the industry have a responsibility to support that," he says.
He adds the FTA believes there should be more services areas and more provision for commercial vehicles. "Where one large commercial vehicle could park the MSA [motorway service area] could get a coach-load of customers or lots of cars with paying customers, so yes, I think we do need some national policy directing this." He adds that local concerns about truck stops are understandable, but there is not the national capacity for trucks and so something needs to be done, "particularly when you consider the increasing need for security to protect trucks from crime".
Jack Semple, director of policy at the Road Haulage Association (RHA), agrees that lorries were not given enough emphasis in the HA consultation document. "There should be a national policy for lorry parking that is developed by the government," he says. He also suggests there should be an independent planning authority that could oversee major projects in transport, energy and waste, so the national requirement is taken into account along with local needs.
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