First thing. How bloody full is this place? Barely a space anywhere. Truck park, car park, coach park and most of the road is littered with trucks.
Second, how many people actually pay to park here? If all these trucks pay it must be a goldmine, but part of me thinks maybe people don’t bother?
Most are foreigners mate. Probably got snap accounts. I parked there on my first ever night out, and have never been near the place again since. Total bin.
Hammy747:
it must be a goldmine
+1, I also think it’s a zb hole!
Place needs ripping up and starting again, with a bit of thought, and possibly even marked bays. It’s just what I’d call an “abandonment zone” ie, folk just dump their motors wherever they can, hopefully with the chance of being able to get out when they need to.
I spoke to a driver from our place (donkeys years under his belt) and he has even paid to spend a night on the fuel forecourt before now. Sod that for a lark. There’s sod all nearby, so you’re scuppered. Moto must be rubbing their hands.
All those sites nearby that want us to deliver to them, but no parking. They should be made to invest in something suitable, I don’t give a monkeys if they can take a share of the profits once it’s up and running.
PaulNowak:
I spoke to a driver from our place (donkeys years under his belt) and he has even paid to spend a night on the fuel forecourt before now. Sod that for a lark. There’s sod all nearby, so you’re scuppered. Moto must be rubbing their hands.
Yup, i was chatting to someone about the place a while ago, They tried banging a few trucks on the carpark one night, made about £150-£200 but had to spend at least 10 times that repairing the damage done and bent lamposts 
.
You always see bent lamposts where trucks park 
Anyway up for sale if you want to buy it
uk.mobile.reuters.com/article/id … 8?irpc=932
PaulNowak:
All those sites nearby that want us to deliver to them, but no parking. They should be made to invest in something suitable, I don’t give a monkeys if they can take a share of the profits once it’s up and running.
Spot on, but is there any profit if no one wants to past to park.
Looking at it another way i don’t see non driving employees/workers staying in hotels for free because they don’t want to pay for a room.
Why don’t services have barrier in/out like the truckstops? Surely this would pay for itself, or is it seen as holding drivers to ransom. I’ve tried to use truckstops more recently as I’ve realised there’s a lot more about than I thought as most aren’t on motorway signs despite being 50yards from the sliproad (why?). Last services I stopped at Northampton and had curtains slashed…to add insult to injury its one of the more expensive services to park at as well!!
I was on a run from Tesco Daventry to Kent cold stores in Charing & couldn’t park their in August early am, it was overflowing into the Arena Essex entrance way, so as I was in a Tesco wagon I went into the Tesco car park 2 minutes from the services & got a £60 parking ticket for my troubles, of course Tesco Transport didn’t want to no said it was my fault, I got the union involved & eventually Tesco did pay but by this time it was £120 ha ha, needless to say I don’t go anywhere near Thurrock services & if I have to park somewhere I will use Tesco Thurruck DC
KarlM:
Why don’t services have barrier in/out like the truckstops? Surely this would pay for itself, or is it seen as holding drivers to ransom. I’ve tried to use truckstops more recently as I’ve realised there’s a lot more about than I thought as most aren’t on motorway signs despite being 50yards from the sliproad (why?). Last services I stopped at Northampton and had curtains slashed…to add insult to injury its one of the more expensive services to park at as well!![/quoteTry the Red Lion truck stop just off the M1 jct 16 towards Northampton, only 5 minutes from the services next time.
KarlM:
Why don’t services have barrier in/out like the truckstops? Surely this would pay for itself, or is it seen as holding drivers to ransom.
Frequently the services are busy and traffic could back up onto the motorway increasing the risk of billy big bollox sat watching TV in his 44t truck to run straight into the back of it.
Could you imagine barriers on somehwere like Sandbach SB, Gloucester NB etc
KarlM:
I’ve tried to use truckstops more recently as I’ve realised there’s a lot more about than I thought as most aren’t on motorway signs despite being 50yards from the sliproad (why?).
Pennings Announcement in 2011 gov.uk/government/speeches/ … in-england
was superceeded by the DfT 02/2013 policy.
There are supposed to be minimum standards for facilities to be signed See page 17 gov.uk/government/uploads/s … c-road.pdf and page 21 many don’t meet these standards, Also the cost of installing signage could be seen as prohibitively expensive as you have to take traffic management and impact protection vehicle costs etc into consideration when closing lanes, working at the side of the motorway etc.