On the M4 the other day I was stuck for ages between Leigh Del and Mem services in a tailback/hold up for about 3 hours . A few guys were sat in the hard shoulder presumably on break because time had run out heading for the next services, obviously illegally as we all know.
I know they could/should have carried on and wrote on a printout etc, but how does the Police and VOSA view it, is it the lesser of two evils to go over your time with print out explanation with first opportunity break ,or do they accept there is a valid (or technically acceptable) reason for the circumstances on the day for parking illegally on the hard shoulder so they turn a blind eye, or were the guys just lucky on the day that they were not done for it as the Police were using a bit of discretion, just wondered what the official line was.
It seems common in the M25 around J13. The official line from the police is that they do deal with it but the reality is the officers know they will be met with a chorus of “I speaky no English” and it’s not worth the hassle.
With traffic already at a crawl, they don’t cause a massive danger until the queues subside and traffic picks up speed again.
As annoying as it is, I’d prefer to see them shift their focus to the drivers that sleep under the bridges on the M25. You can see them park up and they’re still there 9 hours later. I don’t believe that no police patrol passes them within the 9 hours.
My guess is that they would turn a blind eye UNTIL an emergency vehicle wanted to use the hard shoulder to get to the scene on the incident.
This has been posted about a few times, the risk of a £30 fine for parking illegally is small change compared to the fines that are dished out in euroland for infringments! and aparently it makes no difference if that infringment was commited in another country.
Also if the incident had been going on for about 3 hours there could be drivers who have ended up on a 16-18 hour spread over, and I doubt any copper or Vosa would try and force them to move.
I was once held up on m4 east for accident, saw the helicopter coming and figured it being a long dely so put it on rest and got ■■■■■■
Sometime later (an hour or two) i was woken by a knock on the door. I was alarmed to wake and find myself at a standstill on motorway with nothing but empty road in front! looked down in dread to see who was knocking door, it was a policeman!
He must have seen the panick in my eyes, he says its ok drive we have turned all traffic around to head back for last junction.
o:o
I’m sure I read somewhere earlier in the week that they have been doing them for parking overnight under the bridges recently on the 25.
Those who do the correct thing and sit in the queue with the intention of taking an overdue break at the next service area then face a problem … the place is full up with the 200 other vehicles trying to do exactly the same thing. So what are you supposed to do next? another 30 miles to the next one? and another? Or come off at a junction that you have possibly never used before and look for a layby? some hope.
choice of 3 evils really break get a fine on the HS
over run hours get a fine
Drive knackered cause an accident risk killing someone…
in the 80’s I got caught in that snow on the 25 we parked spaced out on the HS as per plods instructions 1 hour to get from lane 2 to the HS 17hr duty , wrote on the card and took 11 off got up and traffic was moving slowly but moving …that was the same year we were putting paraffin in the derv too 
cav551:
Those who do the correct thing and sit in the queue with the intention of taking an overdue break at the next service area then face a problem … the place is full up with the 200 other vehicles trying to do exactly the same thing. So what are you supposed to do next? another 30 miles to the next one? and another? Or come off at a junction that you have possibly never used before and look for a layby? some hope.
Funny i asked a motorway traffic cop and a highways agency respone driver that exact question and was told the same by both, on a motorway carry on to next service area and if full try and stop on the slip road if its got a hard shoulder or as soon as i can and as close as i can to service area on a hard shoulder and if theres a few doing it it’ll be turn a blind eye, also vosa can’t do a check there as its for emergencies not routine checks.
I made a post a few months back when I had been doing my usual Friday night run to Stanstead.
The A14 and the M11 are so unreliable as regards to being open on a Friday night for either road works or accident,that now I go down the M1,M25 and north on the M11.
It only puts about 10 minutes on the run from here.
This particular Friday night I had seen no warning on the M1 for either the A14 or the M11,which is not unusual,but as I was going north from the M25,I saw 40,yes FORTY,east European trucks parked on the s/b hard shoulder at 03.00,and the matrix said the M11 was closed around J9.
There was a police car on the police ■■■■■■■■■■■■ on the n/b side opposite where the trucks were parked.
It was someone on here that said there had been a fuel spillage on the M11 which was why it was closed,and because these east Europeans had run out of time in the queue,the old bill had parked them up.
What it boils down to is THICK STEERING WHEEL ATTENDANTS 
who’ll push it to 4:29 hours instead of and won’t pull off into services on 2:50hrs or 3:30hours! 
once you commit past the services anywhere, 
you’ll guarantee the traffic will back up around THE USUAL SUSPECTS! I’m English, I tell my English mates THINK YOU THICK ■■■■■■■! 
bosses don’t pay fines, BUT THEY CARRY ON! 
I got caught in the M1 chaos yesterday- delayed about 3 hours before J29 on my way back to Essex. After I clear it I drop into the next services to do my 2nd 45 min as it was going to be a 10 - and only get waved over by VOSA.
After the normal checks etc, I asked about my hours, as my understanding was 15 mins over, no worries, but no more. I said it will put me on 10 hours 35 mins to go BTB. The said “no problem - you planned a sensible trip and it wouldn’t be reasonable to expect you to night out 20 miles from base in these situations - just not it all on you end of day printout.”
