Motorway Services

Jun 2, 2012
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Please please please help us Practical Caravan, we have just stopped at the M6 Toll services only to find at least 4 caravan parking spaces taken up by cars, there were plenty of normal spaces, when we, and another fellow caravaner said to 2 of the offending car owners that they should not park there, we were subject to verbal abuse. The outcome was that as thre were no spaces we could not stop for our usual break. The services owners should clamp cars that park in designated caravan spaces, not only would this generate income but the car owners would not do it again, could we start a campaign?
 
Aug 28, 2005
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yes you find its quite normal now , on our way to the practical caravan readers rally we stopped at the Magor services on the M4 , they have a designated caravan area , which was full of trucks even though the truck park was half empty , so we just drove straight out , makes you laugh when you see signs saying , Tired take break , last year we had an A A patrol stopped along side us in the caravan park , so i called the A A , and they said he is probably attending a breakdown , so i said there is no sign of a car on his lunch table
 
Aug 11, 2010
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Mmmm lets balance this a little. how many times have i been parked up having a break in a service station and a caravan outfit has parked next to my lorry? too numerous to even try to recall, but then i have seen lorries parked in bus only bays and yes even caravan
bays, but in my experience only when there is no where else to park.so i assume when a caravan parks in the lorry section, then they too have felt they have no other chioce, mind you having never used the M6 toll road i for one didnt know it had a service station!
 
Nov 16, 2007
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M6 Toll has a nice dedicated section for caravans. We often find lorries in the caravan only section at Gretna, again despite them having their own dedicated area. In my years of towing experience and also driving buses all over the UK caravanners often have no option to park in lorry bays given the layout of some service areas, I appreciate this can some frustration to the LGV drivers governed by tacho hours etc however we all need to take regular breaks when driving. This highlights poor management of the service areas.

I remember having a heated discussion with a lorry driver at Exeter services some years ago who couldn't accept that 'vans were directed to the lorry bays, services manager didn't want to know!
 
Aug 9, 2010
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Parked in the designated caravan bay on a MSA, in the bay nearest the entrance, when a Stobart truck and trailer tried to enter.He waved to me to move forward so that he could get in, which I refused to do, pointing out that this was the caravan bay, and that there was room on the lorry park. He caused chaos as he had to reverse out of the bay!
Revenge is sweet!
 
Sep 1, 2011
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Well this is the signs of the times. People are just too lazy to walk and think of others. You see it in the supermarkets where people park in the disabled or parent and child spaces whenm they are more than able to walk..So service stations are no exception..
Makes my blood boil.
Neil.
 
Aug 4, 2004
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Clamping is about to become illegal and any ticket issued on private land is a meaningless piece of paper as the attendent issuing the ticket has about as much power as the cat next door. White lines, yellow lines etc on private land are just graffitti. Not what you want to hear and I agree with your sentiments, but in the eyes of the law, no regulation has been broken, not even trespass!
 
Jan 15, 2012
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It is pretty common to find that caravans are directed to the HGV parking on motorway services, we do really not want to stop in them but needs must.

Also, It would seem that clamping on private land already is illegal, I read about this possibly becoming illegal early last year but heard nothing since. So, after reading Surfers post, I went searching and found the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 which was given royal assent on the 1st May, section 54 (http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2012/9/section/54/enacted) is the one that counts, so if you get clamped on private land by other than a lawful authority (probably VOSA or similar) call the police, as it would now seem to be an offence to clamp a vehicle.
 
Aug 4, 2004
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hortimech said:
It is pretty common to find that caravans are directed to the HGV parking on motorway services, we do really not want to stop in them but needs must.

Also, It would seem that clamping on private land already is illegal, I read about this possibly becoming illegal early last year but heard nothing since. So, after reading Surfers post, I went searching and found the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 which was given royal assent on the 1st May, section 54 (http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2012/9/section/54/enacted) is the one that counts, so if you get clamped on private land by other than a lawful authority (probably VOSA or similar) call the police, as it would now seem to be an offence to clamp a vehicle.

Although it may now have royal assent, I think it only becomes law in October 2012, but there are exemptions relating to councils etc. I am not too sure how laws are raised and promulgated in this country as there seem to be various different govermental organisations involved. If clamping had been used correctly in the past instead of using it as a tool to blackmail motorists into parting with large sums of money, perhaps it would still be in operation.
 

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