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Roads: Service Areas

My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Chris Mole) has made the following Ministerial Statement. I am today publishing a consultation document seeking views on revisions to Department for Transport (DfT) circular 01/2008 on service areas and other roadside facilities on motorways and all-purpose trunk roads in England. This circular sets out the department’s policy on the provision, standards and signing of roadside facilities on the strategic road network (SRN), including motorway service areas (MSAs), motorway rest areas (MRAs), truckstops, and services and lay-bys on all-purpose trunk roads (APTRs). The department is now reviewing these policies and as part of this process needs to better understand the views and experiences of those that are affected by them. The consultation document proposes making a number of changes to existing policy, such as allowing new dedicated lorry parking facilities to be located directly off motorways and requiring roadside facilities to provide recharging facilities for electric vehicles. The responses received during the consultation will inform the consideration of the policy options. Copies of the consultation have been placed in the Libraries of the House.