I was fined £100 for recharging my car at a motorway service station
I stopped at Abington Services on the M74 to charge my electric car. I had to wait over half an hour for a connector to become free, then spent an hour and a half charging. Ten days later I was fined £100 for exceeding the two hour free parking period. Like most people, I've never spent more than two hours at a motorway service station and it never crossed my mind to buy a ticket. Others should be warned that when charging it is easy to exceed the limit.DW, Cupar, Fife
The free parking period compulsory, which applies to service stations across the UK, belongs to another era when two hours was more than enough time to use the toilet and buy a meal. The idea was that with no parking limits, the public would view gas stations as a destination for a fun day out, rather than a pit stop.
While the electric vehicles are proliferating faster than public charging stations, some motorists may need more time. In Abington, a punitive parking charge of £15 comes into effect after two hours and many drivers won't know they've exceeded the limit when recharging. If this is not paid, a PCN of £100 is issued. make sure drivers leave quickly to make way for others. "The parking policy reflects national highway guidelines which state that a two-hour break is sufficient for all drivers seeking rest while driving," the report said. National Highways told me that its guidelines were based on Department of Transportation requirements and that it has no authority to change parking limits.
The Ministry of Transport does not intend to increase the limit. Instead, it says it is providing £1.3bn to increase charging stations and aims to install 6,000 across the motorway service network by 2035. “Our measures are increasing charging speeds , while making charging stations more accessible, and today a driver is never more than 25 miles from a fast charging point anywhere along England's major A roads and motorways” , he says, rather missing the point.
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I stopped at Abington Services on the M74 to charge my electric car. I had to wait over half an hour for a connector to become free, then spent an hour and a half charging. Ten days later I was fined £100 for exceeding the two hour free parking period. Like most people, I've never spent more than two hours at a motorway service station and it never crossed my mind to buy a ticket. Others should be warned that when charging it is easy to exceed the limit.DW, Cupar, Fife
The free parking period compulsory, which applies to service stations across the UK, belongs to another era when two hours was more than enough time to use the toilet and buy a meal. The idea was that with no parking limits, the public would view gas stations as a destination for a fun day out, rather than a pit stop.
While the electric vehicles are proliferating faster than public charging stations, some motorists may need more time. In Abington, a punitive parking charge of £15 comes into effect after two hours and many drivers won't know they've exceeded the limit when recharging. If this is not paid, a PCN of £100 is issued. make sure drivers leave quickly to make way for others. "The parking policy reflects national highway guidelines which state that a two-hour break is sufficient for all drivers seeking rest while driving," the report said. National Highways told me that its guidelines were based on Department of Transportation requirements and that it has no authority to change parking limits.
The Ministry of Transport does not intend to increase the limit. Instead, it says it is providing £1.3bn to increase charging stations and aims to install 6,000 across the motorway service network by 2035. “Our measures are increasing charging speeds , while making charging stations more accessible, and today a driver is never more than 25 miles from a fast charging point anywhere along England's major A roads and motorways” , he says, rather missing the point.
Email your.problems@observer. co.uk. Include an address and phone number. Submission and publication are subject to our terms and conditions
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