Tacho fines in Europe can be from 3000 to 6000 euros.Parked up until it is paid.Basque area and Catalan areas of Spain seem to have a reputaion for telephone number sized fines.
Navara the same.
Italian police seem laid back and like their coffee breaks and posing in Rayban sunglasses.
Never had too much hassle with the Gendarmes or Douanes.Have a joke and a laugh with them with their “Rosbiffs” comments as the English like roast beef dinners.
What it boils down to is THICK STEERING WHEEL ATTENDANTS who’ll push it to 4:29 hours instead of and won’t pull off into services on 2:50hrs or 3:30hours! once you commit past the services anywhere, you’ll guarantee the traffic will back up around THE USUAL SUSPECTS! I’m English, I tell my English mates THINK YOU THICK [zb]! bosses don’t pay fines, BUT THEY CARRY ON!
WTF ?
shade:
WTF ?
no it’s not WTF!
) unfortunately it doesn’t wash
pg1973:
cav551:
Those who do the correct thing and sit in the queue with the intention of taking an overdue break at the next service area then face a problem … the place is full up with the 200 other vehicles trying to do exactly the same thing. So what are you supposed to do next? another 30 miles to the next one? and another? Or come off at a junction that you have possibly never used before and look for a layby? some hope.Funny i asked a motorway traffic cop and a highways agency respone driver that exact question and was told the same by both, on a motorway carry on to next service area and if full try and stop on the slip road if its got a hard shoulder or as soon as i can and as close as i can to service area on a hard shoulder and if theres a few doing it it’ll be turn a blind eye, also vosa can’t do a check there as its for emergencies not routine checks.
no don’t do that either!
Thetaff2:
I’m sure I read somewhere earlier in the week that they have been doing them for parking overnight under the bridges recently on the 25.
about time THEYRE FOR EMERGENCY SERVICES FOR THAT EXACT REASON! Thick truckers as I’ve stated before! THINK THINK THINK! All BS YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHERE TO PARK
robroy:
On the M4 the other day I was stuck for ages between Leigh Del and Mem services in a tailback/hold up for about 3 hours . A few guys were sat in the hard shoulder presumably on break because time had run out heading for the next services, obviously illegally as we all know.
I know they could/should have carried on and wrote on a printout etc, but how does the Police and VOSA view it, is it the lesser of two evils to go over your time with print out explanation with first opportunity break ,or do they accept there is a valid (or technically acceptable) reason for the circumstances on the day for parking illegally on the hard shoulder so they turn a blind eye, or were the guys just lucky on the day that they were not done for it as the Police were using a bit of discretion, just wondered what the official line was.
Its like everything else mate, the driver is the one carrying the can in a situation that sees him damned if you do, and damned if you don’t. I wouldn’t want to take any sort of break on the hard shoulder but I can fully understand why many do. You can’t have rules and regulations and enforcement of those rules and regulations that strike so much fear in to drivers, especially in some other EU countries and then expect there to be no consequences, such as the scenario you’re describing. If we were not criminalised for doing our job in the first place, this sort of thing need not happen.
Isn’t it 100 quid fine now?
It’s £50 in the UK, No points, and in my book application of common sense if it’s been due to an incident and your stuck, few times drivers have given me a printout for say a particular day last week with say a location in France and what problem was, I’m usually happy as the driver had made the effort, but that’s me, another officer, another force/agency coul look at it differently.
Traffic Rat:
It’s £50 in the UK, No points, and in my book application of common sense if it’s been due to an incident and your stuck, few times drivers have given me a printout for say a particular day last week with say a location in France and what problem was, I’m usually happy as the driver had made the effort, but that’s me, another officer, another force/agency coul look at it differently.
Which is exactly the problem. You see things your way, your colleague sees it his way, the French see it in their many ways and so on, all the while the driver is trying to keep within the rigid black and white rules in the most unpredictable job, with the most uncontrollable variables imaginable.
If an ordinary working man is worried about being banged over the head and having a week or several weeks wages taken from him by a Belgian or Spanish tyrant further down the road, they’ll take the lesser of two evils option, which in this case is often the hard shoulder of a British motorway. Taking a chance in Britain (and elsewhere) is potentially a huge saving later that avoids a zealous fine which in many cases are totally disproportionate to the ‘offence’ committed and highly unjust in my opinion. For once I’m pleased to know that Britain doesn’t lead the way in this sort of behaviour, but some of our European brothers treat the tacho as nothing more than a cash cow thats to be milked for all its worth, especially when its a foreign to them driver who’s out of his depth, doesn’t understand the language and is impounded until he pays.
Parking on the hard shoulder to keep their tacho in order? No, I can’t think why they’d do it.
That is a very good post Robin.When stopped and fined in Europe there is no official translator at the road side to assist the driver being relieved of 6000 euros.The Police do not ring in to their base to srrange help.
In the UK,translators are used for foreigners.
In Europe they just write down how much the fine is on some scrap paper.They keep all the vehicle documents but not the keys.
They have obligation to feed and water a stranded driver.
I would ask for the offence code from the book they all carry in their car or motorbike side panniers.The codes have the amount of the court deposit.A UK haulier laminated his EU permit.He was fined thousands for no valid permit even though he had one.
A Portuguese fined for the orange rear plates on the trailer not being orange enough or the sun had faded them over the years.