Highways Agency - Safe roads, Reliable journeys, Informed travellers
Executive Summary
Motorway Service Areas and other roadside facilities, such as All-Purpose Trunk Road Service Areas, lorry parks, all-purpose trunk road and motorway picnic areas and all-purpose trunk road laybys, perform an important road safety function by providing opportunities for the travelling public to stop and take a break in the course of their journey. Government advice is that motorists should stop and take a break of at least 20 minutes every two hours. Drivers of Large Goods Vehicles are subject to a regime of statutory breaks.
Current Government policy relates only to MOTORWAY SERVICE AREAS (MSAs) and is held in two documents Roads Circular 1/94 and the MSA Policy Statement of July 1998. The Government intends to review the policy with a view to updating and consolidating this advice, and issuing fresh guidance on other forms of roadside facility.
The Government wishes to see the provision of roadside facilities maintained and to seek ways to enhance this provision, so as to improve services for motorists and lorry drivers, but not so that service stations become destinations in their own right. It is, therefore, inviting views from the industry, interested organisations and the public on a range of issues relating to the provision and nature of roadside facilities in order to inform its review. The responses to this consultation will be considered, alongside other evidence, in determining the content of the revised guidance. The revised guidance will be the subject of further consultation.
Until revised guidance is published, existing guidance will continue to be valid.
The consultation period will run for 12 weeks and end on Thursday 8th February 2007.
Since the purpose of this consultation is to seek views to assist in policy development, it is not possible at this stage to carry out a Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA). Once policy proposals have been developed an RIA will be prepared to assess the impact of the proposed policy guidance and this will be published for comment.
Please note that during the printing of the of the consultation document the Road Safety Bill received Royal Assent and is therefore now the Road Safety Act 2006
Issues upon which your views are invited:
Motorway Service Areas:
- Determining need
- Spacing
- Signing of facilities
- Retail activities
- Standards of facilities
- Park and ride facilities
Motorway Picnic Areas:
- Defining policy
All-Purpose Trunk Road Service Areas:
- Spacing criteria
- Provision of facilities
- Future uses of closed sites
Lorry Parking:
- Promoting provision
Laybys:
- Establishing greater uniformity and control over their use
- Standards of safety
What Happens Next
A report on the consultation including the next steps will be published on our website at www.highways.gov.uk. The report will also be sent to those who respond to the consultation. Paper copies will be available on request. It is expected that this will be published within three months of the closing date of this consultation.
Following consideration of the responses to this consultation, together with other evidence, firm policy proposals will be produced which will be the subject of further consultation. The responses to this will be reviewed and revised policy guidance will be issued in the form of a new circular.
Consultation Criteria
The consultation is being conducted in line with the Code of Practice on Consultation. The Criteria are listed in Annex A of the consultation document which also includes details as to who to contact should you not be happy about the way in which the consultation is being run. The full version of the code can be accessed at
www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/regulation/consultation/code/index.asp
Consultation Questions
A response form setting out the questions is included in Annex B.
Regulatory Impact Assessment
Since the purpose of this consultation is to seek views to assist in policy development, it is not possible at this stage to carry out a Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA). Once policy proposals have been developed an RIA will be prepared to assess the impact of the proposed policy guidance and this will be published for comment.
Download Consultation Document
The consultation document is available for download below in PDF format.
Summary of Responses
The summary of the responses received by the Highways Agency to this consultation is available in PDF format below: