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Van insurance customers alerted to FTA's condemnation of road facilities

07/02/07

Van insurance customers may be interested to know that the Freight Transport Association (FTA) has condemned the lack of roadside facilities to be found on many UK motorways.
 
The organisation, which aims to represent the interests of van insurance customers and other freight-carrying vehicles, has set out "two basic inadequacies" that it believes are stopping the UK's roads from receiving essential facilities, such as motorway service stations.
 
Firstly, it is argued that the Highways Agency should have sole responsibility for providing roadside facilities and that its decision-making power should not be devolved to other authorities.
 
And secondly, the facilities should be built-in to the original plans for creating new roads rather than added as an after-thought, subject to the decisions of local planning authorities, the association stated.
 
Richard Turner, chief executive of the FTA, questioned the current status quo with regards to facilities on UK roads.
 
"Why are we still seeing roads without proper driver facilities?," he asked.
 
"We want our main roads to retain their customers throughout the journey and this includes the need for toilets, rest breads and refreshment. In the case of long-distance lorry traffic, this also includes the need for long-stay parking."
 
Service stations can potentially have a positive impact upon road safety figures.
 
This is because van insurance customers on long journeys may be tempted to break up their journey more frequently if service stations are situated en route, which could help to keep them more alert should a possible road safety incident develop up ahead.
 
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