Dear Government. We are all toilet trained now and have been educated on the benefits of using bins. Not only that, but instead of being crap and bone idle drivers we no longer drive over every grass verge possible. Yours, A Driver.
Dear A Driver. Thankyou for your letter. Unfortunately very few lorry drivers pay any tax anymore because they are all LTD Co drivers tax avoidance specialists. As a result of this we have no money available. So the answer remains the same, oh by the way, get off your mobile phones whilst driving you fat smelly pricks. Yours, The Government.
jeffrey ellener:
the way some drivers mistreat facilitys is disgusting ! In the services summertime the smell of ■■■■ is digusting and those that [zb] under the trailers want shooting .while this goe’s on we will get nowhere .
I never park in MSAs on principle, as I have an aversion to being robbed blind …, but maybe that is some of the driver’s reactions, protest, and response to that situation.
I aint condoning it by any means, having a crap under a trailer in a public place is way out of order, and does nothing for our already crumbling reputation, but they aint exactly doing you any favours charging what they charge for ■■■■ poor ‘services’ they provide to truck drivers are they ?
I am delighted to let you know that around 350 people to date have signed up for this petition, since I posted this here, and put an interview with the petition’s founder elsewhere on Facebook. We need another 8,000 (omg) to get noticed by our mighty Government, but at least this proves that drivers are willing to get behind something like this, and that the doom-and-gloom squad aren’t as prevalent as they might think!
Starting the next stage of the campaign this coming week . . .
Top job, drivers! Over the weekend, the petition signatures have gone up by 704 - noted at 7.50am on Monday morning.
Some of the increase is through this site, and some on various other pages and sites.
I plan to keep promoting this petition, and will now start trying to work on bigger media. I’ll also start working on some material you might want to send to local papers, MPs and others - see what you think.
Signed,as I believe there ain’t enough parking available.
BUT,in my experience the drivers who complain about not enough parking are the ones who park in a lay by out side a truck stop instead of paying and expect to use the showers etc for free.
Good facilities cost money so why should they be free,
Most firms decent gaffers pay parking you might have to wait a week to get reimbursed but you get it back,never understand some drivers.
I used to have nights out in lay bys and industrial estates but if there was decent facilities I’d be there instead
Though i agree with Chris, i dont hold out any help for this petition…i dont know any country whose government pays for parking facilities with all the mod cons, yes they do provide a layby, and thats it…in France they have Aires with toilets./.but non have full facilities.
The reason for this is no private enterprise is forthcoming, and thats who should be investing, possibly with government help regarding new start ups. We had, in fact europe had more than enough parking spaces, before the eastern bloc was opened up ( im not blaming them ) but with the hundreds of east european trucks pounding our highways, the government never envisaged the problems it would cause with regard to where are they gonna park so they search for off main road places to park, often find themselves in streets smaller than can be handled, and therefore damage the green areas in trying to turn around. Where i live in Chatham, i notice the slip roads in and out of the only services on the A2, choc a bloc, thats because the laybys on the A2 from the ports, are full, so truckers move onto the next area or town, to park..now the police are issuing fines for drivers of vehicles who park where they shouldnt..i dont blame the trucker, and they are causing no problems, but the police and local councils dont want them to park there..a bit like n.i.m.b.y. matey..move on please. Sorry to repeat this but when east european trucks park for days on end, sometimes weeks, it is causing havoc, especially being resented when they expect to use the facilities, but do not contribute..on the continent, its much the same, but services offer washing machines, which these drivers need, as they often work away from home for 3 months at a time. We had enough facilities before the invasion, so it is bound to happen, and sorry but our government will not pay for any extra parking. I would like to see a system similar to France, withAires in between services, but although promised a few years ago, it hasnt happened..The only solution i see with regards to the toilet waste being thrown on the streets, or laybys is a truck cabin incorporating a shower and toilet, not difficult, but with emptying ports in the services..but its a dream, as we would also need spaces to park these vehicles, and obviously drivers would also abuse this system as well..a lost cause im afraid.
