Using Service Station access roads to get on the motorway???

[PinkFatBunny]

'a friend of mine' has noticed that by joining the motorway at the service station, ie using the access roads that most of them have hidden away at the back they can save about 30mins a day in travelling, and 10miles in fuel.
Obviously I'm not sure on the legality of this, most of them have a sign saying 'no entry to unauthorised vehicles' but service stations are private land are they not?

Anyone else do this???

Adam

[Silver940]

Happens all the time at the Sutton Scotney Services. They put the barrier up every now and then and it lasts about a day...

[sagt550]

Everyone in Warrington used to use the Burtonwood one for years, even when they put a barrier up (as you could snkek behind other cars). I can't recall anyone ever getting in trouble for it.

In the end they gave up and just built a new motorway junction !

[Muzzer]

Used to be able to do it at Newport Pagnell.

They had a barrier with a PIN code that they used to give out to the AA and stuff. That number soon got out.

Then they replaced it with metal bollards in the ground and it stopped people doing it.

[TonyHetherington]

It depends what the signs say - i.e. ACCESS ONLY would make it illegal

[simonej]

The traffic using the sliproad on our local M1 services is pretty much constant, despite it saying 'No Entry' and being for authorised users only.

The thing though that lots of local people use the Marks and Spencers in the services and also the BP garage, so by closing the barrier they would lose a fair amount of trade. I'm pretty sure they turn a blind eye to it.

[TommyBuoy]

A14 service station has emergency access that has no barrier what so ever. In busy times it's like a mini exodus from the motorway, past the Little Chef and out into the stix.

I imagine if you were involved in some sort of accident it would be bad news, but day to day I imagine there are more important things for the police etc to look out for.

[PinkFatBunny]

TonyHetherington said:

It depends what the signs say - i.e. ACCESS ONLY would make it illegal

The sign isn't on the highway though it's on private ground so it can't be a criminal offence can it??? Same thing as 'Mother & Child Only' parking in supermarkets and trying to enforce parking fines on private ground etc.

[Meoricin]

I don't understand - how could you save that much time? Surely most services are on the motorway themselves, so there's a junction for it anyway? Or is this something specific to certain areas where there isn't a junction?

[TonyHetherington]

PinkFatBunny said:

TonyHetherington said:

It depends what the signs say - i.e. ACCESS ONLY would make it illegal

The sign isn't on the highway though it's on private ground so it can't be a criminal offence can it??? Same thing as 'Mother & Child Only' parking in supermarkets and trying to enforce parking fines on private ground etc.

The sign will be on the public road before the private ground that you enter onto, wouldn't it?

In the case of the junction near me which is similarly used, there are signs before you enter the private ground which is the services.

[PinkFatBunny]

TonyHetherington said:

PinkFatBunny said:

TonyHetherington said:

It depends what the signs say - i.e. ACCESS ONLY would make it illegal

The sign isn't on the highway though it's on private ground so it can't be a criminal offence can it??? Same thing as 'Mother & Child Only' parking in supermarkets and trying to enforce parking fines on private ground etc.

The sign will be on the public road before the private ground that you enter onto, wouldn't it?

In the case of the junction near me which is similarly used, there are signs before you enter the private ground which is the services.

not sure about entering (I'll get my friend to pay more attention tomorrow) but obviously when you are exiting the motorway any signs will be within the Services therefore not applicable by the highway code etc

[Swoxy]

London Gateway at the start of the M1 has a barrier that rises from the ground, I know the Police use it, though.

[TonyHetherington]

Good point - once in the services, no idea how the sign's authority is.

[Muzzer]

Meoricin said:

I don't understand - how could you save that much time? Surely most services are on the motorway themselves, so there's a junction for it anyway? Or is this something specific to certain areas where there isn't a junction?

Several service stations aren't on a motorway junction and have A/B road access to them away from the M-Way itself.

Toddington, Newport Pagnell, for example.

If you live closer to the service station that the motorway junction, you save time.

[CraigyMc]

Meoricin said:

I don't understand - how could you save that much time? Surely most services are on the motorway themselves, so there's a junction for it anyway? Or is this something specific to certain areas where there isn't a junction?

Going from the A30 to the A34 northbound you can either:

• use Barton Drove and jump into the back of the srvices, OR
• drive through sutton scotney, bullington lane, through bullington and onto the A34 North.

The difference for me is about 5 minutes.

Map: http://maps.google.com/maps?oe=UTF-8&q=A34+sut...

[anonymous-user]

CraigyMc said:

Going from the A30 to the A34 northbound you can either:

• use Barton Drove and jump into the back of the srvices, OR
• drive through sutton scotney, bullington lane, through bullington and onto the A34 North.

Well well well, I never knew you could do that!

[CraigyMc]

Symbolica said:

CraigyMc said:

Going from the A30 to the A34 northbound you can either:

• use Barton Drove and jump into the back of the srvices, OR
• drive through sutton scotney, bullington lane, through bullington and onto the A34 North.

Well well well, I never knew you could do that!

Shhhhh or everyone will know!

[Shaw Tarse]

I didn't use Knutsford services as an exit years ago!

[andrewboom]

I use the backway into Medway services everyday to get onto the M2.

It had a barrier, and a police only sign up years ago, but this is long gone.

[coanda]

You can get onto the m4 at leigh delamere services westbound via an access road. Doesn't do much for people as the slip is half a mile away but I guess it can be useful for locals at rush hour.