URSA CHARGES
Page 24
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I have read with some interest the correspondence relating to parking fees. I have one Ghent who is being asked to pay £90 because a driver did not pay a parking fee when making a necessary overnight stop.
The proprietors of the Motorway Service Areas should remember that the reason for their existence is the public safety concern that drivers on long journeys should have the opportunity to take rest as and when necessary. As far as goods vehicles are concerned it is also a legal requirement that the appropriate drivers hours' regulations are observed.
it was on the back of that requirement, which is a clear public safety issue, that the various companies who own the service areas were able to develop the market for refreshments and other necessary supplies for motorway users.
If charges and penalties are going to be such that they discourage the taking of rest then the Government should step in to prevent it.
Road safety should not be compromised for the sake of even greater profit for the service area operators— they do well enough with their charges as it is.
Waugh & Musgrave,
Sonntors, Coakermouth. Cumbria.