I fully understand, truckyboy, and I don’t think anybody could ever get this or any government to pay for anything like this, BUT what I would like to see would be appropriate encouragement for private enterprise to do more.
For instance, the government could easily, yes, easily, give tax and business rate discounts on facilities that are socially valuable - like truck stops and truck parking. They could also make it easier for truckstops to get planning permission - at present I believe that local authorities are heavily against these applications.
If you went out to try and start a reasonable-size truck stop with overnight parking from scratch today, you would face massive problems. Funding, land use and planning permission, local objections, etc, and more . . . and minor changes in the rules could make it easier for prospective operators. Giving farmers a straight forward planning route to this use would be a very good start - I think some would jump at the opportunity, and make deals with potential operators to get more profitable use from their land.
Full marks to the o/p for his efforts and enthusiasm, and I would not knock him for it.
However, I can not help thinking that it’s a ■■■■■■■ against the wind excercise, mainly because of the FACT that nobody gives a ■■■■ about our parking problems.
We are surrounded by nimbys who look upon us somewhere between a necessary evil and a ■■■■ nuisance.
Along with that the govt and councils are fully aware, but conveniently choose to ignore it, …as some (not me) drivers are too keen to park in lay bys without any objection, although they are totally unsuitable.
The rot initially started about 25 years ago, when the days of all major towns having designated truck parks (yeh seriously to all you young drivers) were gradually done away with one by one, in favour of sites for houses, supermarkets etc, without the local councils bothering to replace them…again because nobody (except the drivers) cared.
I sincerely hope something comes of it, but I for one will not be holding my breath…sorry.
robroy:
The rot initially started about 25 years ago, when the days of all major towns having designated truck parks (yeh seriously to all you young drivers) were gradually done away with one by one, in favour of sites for houses, supermarkets etc, without the local councils bothering to replace them…again because nobody (except the drivers) cared.
I remember, as I used to wash the dishes in the Southampton one…
The weirdo’s you meet haven’t changed though!
robroy:
The rot initially started about 25 years ago, when the days of all major towns having designated truck parks (yeh seriously to all you young drivers) were gradually done away with one by one, in favour of sites for houses, supermarkets etc, without the local councils bothering to replace them…again because nobody (except the drivers) cared.
I remember, as I used to wash the dishes in the Southampton one…
The weirdo’s you meet haven’t changed though!
Yes Pop’s, I knew it was you…
Juniper Berry?
I think that was Southampton, but I may be wrong.
I was ONCE.
Full marks to the o/p for his efforts and enthusiasm, and I would not knock him for it.
However, I can not help thinking that it’s a ■■■■■■■ against the wind excercise, mainly because of the FACT that nobody gives a [zb] about our parking problems.
We are surrounded by nimbys who look upon us somewhere between a necessary evil and a [zb] nuisance.
Along with that the govt and councils are fully aware, but conveniently choose to ignore it, …as some (not me) drivers are too keen to park in lay bys without any objection, although they are totally unsuitable.
The rot initially started about 25 years ago, when the days of all major towns having designated truck parks (yeh seriously to all you young drivers) were gradually done away with one by one, in favour of sites for houses, supermarkets etc, without the local councils bothering to replace them…again because nobody (except the drivers) cared.
I sincerely hope something comes of it, but I for one will not be holding my breath…sorry.
Have to agree. No one other than drivers care about trucks parking and councils and local authorities jam their fingers in their ears and ignore the problem.
The petition is very good but we will never see facilities from the government, it will have to be private. As already said, no one else cares other than drivers so unless someone is a closet millionaire but drives for the “fun” of it, I don’t think we’ll see the problem addressed any time soon.
I always thought that the booking in area for hgvs when building the Olympic park situated on the M11(?) would have made a good truck stop after the event with access ramps and infrastructure all in place, but was not to be.
…, but maybe that is some of the driver’s reactions, protest, and response to that situation.
to all you young drivers) were gradually done away with one by one, in favour of sites for houses, supermarkets etc, without the local councils bothering to replace them…again because nobody (except the drivers) cared.
