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Are We Nearly There Yet?
MSO Home - Misc MSAs - Are We Nearly There Yet?
Motorway services should be as near as makes no difference to being 27 miles apart (although for a short time 12 miles was the standard practice, more information on this can be found in the Unbuilt Services section), sometimes the distance is much larger than this. This page aims to find these routes and see if there are, or were, any plans to fix them.
East Birmingham
Birmingham has an orbital consisting of several motorways, some of which were built in stages.
Why has it gone wrong?
The M42 forms the eastern and southern section of the 'Birmingham Box', but it was built in many small stages. Things haven't been helped by the arrival of the M6 Toll which has its only service area at the other end.
How bad is it?
Well, if you're heading north-west it's 48 congested miles between Warwick on the M40 and Hilton Park on the M6. To be fair, there is an alternative route which is only a few miles longer: at the top of the M40 drivers have a choice of either taking the M42 north and the M6 west (with no services), or the M42 west then the M5 north, which leads to the M6 (with two services - Hopwood Park on the M42 and Frankley on the M5). The problem with this is that it means you can't use the M6 Toll if you want to, and if we should use the M42 west we might as well not bother having the M42 north.
If it wasn't for a recent development (see below) it would be 54 miles from Strensham on the M5 to Tamworth on the M42 too.
And whilst we're having a whinge, the A46/M69 route is a popular route from the M40 to the M1 north avoiding the busy M42, and it could do with some services as well!
Were there any plans to sort this out?
There were once plans for a service area on the M6 at Perry Barr which are now long gone. A few years ago we are pleased to announce that a new service area did open on the M42 at Hopwood Park - but it's on the wrong bit of the M42 to be of any use!
Are there any plans to sort this out?
The debate over a service area on the M42 at Catherine-de-Barnes at either J5 or J6 continues. Extra and RoadChef are both currently pursuing this one, but it's very unpopular with local residents especially as it's within green belt land. If it does go ahead, it will sort it all out.
West London
West London is the leader when it comes to a lack of services.
Why has it gone wrong?
All the motorways in the south east radiate around London and as a result you end up with numerous possible journeys and numerous distances which people could have gone without passing a service area. As a result, no-one really knew where they should put the services and when they did, the locals rejected the plans.
To complicate things further, many roads into London such as the A2 and A40 are now a lot faster and more important than they were twenty years ago, to the point where they are almost as good as a motorway. Today there is no space for any new services, so you're left with a motorway-like road with no services amongst motorways with no services.
How bad is it?
It's 81 miles from Toddington on the M1 to the next services as you head south, the tiny Pease Pottage on the M23 - that's almost three times too far! It's just the same distance from Oxford on the M40, and if you're heading north-west things are no better with it being 50 miles from Fleet on the M3 to South Mimms on the M25. Even if you just want to loop the M25, it's 65 miles from Clacket Lane to South Mimms. And remember, this is the most congested motorway in the UK, with travel times often being twice as long as they should be, so you need more services than ever!
Has it always been like this?
No. The M1 and the M4, the two original routes into the city, each have a service area within the M25 - London Gateway and Heston respectively. The problem only seems to have occurred as the M25 and surrounding roads were slowly pieced together.
It has been worse though, in the early nineties it was possible to drive from Dover to Telford using only motorways and not passing a single service area. During this period refuge areas were provided at every junction along the M40 until 1994 when Cherwell Valley opened.
Were there any plans to sort this out?
When the M25 was officially opened in 1986 it was planned to have a fourth service area, Iver, between J15 (M4) and J16 (M40) just north of the railway crossing. This plan was dropped for no known reason, and it all went downhill from there.
Are there any plans to sort this out?
All sorts of people have been thinking about this one for years on end. New services are being planned at Cobham near J10 and one at Beaconsfield on the M40 at J2, the latter being noted because the A40 at the end of the M40 should be treated like a motorway even if it isn't officially one.
Do you have any more nominations? Let me know!
What should I do if there are no services?
If you know what you're doing and you really need to stop, then you may need to consider an unscheduled detour. Heston, for example, is four miles off the services-less M25.
If you are feeling tired and you need to stop, leave at the next junction and use your common sense: don't follow signs for 'The North M1' but perhaps 'Egham Town Centre A30'. Along these routes you should be able to get away from the main road and find somewhere to pull over for a few minutes. You then may wish to find a small car park (pubs are good for this) or a lay-by to stop at. It's the same with petrol stations, and don't be afraid to ask the locals if you need a certain facility quick.
Unfortunately, none of the above is very useful if you're driving a lorry or coach. All you can do is use your best judgement and show your support whenever a new service area is considered.
The side of the motorway is a dangerous place. It is illegal to stop on the hard shoulder unless it is an absolute emergency.
Further Reading
- CBRD - Opening Booklets
. A collection of old booklets announcing the opening of several different roads. Read page 40 of the M25 one for information on planned services in the area. - Solihull Online - Proposed Motorway Service Area for M42. One of the many websites which are against the proposals for a service area at Catherine-de-Barnes.
- 5 Minutes Away. Information on facilities close to the motorway - useful if you're worried that you won't find anywhere to stop.
- Off the Motorway. Another site giving visitors the chance to explore the local area.