Going back to Cambridge E/B on A14 last night. There was quite a bit of traffic, especially trucks, approaching Bar Hill, all at once the wagon in front of me locks up solid after just a preliminary tap on the brakes, had a cab full of rubber fumes, all because the nob in front of him had to squeeze into the last bit of space in the lay-by.
Now I’m aware of the drivers hours regs, but please, couldn’t we have dedicated truck parking areas? The lay-bys hearabouts and I’m sure in other areas too are plainly inadequate, and you often find the back end of a trailer sticking ever so slightly out into the carriage way, just asking for someone to pass a little bit close? Yes, it’s happened at least once round here. Then, when it’s time to get going again next morning it’s pulling out from a standstill into 60-70mph traffic. Round here there’s a real problem for truckers to park up for the night, and the lamentably few off-road facillities are usually full to bursting very early on in the evening, often leading on to some people finding some very inventive/inconvienient places to park up even for a 45. Also it’s perhaps no coincidence that East Anglia has one of the highest incidences of drivers hours violations in the country, in regard to over-running the rest break requirement.
What we need are properly designated rest areas where trucks can pull off the road and park up in peace, preferably with no access to anything smaller than a 7.5tonner (keeps the ■■■■■■ out), and with electric plug in points so theres no excuse for fridges blatting away all night 
Rant over, I don’t suppose it’ll ever happen. Meantime, try and park safely guy’s and guy esses 
Ahmen to that.
papermonkey:
Round here there’s a real problem for truckers to park up for the night, and the lamentably few off-road facillities are usually full to bursting very early on in the evening, often leading on to some people finding some very inventive/inconvienient places to park up even for a 45.
Thats the NIMBY’s for ya.
DadsRetired:
papermonkey:
Round here there’s a real problem for truckers to park up for the night, and the lamentably few off-road facillities are usually full to bursting very early on in the evening, often leading on to some people finding some very inventive/inconvienient places to park up even for a 45.Thats the NIMBY’s for ya.
Great rant Papermonkey, layby’s on fast moving busy dual caraigeways are dangerous. whats should be built is proper parking areas with proper slip roads, but further apart than the layby’s are. But it won’t happen no money for stuff like that far to low down on the political agenda and any private company trying to do something is quickly stopped by the NIMBY’s. Even when it won’t even effect them, I think they just read the local paper and protest about anything.