Have your say on Motorway Service Areas

Rarely do I see a sign that says Caravan and Motorhome Parking? Are motorhomes allowed to park in caravan bays,

The expression "Motorhome" is misleading marketing speak.  They are motor caravans (check your V5 if you have one). So they are legitimate users of caravan specific parking.

I did once get "challanged" by a lorry driver, who shut up completely when I pointed out his Class 3 vehicle was shorter than my Land Rover and caravan, and that I had a Class 1 HGV licence, which he didn't.

Still not a good idea to leave outfit unattended for long though.

"Avoid them like the plaque unless absolutely desperate"

Ain't that the tooth. 

I have completed the survey but I am not holding my breath it will achieve anything worthwhile.... 

I completed the survey, but couldn't really name the best and worst because, like some others, we try to avoid motorway services completely.  I think the last one we used was Thurrock, en route to a CL in Essex.  In fact we've used it once (and got blocked in by lorries), and tried to use it a second time but couldn't get in because of lorries.  Our plan of attack now is to stop in a layby, preferably one that is separated from the road, on an A road before we get on a motorway, and again when we get off, if necessary.  Since we have our own toilet on board, it's so much easier.

as a hgv driver I encounter the problems most days the road haulage industry has campaigned for years and got no response good luck but it will fall on def ears 

That's an expensive way to buy fuel, EasyT!

Completely agree, for any improvements individual groups like road haulage and the CAMC need to get together but at present it wont make much difference. A lot of services were built too long ago and are badly out of date and lacking in space. Buying up land for new services is difficult and often consortiums own land along potential routes to make money, speculating on developments, either industrial or domestic.

However, the main pressure is on summer travel in the school holidays and this is the time van users need to think ahead when considering their best options.

The problem is the club always says that it isn’t into lobbying. It definitely won’t lobby manufacturers with regard to poor quality but it says it did lobby the government regarding caravan MOTs.  Not really sure what the ‘club’ stands for, I suspect they talk with forked tongue, although I’m one of life’s cynics.

In some ways I wish the club had done a general uk travel survey first to include all types of van users, then used the stats to look at things more closely.