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I also think the DfT changed regulations in 2022 so that MSAs are now to be located between junctions. I prefer those types of MSAs so that I don't have to go thru several traffic lights, especially at Birchanger (near Stansted) and South Mimms services.
Spoons without the booze or the Spoons prices. So more like a Brewer's Fayre without the booze, or like an expensive corporate version of the classic Transport Café.
I also think the DfT changed regulations in 2022 so that MSAs are now to be located between junctions. I prefer those types of MSAs so that I don't have to go thru several traffic lights, especially at Birchanger (near Stansted) and South Mimms services.
Offline services are generally preferred by operators since both directions of traffic are served by a single site, reducing operating expenditure. The ideal halfway house situation would be to have a single site served by a dedicated full access junction, as is the case with Cobham and Norton Canes.
Living, as I do in Leicester Forest East, there is a local MSA with an access road to both the north & south bound M1 which is well used. The use of this road is unrestricted apart from a couple of tatty signs forbidding access to unauthorised vehicles.
It is a major bugbear for local residents as traffic turning onto the access road from the A47 does tend to cause hold ups, and there is additional noise (and occasional ASB) on the northbound access road which annoys the occupants of the adjacent homes. New housing on the common access road next to the A47 will presumably have the same issues when built.
There is no sign that there ever has been, or ever will be, any enforcement of access restrictions despite sporadic representations by the Parish Council.
Part of the access road from the A47 is a Public Footpath which goes from the A47 junction to part of the way along the northbound access road.
Many years ago it was a treat for my children to be walked across the fields to LFE services for tea - now there's a housing estate on the fields.
There are similar 'escape routes' at Woodhall services south of Sheffield close to where I grew up. I remember on a few occasions using them to escape traffic queues.
But if you've got a stinking headache they don't sell paracetamol in the main building, only the garage.
Tebay etc are an interesting destination, but they aren't very good at the basics in my view. My favourite at present remains Rugby - the known brands and a decent selection and a very nice building. I'd be more than happy if Euston looked like Rugby services.
I expect basic medications to be in the range in the shop inside the building so I don't need to stop twice. I don't have any need for it to be a farm shop. If I want to go to a farm shop, I will go to a farm shop.
Rare for me to stop there on return, but I do sometimes stop on the outward. Not unusual for a weekend away that I might leave around 4-4:30 and want my tea an hour or so later.
Rare for me to stop there on return, but I do sometimes stop on the outward. Not unusual for a weekend away that I might leave around 4-4:30 and want my tea an hour or so later.
I tend to use the A5 to the motorway rather than going straight across, provides a bit of variety but does miss those two out. Towcester traffic is a downside, but there'll be a bypass very soon!
I do agree with what you mean about Watford Gap, though, it does seem well designed to minimise the length of a stop with the parking being barely beyond the end of the sliplane.
I tend to use the A5 to the motorway rather than going straight across, provides a bit of variety but does miss those two out. Towcester traffic is a downside, but there'll be a bypass very soon!
I think Rugby services are one of the best (both to me and to customers) due to it having a water fountain, and is a modern MSA that opened in c. 2022.
Bothwell Services on the M74 is often used to bypass traffic by going around the services road layout or by exiting the service road Hamilton services has a back road which is used to gain access to the motorway but has a camera.
I nearly always use Sandbach M6 northbound services, they're often much quieter than either Keele or Knutsford. Maybe this is because they're smaller, older buildings, clearly very 60s. Only criticism recently is a strange continual pinging noise coming from the McDonald's outlet which resonates throughout the entire food hall. Any ideas what this is? I've only noticed it in the last 2 weeks (3 visits).
Living, as I do in Leicester Forest East, there is a local MSA with an access road to both the north & south bound M1 which is well used. The use of this road is unrestricted apart from a couple of tatty signs forbidding access to unauthorised vehicles.
It is a major bugbear for local residents as traffic turning onto the access road from the A47 does tend to cause hold ups, and there is additional noise (and occasional ASB) on the northbound access road which annoys the occupants of the adjacent homes. New housing on the common access road next to the A47 will presumably have the same issues when built.
There is no sign that there ever has been, or ever will be, any enforcement of access restrictions despite sporadic representations by the Parish Council.
Part of the access road from the A47 is a Public Footpath which goes from the A47 junction to part of the way along the northbound access road.
Many years ago it was a treat for my children to be walked across the fields to LFE services for tea - now there's a housing estate on the fields.
My dad and my uncle had cause to use that link road many years ago- my uncle lived down south, with my dad still living in Yorkshire where the family is originally from. As a way of making it easier for my grandfather to visit my uncle, the brothers met at LFE with their dad being a living breathing relay baton. The access road meant neither had to drive further than necessary!
About 20 years ago Washington services was accessible on foot via a gap in the fence on the northbound side. The police used to muster away supporters' coaches there before escorting them in convoy to Sunderland's ground (and possibly Newcastle's, but I don't think I ever went there on a coach) so fans on the earliest coaches to arrive used to take advantage of the gap and nip out for a pint in the pub over the road.
Is it (or was it not at one time) an offence to use the off-motorway service roads if you weren't an authorised user? Presumably to avoid people using the services as a bonus motorway exit when there were delays.
Is it (or was it not at one time) an offence to use the off-motorway service roads if you weren't an authorised user? Presumably to avoid people using the services as a bonus motorway exit when there were delays.
I seem to remember the back entrance to the south side of Michealwood Services had signs saying it wasn't supposed to be used, but we regularly did just that after a late night at The Pepper Pot Inn (except it wasn't called that then!).
Not in itself. Operators are required to prevent it, but some do so with more enthusiasm than others. Theoretically, an unauthorised user accessing the site would be trespassing, so I suppose someone might try pursuing that through the courts.
