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On the Road
MSO Home - Misc MSAs - On the Road
How do you know when you're approaching a motorway service area? Some would say that the scent of grease would guide you there, but believe it or not, there are signs to help you. Look out for these clues when you're on your next journey...
Please note that signs can vary from the ones shown, these are just examples.
On the Motorway
Starting off, this sign simply lists the distance to the next service area - space permitting, it should be placed after every entrance to the motorway, unless there is a service area before the next exit. It should also come before every service area. If there aren't any services nearby, then the sign 'No services on motorway' should be used.
Until recently, there used to be a sign like this reading 'Services 1m and 20m'. This can still be found around, especially on the M40, but it is no longer permitted because it was decided that the signs should either show it all (see further on) or nothing (see the bit above).
The Highways Agency are considering allowing rest areas (car parks with picnic areas and toilets) on the motorways. If they are approved, then a variation of this sign will be allowed which simply reads "Rest Area 1m". The distance is always the distance to the exit, rather than the distance to the services or rest area themselves, this is to avoid drivers missing the exit thinking the services aren't for another mile.
Next up, it's what I call the 'Services List', and what the TSRGD calls Sign 2917. If there is a need for more information than the first sign provides, then this one should be used. It lists the distance to the next two services and their operators, but other services on other motorways can be included if they are the next-but-one service area when following a particular route. If there is a junction with another motorway before the next service area but that motorway doesn't have any services, then 'No services' should be used in place of the operator and the distance.
If the sign only covers the next two services on the road which you are currently on, then the road's number should be omitted. No more than three motorway routes should be listed on the sign.
In this case, the Moto doesn't allow lorries and the Poplar is designed specifically for them, but both of these situations are rarely found elsewhere on the network. The operator's name is supposed to be written in BLOCK CAPITALS, however this hasn't always been true so there are still surviving examples where the operator's name is in mixed case.
This sign, with the operator's names omitted, can also be used on a-roads approaching a motorway. If the Highways Agency go ahead with their plans to introduce a star-rating system for services, then the results can also be displayed on this sign.
After that, you'll find this sign, usually ½ mile from the exit. The sign may be placed 1½ miles from the exit if the services are at a junction, so that the signs don't interfere with junction signage, or if the road is four lanes wide or more, in which case it will take drivers in the outside lane longer to read the signs and move over. This has the operator's logo at the top, and then the services' name, facilities, petrol price (which isn't actually necessary these days, and when it is there it is never used) and the distance.
The symbols generally stay the same, although the disabled one is no longer required and it is slowly being replaced with a picnic area symbol. If there is no hotel then the bed symbol will be omitted, and sometimes there's an extra one for LPG fuel. There are height and width restrictions regarding the operator's board, but this one doesn't seem to think they apply to it.
Finally, there's the start of diverge sign, this comes just before the start of the exit to the services. All this has is the operator's logo, the name, the distance and the direction. The name should always be written in the format 'Frankley services', however there are many Moto services which are apparently called 'Services Frankley'. Quite why this is, I don't know, but it's not permitted.
And that's it. If the services are off a junction, you'll need to look out for the small blue signs reading "Services", like the one here
.
On an A-road
The sign on the right is a new addition to the signing rules. It's a variation of the ½ mile sign seen above and is to be used on a non-motorway route which passes a motorway service area, for example on the A418 approaching J8a of the M40, where Oxford services are. Previously, a white-on-green ½ mile sign without the headboard was used.
All a-road services use black-on-white 'local' road signs, like the one for Blyth seen on the left. There should be two signs, with the second one also having a direction, placed in the same locations as motorway signs (see above). However, these rules are constantly changing, for example until recently it was acceptable to use white-on-green signs.
The symbols, from left-to-right, mean: toilets, fuel, food, disabled facilities (no longer necessary, a picnic tables symbol should be used instead), motel. There are also symbols for LPG and tourist information, and the symbols can be omitted as appropriate. Some minor services built by Granada are little more than a Little Chef, a petrol station and a Travelodge, and these sites are not given names. These services don't have to operate 24 hours, but it should say if this is the case.
Advertising
The only symbols which are allowed to be used are the ones covered above. The rest of them, like specific brand names, aren't allowed because they are deemed to be excess advertising and therefore a possible distraction to motorists. To get around this, all three of the big operators have changed their logos to read either 'Moto M&S', 'Welcome Break KFC', 'Welcome Break Burger King' or 'RoadChef Costa Coffee'. That way, they can display one of their facility's logos without breaking any rules - look at the previous photos for an example. Moto have gone one step further, and in many cases they have changed their name to Moto M&S so that is what is displayed on the "Service List" sign. Take a look at the previous few photos to see what I mean.
The operators aren't actually allowed to display any signs from within their site which are aimed at advertising to passing motorists, but despite this, all three of them do it. They have been warned about this many times but so far no-one has actually done anything about it.
Financing
The sign faces of the ½ mile signs (including the a-road variant) should be paid for by the operator and it is their property and responsibility, although the Highways Agency control the posts and safety barrier around it. The operator must also fund the start of diverge sign, but after that it becomes property of the Highways Agency and they maintain it.
As if that wasn't enough, the operator must also fund any surveys regarding the ½ mile sign and the cabling to control the petrol price display, which is the primary reason why it's not used these days. The Highways Agency will repair and erect all the other service station signs, but if a company changes its name or a new service area opens, the sign changes must be funded by the operator, unless the sign needed replacing anyway.
The situation is slightly different in Wales and Scotland, where the Highways Agency don't run the roads.