The warning, reported by BBC Oxford, comes despite Oxfordshire County Council acknowledging in its own freight work that HGV parking needs to be reviewed to provide “safe, accessible, and sustainable” facilities across the county. The council says the aim is to reduce the impact of HGV parking on communities, ease congestion and support drivers.
Oxford City Council lists two designated parking areas for larger vehicles at Redbridge Park and Ride and Oxford Parkway Park and Ride, but these are general large-vehicle parking areas, not dedicated secure truck parks. Oxford Parkway is also described as a small area with limited spaces and no pre-booking.
Oxfordshire County Council says it has produced an HGV route map to guide drivers towards appropriate routes, and has also carried out desktop work to map HGV parking by type and estimated capacity. However, the council’s own wording makes clear that the map is for guidance only and that drivers remain responsible for checking whether parking is suitable and observing restrictions.
A local example of a national shortage
The Oxfordshire case reflects a wider shortage of lorry parking in England. In a written parliamentary answer in February 2026, the Department for Transport said its 2022 National Survey of Lorry Parking found an average shortage of around 4,500 HGV parking spaces in March 2022, as well as driver concerns about welfare facilities and lorry park security.
The RHA and industry campaigners put the current shortfall much higher. The Freight and Logistics APPG said in February that an estimated 11,000 parking spaces are missing, forcing drivers to compromise safety and welfare by stopping in lay-bys. The APPG added that planning barriers are holding back the creation of new facilities.
The government has commissioned a new National Survey of Lorry Parking for 2026, with WSP appointed to audit every lorry parking site in England. The work is expected to assess location, capacity, utilisation, charges, accreditation, driver facilities, vehicle services and operational features.
South East shortfall already measured
The shortage is also visible in regional data. A Transport for the South East study found a current shortage of 1,528 overnight HGV parking spaces across the strategic and non-strategic road networks in its area. The report forecast that the shortfall would rise to 2,774 spaces by 2040 under its high case.
The same study said that vehicles unable to use truck stops are spread across lay-bys, industrial estates and other locations such as side roads. It also linked insufficient HGV parking to road safety issues, environmental impacts, freight crime, industry image and anti-social behaviour.
Transport for the South East also estimated that, on the non-strategic road network alone, 419 HGVs were parked overnight on industrial estates and 381 in lay-bys across the region.
Security remains part of the driver welfare debate
The debate over parking capacity is increasingly tied to freight crime and driver welfare. Transport Focus said in December that investment in rest stop security was key to driver welfare, while the Department for Transport said government and industry had invested more than £25 million in creating more HGV parking spaces, improving security and upgrading facilities.
Rachel Taylor MP, chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Freight and Logistics, said the findings showed an urgent need to tackle crime and insecurity at rest stops, calling for a national freight crime strategy, a dedicated crime code and more investment in policing.
