Report: England’s on-site lorry parking capacity ‘close to full’
A new Department for Transport-commissioned report on the state of overnight truck parking capacity in the vicinity of England’s strategic road network (SRN) has found that the situation has worsened since a previous 2017 study, with a rise in utilisation of spaces at on-site facilities such as motorway service areas and truckstops outstripping a 12 per cent capacity increase.
The national lorry parking survey, undertaken by consultancy Aecom, found that overall utilisation of on-site parking spaces within five kilometres of the SRN was up from 76 per cent five years ago to 83 per cent this year, despite available capacity having risen by more than 1,700 spaces.
“The concern is that the national picture of utilisation for on-site parking is very close to the 85 per cent critical utilisation level, meaning that on-site parking facilities are close to operating at full capacity,” the report found.
In 2017, 65 sites in England were found to be utilised at 100 per cent capacity or more. That has now risen to 100 sites.
Using on-site capacity figures and the number of overall vehicles observed during the audit – including at on-site facilities and off-site parking locations such as laybys and industrial estates – Aecom calculated a theoretical 27 per cent shortfall in the number of on-site spaces that would be necessary to accommodate all vehicles observed – slightly worse than in 2017, when the shortfall was 24 per cent.
Identifying a range of contributing factors affecting demand for parking spaces, including population increase, the driver shortage and safety and security concerns, the report found that: “The overall net effect over the last five years is clear and that is, the demand for lorry parking spaces has grown faster than the supply of additional spaces.”
In order to help alleviate some of the immediate concerns, the report suggested that existing spaces at motorway service areas (MSAs) could be optimised by freeing up coach and car parking areas for use by lorries during evenings and overnight.
The study also engaged with drivers via a focus group and an online survey, and concluded that: “Poor quality facilities at parking locations, sub-standard security, and the cost of parking are all areas of great concern.”
Availability of well-maintained toilets and showers, security provision, good food, social spaces and parking costs were among the factors drivers said were important to them in terms of on-site facilities.
The report continued: “It was apparent that one of the biggest concerns from drivers is the lack of parking spaces available as it makes it very difficult for drivers to plan ahead where to park as part of their journey.
“It was generally felt that on-site parking facilities often represented poor value for money and there was a preference for independent sites over MSAs.
“There was a strong feeling within the [focus] group that European facilities were good (even basic ones) and the UK ones are poor in comparison.”
Logistics UK head of policy Michelle Gardner commented: “As Logistics UK has been saying for a long time, today’s results from the National Lorry Parking Survey have confirmed that England’s commercial drivers are woefully under-catered for when it comes to accessing safe and secure overnight parking areas.
“This has been an issue for too long and is preventing the industry from recruiting and retaining the skilled workforce that it needs. The government’s stated objective to improve the situation is welcome, but industry now deserves action, so that more parking facilities are developed, at pace, where they are most needed.”
