NRA: No Service Stations on Motorways

**pete** · 17/06/2005, 11:48 AM

Don't know whether to laugh or cry at NRA latest statement. Proof that anyone can get a job no matter how incompetent.

They say no Service Stations to be allowed next to motorways because its unsafe yet i'm sure they'll also tell us that tired drivers are unsafe too.

At the very minimum should be rest stops with toilets on Motorways yet i haven't seen any on the new motorways.

**paul_oshea** · 17/06/2005, 11:51 AM

how is it unsafe????

**fosterdollar** · 17/06/2005, 11:57 AM

Originally Posted by pete

They say no Service Stations to be allowed next to motorways because its unsafe yet i'm sure they'll also tell us that tired drivers are unsafe too.

I'm sure they don't condone driving on the motorways while exhausted. But it's not necessarily something they can prevent. They can with the service station thing.

I agree with the decision. it would add more exits and hence the amount of hotspots for accidents would increase. Drivers can easily turn off at a town exit to refuel - that is, if they have travelled that far that they have runout of the fuel required, and supposedly known, before they started their trip.

**pete** · 17/06/2005, 12:08 PM

Why no picnic type rest stops on motorways? Motorways are there to avoid towns & villages. If I was travelling in the UK or Europe i'd want to stay as close to motorway as possible so don't get lost on country roads. Tired drivers won't want to turn off the motorway into middle of nowhere. Rest stops mean can stop easily.

Should HGVs have to leave motorways to find service station?

**fosterdollar** · 17/06/2005, 12:13 PM

Originally Posted by pete

Why no picnic type rest stops on motorways? Motorways are there to avoid towns & villages. If I was travelling in the UK or Europe i'd want to stay as close to motorway as possible so don't get lost on country roads. Tired drivers won't want to turn off the motorway into middle of nowhere. Rest stops mean can stop easily.

Should HGVs have to leave motorways to find service station?

What's so difficult about turning off at a sliproad to find a rest spot?

When leaving a motorway you don't have to travel too far to find a service station - there's usually strings of them in the run into towns.

**Macy** · 17/06/2005, 12:27 PM

They said that they want them off existing exits. There's plenty of examples of these in the uk. Chester Services on the M56 would be one example that people might know. The haulage association are claiming that lorries can't take roundabouts now

Given how "good" irish drivers are at motorway driving, never mind joining motorways, not suprised the NRA consider it a risk...

Whats the longest stretch of motorway in the country anyway? Not that much of an issue imo. And if a lack of layby's is the problem, I personally don't think it's the fault of the NRA....

**fosterdollar** · 17/06/2005, 12:35 PM

Originally Posted by Macy

They said that they want them off existing exits. There's plenty of examples of these in the uk. Chester Services on the M56 would be one example that people might know.

Passed this a couple of times in the last while. This would be far more suitable than increasing the amount of exits/entries onto motorway.

**Macy** · 17/06/2005, 12:39 PM

Originally Posted by Magoo

Passed this a couple of times in the last while. This would be far more suitable than increasing the amount of exits/entries onto motorway.

And would be plenty for the demand in Ireland. The Haulage association think that every motorway in the UK is like the M6. I remember the M40 when it had only one, chester style, service station for years. And Chester Services is relatively new too. They're comparing the situation on the main north - south routes for the length of Britain to the M1 in Ireland...

**fosterdollar** · 17/06/2005, 12:45 PM

added to that is that in the UK travelling by road very often means taking one Mway to another to another i.e. they criss cross effectively. Here, they all (partially) make up routes in and out of dublin, barring the M50, which has become a route out of dublin for many

... and the proposed M75/M25/outer ring motorway for dublin will be the first motorway to be one which take non-dublin traffic only imo

**pete** · 17/06/2005, 12:54 PM

Service Stations at exisiting exits seems fine to me but NRAs statement seem to suggest drivers would have to go into the towns they supposed to be bypassing.

IMO laybys are the responsibility of the NRA. They "design" & pay for the roads. Sonn there will be uninterrupted stretch of M1 from Dublin to Dundalk with no rest stops. You should have to go into Drogheda just to stoip for 5 minutes break.

**Macy** · 17/06/2005, 1:16 PM

Originally Posted by pete

Service Stations at exisiting exits seems fine to me but NRAs statement seem to suggest drivers would have to go into the towns they supposed to be bypassing.

It's up to people to apply to build the service stations at the exits, and the councils to grant permission, imo

Originally Posted by pete

IMO laybys are the responsibility of the NRA. They "design" & pay for the roads. Sonn there will be uninterrupted stretch of M1 from Dublin to Dundalk with no rest stops. You should have to go into Drogheda just to stoip for 5 minutes break.

Dublin to Dundalk is sod all distance, if motorway the whole way. Doubt there'd be many services on a stretch that long in any country - it's a long stretch in an irish context, but that's about it.

Existing layby's have height restrictions, and boulders etc for a reason. And it's not the NRA's fault.

**Lionel Ritchie** · 19/06/2005, 10:30 PM

Broadly I'd agree with what the NRA are doing though maybe not for the same reasons as theirs.

My experience of these Services places in the UK especially is that they're shakedown operations designed to screw the customer. expensive fuel and very little choice of expensive food that's horrible with it.

If the motorist stopping for petrol/toilets/food is doing so closer to a town he'll have more choice and prices will have to be competetive.

There are plenty of towns close to existing exits and it's not like all the traffic is going to be put back into them -just those who need to.

What i would like to see is proper signage so that someone driving from say Dublin to Belfast will see a proper services sign at -for example -the Ardee exit. the sign should have on it how far from the exit the services are (Ardee's maybe not a great example as it's about 6kms from it's exit) and when the user gets there there should be proper signs to the jacks, the petrol, the grub etc... rather than having to park in Ardee and walk around looking for a pub that'll let them use the loo.

it could all be done and provided for in existing business parks and shopping centres.

**pete** · 20/06/2005, 8:57 AM

Originally Posted by Lionel Ritchie

My experience of these Services places in the UK especially is that they're shakedown operations designed to screw the customer. expensive fuel and very little choice of expensive food that's horrible with it.

The UK is completely different as bigger volumes of motorways. Motorway service stations in the UK are under licence (don't know if they pay for) & as part of this they have to provide toilet facilities to everyone including non-customer.

I think the NRA are just making it up as they go along as they talking about "designing" a signage policy i.e. probably not even thought about it before asked by media. Ipm sure will be some brown envelopes changing being passed so directed to billy boys garage & not mickey macs.