I’ve been here twice in the last three days, and both times have waited over 10 mins to escape. Now I know 10 mins is not a hanging offence and I should probably chill out, but the cause is other drivers parking up on the right hand side of the out lanes before the entrance to the truck park. The truck park is massive, and free if you’re only taking a 45, but these idiots see fit to park in the 2nd lane blocking the access to the escape route. Why are they blocking? Because the left hand lane (it’s 2 lanes) is for trucks waiting to use the fuel pumps. There are two lanes, and the left lane is always blocked by drivers waiting, quite legitimately to get fuel, and so both times this week the traffic has been gridlocked because some idiot can’t be arsed to go 400 yards & use the truck park, but just parked on the right hand side making passing them impossible.
Can’t believe how badly thought out that truck park is for getting out.Maybe they should swap the entrance and exit around.
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I’d rather park under a bridge for a 45 than use that place. Bloody awful.
I see what you’re saying and totally agree that it’s a nightmare, but it’s not helped by the positioning of the diesel pumps and you’ll probably find that it was those trying to access them that were causing the problem, not those trying to get into the park itself.
The road round it, the access to the pumps, the wide load parking, the fact that it’s actually used by through traffic so if you’re waiting for the pumps you have to leave a gap, it’s all very badly planned and a nightmare. But I wouldn’t say that the parking area is massive! Room for , what 90 trucks ?
based on its location then id think the allocated parking and layout is pathetic for the volume of trucks that could use it,though id suppose from conception to completion the volume of traffic quadrupled as to expectations hence it was massively overcrowded from day one and just gets better and better every year since.
on the upside,they never batted an eyelid when i filled up a rental truck with ribena and paid cash a while ago. 
dieseldog999:
based on its location then id think the allocated parking and layout is pathetic for the volume of trucks that could use it,though id suppose from conception to completion the volume of traffic quadrupled as to expectations hence it was massively overcrowded from day one and just gets better and better every year since.
on the upside,they never batted an eyelid when i filled up a rental truck with ribena and paid cash a while ago.
Add to that, during the day DVSA are often there at the first wide load area, before you get to the park exit and the pumps.
pierrot 14:
I see what you’re saying and totally agree that it’s a nightmare, but it’s not helped by the positioning of the diesel pumps and you’ll probably find that it was those trying to access them that were causing the problem, not those trying to get into the park itself.
The road round it, the access to the pumps, the wide load parking, the fact that it’s actually used by through traffic so if you’re waiting for the pumps you have to leave a gap, it’s all very badly planned and a nightmare. But I wouldn’t say that the parking area is massive! Room for , what 90 trucks ?
Both times it was truck who had selfishly parked on the right hand side, not the pump side, of th out lanes. There is a lay-by, but these wagons were just parked on what I think is a live lane (double yellow on the right side) rather than go into the lorry park 300 yards down the road.
If you look at the map, there is a very large area at the South Mimms services ( not the actual truck stop ) above the building where it says “Pret a Manger” there’s spaces there for about 50 trucks, but you’re not allowed to park there, it’s for coaches only ■■ 
Can’t imagine 50 coaches parking there overnight !!!
google.fr/maps/@51.6879896, … 312!8i6656
There are trucks in the image, I think that they allow you to take a 45, but you will get a ticket for an overnight.
Born Idle:
pierrot 14:
I see what you’re saying and totally agree that it’s a nightmare, but it’s not helped by the positioning of the diesel pumps and you’ll probably find that it was those trying to access them that were causing the problem, not those trying to get into the park itself.
The road round it, the access to the pumps, the wide load parking, the fact that it’s actually used by through traffic so if you’re waiting for the pumps you have to leave a gap, it’s all very badly planned and a nightmare. But I wouldn’t say that the parking area is massive! Room for , what 90 trucks ?Both times it was truck who had selfishly parked on the right hand side, not the pump side, of th out lanes. There is a lay-by, but these wagons were just parked on what I think is a live lane (double yellow on the right side) rather than go into the lorry park 300 yards down the road.
When you say “out lanes” do you mean the actual main road by the wide load bays?? If that’s the case they’re just lazy §hits that just want to pop into the shop to buy a paper or get a coffee. I refer you to this post
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=153726
pierrot 14:
Born Idle:
pierrot 14:
I see what you’re saying and totally agree that it’s a nightmare, but it’s not helped by the positioning of the diesel pumps and you’ll probably find that it was those trying to access them that were causing the problem, not those trying to get into the park itself.
The road round it, the access to the pumps, the wide load parking, the fact that it’s actually used by through traffic so if you’re waiting for the pumps you have to leave a gap, it’s all very badly planned and a nightmare. But I wouldn’t say that the parking area is massive! Room for , what 90 trucks ?Both times it was truck who had selfishly parked on the right hand side, not the pump side, of th out lanes. There is a lay-by, but these wagons were just parked on what I think is a live lane (double yellow on the right side) rather than go into the lorry park 300 yards down the road.
