A new Moto service station on the M1 opens today, but truckers following Moto’s Facebook Page are far from impressed by the facility’s “horseshoe” shaped lorry parking area.
The Moto Rugby services, which was due to open last year but was delayed by the pandemic, fills one of the largest gaps without services on the UK’s major motorway network.
Given the much-talked-about lack of facilities and lorry parking in the UK, the arrival of the new facility is generally good news for motorists and lorry drivers.
However, the service station’s lorry park has been met with a critical reception by most truckers. The layout has left some truck drivers scratching their heads, with others going as far as to ridicule the design.
One Facebook user following Moto’s Page said the lorry park was “designed by some plank in an office who wouldn’t know one end of a truck from the other.” Others said the parking was a “bit dodgy” and that design was “rubbish” and a “clusterf*ck”.
One or two truckers bucked the trend though, with one saying “I genuinely can’t see the issue here, them bays aren’t hard at all to get into, in fact look how wide the bottom ones are, I’d be nosing straight in them, quiet night. All are straddled too so no door banging. In fact, you have more room to back in these than the ones where they just have back to back lines.”
The new service station is accessible on junction 1 of the M6 and is also accessible to traffic on the A426.
The facility has a Burger King, Costa Coffee, Greggs, KFC, Pret a Manger, M&S Simply Food and a WHSmith. There are changing places, play areas for kids and showers. There are also fast charging points for electric vehicles.
According to Motorway Services Online, the first two hours of parking are free, after which HGVs must pay £30. HGVs can pay £32 and receive a £10 food voucher.
Photo credit: Moto Services