Not in itself. Operators are required to prevent it, but some do so with more enthusiasm than others. Theoretically, an unauthorised user accessing the site would be trespassing, so I suppose someone might try pursuing that through the courts.
I don't know if any do, but I suspect they could use the same mechanisms as with parking "contracts" and apply a toll of say £50 enforced by ANPR for the use of the road unless you are a pre-registered employee or similar. Or just have a barrier, though these often get vandalised.
I don't know if any do, but I suspect they could use the same mechanisms as with parking "contracts" and apply a toll of say £50 enforced by ANPR for the use of the road unless you are a pre-registered employee or similar. Or just have a barrier, though these often get vandalised.
I used such an access road last season on the way to football. Having missed the motorway exit I continued to the nearby services to work out a route from the following junction. I noticed the authorised users road had no working barrier nor cameras fitted.
I used it and exited into the adjacent housing estate. I was parked outside the football ground about ten minutes later. I've not received a fine, but others may not be so fortunate.
I don't know if any do, but I suspect they could use the same mechanisms as with parking "contracts" and apply a toll of say £50 enforced by ANPR for the use of the road unless you are a pre-registered employee or similar. Or just have a barrier, though these often get vandalised.
Some certainly use barriers. Others just put up a sign. The latest guidance is that there shouldn't be access from the service road to the motorway, but this isn't always possible with legacy sites.
Interesting - so the requirement is for two wholly separate road networks, one for staff/bin emptying and the likes and one for customers? I guess you can do that by having separate sides of a new site (guess you'd need staff parking on both sides as some will arrive via the motorway), but I agree it would be hard to do it retrospectively.
Depends how you interpret the guidance too. One could argue that a barrier or gate prevents access, or at least fulfils the obligation the site owner has to "prevent" access. One could even argue that a sign alone would fulfil that obligation.
Preventing access by any vehicle completely is no good anyway, as it prevents use of the service roads by emergency services to leave or join the motorway.
How about going thru a blue 'no exit' sign, especially since it doesn't use the international 'no entry' sign, as seen at Charnock Richard services on the M6. I would be inclined as that layout makes me want to leave via that way instead of turning left, and I would imagine the same for foreign travellers.
This German service station is interesting as it also happens to be half of the motorway junction (the other half is slightly further east). I'm sure there are many other examples elsewhere.
The closest we have in the UK is probably the mess that is M1 J15a
I think to be honest most people (families, certainly) are glad of the arrival of Maccies at services. They don't overprice quite like BK do and they're a known quantity.
BK seems to be more expensive for a not very different , overall, product - BK / McD/ KFC all rely on using the same basic components in multiple ways across the menu ) than McD in all settings and the BKs at services display airport like levels of upcharge.
mcD also avoid some of the more problematic menu items ( as the beans and the gravy at KFC either require prolonged holds or the services of 'Chef mike') - not to say there isn't a microwave in the vast majority of mcD kitchens - but it's used for the porridge
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As a child the Little Chef was our restaurant of choice. We had one about 20 minutes drive away and if my parents asked where we'd like to go for dinner it was always Little Chef. The magnificent 7 burger was a thing to behold, along with Jubilee pancakes and the all day breakfast. Admittedly things went massively downhill but at one time it was a decent and good value restaurant.
little chef really was the experimental lab for the chef mike delusional premium eating places , the only way to have a menu that size ( or the likes of frankie and bennies / TGI fridays) is extensive use of Chef Mike and pre-prepared products
F+B / TGIFridays lost out to five guys of all people - as while conceptually there is little between Five guys and a Maccies/ BK the execution , the choice of product customisation options are a league apart
alternatively we see what happens when a chain loses control due to not having sufficiently robust processes - the UK side of Damon's faltered in expanding , didn't get the critical mass and is , iirc back to the original UK location, the beautifual Sam Scorer designed ' rack of ribs ' building on Doddington road in Lincoln
I think we need to expand the UK Motorway Network to meet the demands of the 21st century. I've just created another thread of its own for this; however new motorways will require more Motorway Service Area's. Have a look at the map I've created showing where I propose new motorway service areas on an expanded UK motorway network:
I think we need to expand the UK Motorway Network to meet the demands of the 21st century. I've just created another thread of its own for this; however new motorways will require more Motorway Service Area's. Have a look at the map I've created showing where I propose new motorway service areas on an expanded UK motorway network:
BK seems to be more expensive for a not very different , overall, product - BK / McD/ KFC all rely on using the same basic components in multiple ways across the menu ) than McD in all settings and the BKs at services display airport like levels of upcharge.
mcD also avoid some of the more problematic menu items ( as the beans and the gravy at KFC either require prolonged holds or the services of 'Chef mike') - not to say there isn't a microwave in the vast majority of mcD kitchens - but it's used for the porridge
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little chef really was the experimental lab for the chef mike delusional premium eating places , the only way to have a menu that size ( or the likes of frankie and bennies / TGI fridays) is extensive use of Chef Mike and pre-prepared products
F+B / TGIFridays lost out to five guys of all people - as while conceptually there is little between Five guys and a Maccies/ BK the execution , the choice of product customisation options are a league apart
alternatively we see what happens when a chain loses control due to not havign sufficiently robust processes - the UK side of Damon's faltered in expanding , didn't get the critical mass and is , iirc back to the original UK location, the beautifual Sam Scorer designed ' rack of ribs ' building on Doddington road in Lincoln
I find BK more miss than hit. The service station locations seem to have a slightly different menu with more expensive meal options like a triple whopper and no saver menu. McDonalds is pretty much the same where ever you go.
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