When you say “out lanes” do you mean the actual main road by the wide load bays?? If that’s the case they’re just lazy §hits that just want to pop into the shop to buy a paper or get a coffee. I refer you to this post
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=153726
It really is the crummiest dive imaginable,they could easily improve things by eliminating that piece of useless land just to the right of the exit for truck park.Im all about nature conservation but this brace of saplings fulfills no discernible role other than to pile further unnecessary frustrations on a successful egress from motos premier s…hole.
pierrot 14:
If you look at the map, there is a very large area at the South Mimms services ( not the actual truck stop ) above the building where it says “Pret a Manger” there’s spaces there for about 50 trucks, but you’re not allowed to park there, it’s for coaches only ■■google.fr/maps/@51.6879896, … 312!8i6656
There are trucks in the image, I think that they allow you to take a 45, but you will get a ticket for an overnight.
IMHO the reason we not allowed to park there, and lots of other coach parking areas in other services, is because of the amount of drivers who get out and “water” their tyres rather than walk to the services building.
Coach operators would soon stop going there if their passengers complained about the smell of urine everything they get on and off the coach.
As a collective group we are our own worst enemies. You only have to look at the state of most of the lay-bys around the country to see that. No wonders councils are closing them for alleged safety reasons.
madmackem:
pierrot 14:
If you look at the map, there is a very large area at the South Mimms services ( not the actual truck stop ) above the building where it says “Pret a Manger” there’s spaces there for about 50 trucks, but you’re not allowed to park there, it’s for coaches only ■■google.fr/maps/@51.6879896, … 312!8i6656
There are trucks in the image, I think that they allow you to take a 45, but you will get a ticket for an overnight.
IMHO the reason we not allowed to park there, and lots of other coach parking areas in other services, is because of the amount of drivers who get out and “water” their tyres rather than walk to the services building.
Coach operators would soon stop going there if their passengers complained about the smell of urine everything they get on and off the coach.
As a collective group we are our own worst enemies. You only have to look at the state of most of the lay-bys around the country to see that. No wonders councils are closing them for alleged safety reasons.
.
Coach park is full up by 18.00hr most nights with trucks.
They need to stop, lazy bastidz parking in the wide load bays, when ■■■■■■ dutys were police job, they would go round moving the parkers on, when passing by.
Possibly one…
Of the worst planned and thought out truckstops I’ve ever had the misfortune to stop at. Even when it was built by BP all those years ago, the place was downmarket. Staff who didn’t care then and probably don’t now, food that was expensive and mediocre, showers that were grotty and lined with mildew and finished off with the worst piece of truck park design I’ve ever come across (and that includes some weird ones in Europe)
I can’t help but think that the planners were all hammered on cheap cider, or off their ■■■■ on charli when they came up with that complete runt of an area called a ‘truck park’.
Any services off the M25 is just a ■■■■ hole and I try and avoid unless I absolutely have to use them.
There’s not enough HGV parking in general across the UK, England in particular, but within the vicinity of London is just a joke for it. We have to take our legal breaks, you got Johnny Foreigner parked up for weekly rest in all the services leaving not much for taking your 45.
madmackem:
As a collective group we are our own worst enemies. You only have to look at the state of most of the lay-bys around the country to see that. No wonders councils are closing them for alleged safety reasons.
When I go into the office I walk past a dead-end road on an industrial estate that leads to a couple of businesses. It is quiet during the day and is no doubt deserted at night, and there is plenty of space to park on one side without being in anyone’s way.
About a year ago, the usual halfwits stopped parking fully on the road and started putting the wagon half on the (wide) footpath. Then, for reasons known only to themselves, they started parking entirely on the footpath. All of those who parked down there did it; presumably it’s a ‘monkey see, monkey do’ type of thing. Needless to say, the footpath was completely destroyed in short order, as was a bit of the adjacent grass verge.
When I went past a month or two ago, the council had been down there, repaired the footpath, edged it with bollards and put double-yellows along both sides of the road. So a good, quiet ■■■■■■■■■■■■ ruined by drivers who are literally that ■■■■■■■ stupid that they must need help tying their shoelaces in a morning. What can you do when you’re up against that?
madmackem:
IMHO the reason we not allowed to park there, and lots of other coach parking areas in other services, is because of the amount of drivers who get out and “water” their tyres rather than walk to the services building.
Totally agree - I had just finished my break on Sutton Scotney Northbound the other day when a plant hire driver pulled into the space next to me. After two minutes of rummaging around in the cab and a quick wipe of his mirrors, he walked down the side of his truck and, shielded from general view by my trailer, proceeded to pee on his wheel. I just started the engine and drove off, leaving him exposed (which is possibly what he wanted anyway). He only had to walk 75 yards to get to the toilets in the service station building…
what a dive that place is. managed to avoid it for a good while now… lastime was august its one of the only times I was looking forward to my alarm going off!!!