Motorway hard shoulders

[crapichris]

Correct me if I am wrong but I thought no one but no one can park on the hard shoulder of a motorway?

I travel 40 miles up the M1 everyday so how come there are HGVs parked up and asleep on the hard shoulders? Have the service stations run out of room or are there too many lorries on our roads?

What really worries me is what happens when someone trundling along the motorway falls asleep, gets a blowout, or tries to avoid another vehicle and heads for the hard shoulders full of vehicles? Gonna be an awful mess.

[PeteRS8084]

Er check the registrations, you will probably see that they are foreign! When I was driving hgv I saw some on the m25 parked up on the hard shoulders cooking on gas burners, unbelievable.......but hey what are the UK traffic police going to do.........you never see them! Only my opinion so don't shoot the messenger! Pete

[colr6]

Er check the registrations, you will probably see that they are foreign! When I was driving hgv I saw some on the m25 parked up on the hard shoulders cooking on gas burners, unbelievable.......but hey what are the UK traffic police going to do.........you never see them! Only my opinion so don't shoot the messenger! Pete

BANG!!!!

[crapichris]

Agree that in the beginning they were foreign vehicles, now the Brits are at it too! They were parked at least 200m from Newport pagnell services this morning - nothing unusual . Tonight they were parked all over J15A next to the services but also all over that dangerous junction.

[khanlad]

They might have mechanical issues waiting for a service vehicle? Why not close the curtains and grab a few winks? Must be at least as dangerous driving tired? If i pull on a bay and am told ill be more than 20 mins ill have a kip if im tired, having said that its probably just a break.

[crapichris]

Not very reliable then coz there was already 10 of them all broken down and parked up nose to tail

[crapichris]

Just found the gov.uk. document for foreign lorry drivers . Definitely states no parking on hard shoulders or sliproads under any circumstances. So get out there and do your job Plod.

[aardvark101]

They are even trying to park on the embankments now...

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-38916776

 

too soon ?

[DT36]

They are even trying to park on the embankments now...

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-38916776

 

too soon ?

Brutal, Aardvark101.

[Kenbex522]

I'm a lorry driver myself and i have to say the problem of getting parked anywhere for breaks is getting worse. The Government do not appear interested in creating somewhere for drivers to kip/rest. There are so few private parks too. One I know of has just closed recently near Derby. You often see lorries parked up on the hard shoulders at night now partly as the councils/highways dept have this insane idea of closing every damn road possible for repairs at nightime. The queue to get off onto the diversions are often a an hour or so long and you simply run out of tacho time. However the t**ts at DVSA are not keen on leniency when it comes to going over tacho hours, even by a few minutes. So dont expect the problem to go away soon.

[crapichris]

Appreciate your dilemma but someone is going to get hurt soon.

[jas]

Well i no its not a motor way but i was on my way home sunday morning around 6am  on the A30 2 lanes each side and i thought the car on the other side had some really brite lights, but no it had some how got on the wrong side and was comming straight me, now thats not fun.

[Kenbex522]

Yup had that a few weeks ago on the Southbound M6 near Stafford. Fortunately we did get some warning from the over head signs albeit a bit last second, but you don't know which lane they're coming at you in or whether the lunatics are going to swerve into you at the last second. The Keystones chasing over in the correct lane are pretty powerless in a situation like this. I don't know the outcome, didn't see it mentioned anywhere the next day, but hopefully no one got hurt. Have to say the driver of the wrong way car, had the "mad person stare" as they went past me. Quite scary tbh.

[Tackleberry]

Firstly, forces are cutting traffic dept's beyond the bare bones. Neighbourhoods are the priority, everything else takes a back seat.

 

Secondly, certainly in Surrey I know they get fined and moved on more frequently than other areas..some of it is down to ignorance, some because it's an easy option with little risk and some because the services are full so feel they have no option but to just park up nearby.

 

There's certainly a lack of "rest area's" for HGV's.

[khanlad]

If there was a service station that you could get into and parked, why would you park on a hard shoulder nearby? I bet services dont make much money from us drivers, weve normally got everything we need, maybe buy a coffee, but generally you just want to park and take your break, maybe have a pee? Trucks take far bigger spaces than a car obviously , they are the ones buying million pound sarnies and all the other over priced shite you get. That might explain the reduced hgv parking hence having to park up other places or as previously mentioned risk outrageous fines from the traffic nazi's?

[Vista]

Well i no its not a motor way but i was on my way home sunday morning around 6am on the A30 2 lanes each side and i thought the car on the other side had some really brite lights, but no it had some how got on the wrong side and was comming straight me, now thats not fun.

This?

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-38975748

[HotRodMatt]

Don't forget the £26 or so HGV parking fee which not all companies will reimburse to the driver. This charge is apparently for the secure parking but just how secure it is you can guess!! Half of the services don't maintain the HGV parking areas so they are full of potholes and badly lit.

[jas]

vista that was not the same one i wonder how many times this happens,the one i passed did turn round i think he had came out off the macdonards turning i was heading towards bodmin from truro.