Motorhome owners are outstaying their welcome

[Blackadder]

I have been riding motorcycles for more than 50 years and I'm well aware that Joe Public regard them as noisy nuisances that should be banned. I'm also aware that to a great extent that's true (a recent road test in a mainstream magazine expressed amazement that the manufacturer did not offer an "accessory" (i.e. noisier) exhaust. Both my motorcycles have quiet exhausts as do thousands of others. Do I get refused entry at pubs and restaurants? Yes. Do I get verbally abused? Yes. Is there anything I can do about it? No. Sound familiar?

 

[Howard B]

I have been riding motorcycles for more than 50 years and I'm well aware that Joe Public regard them as noisy nuisances that should be banned. I'm also aware that to a great extent that's true (a recent road test in a mainstream magazine expressed amazement that the manufacturer did not offer an "accessory" (i.e. noisier) exhaust. Both my motorcycles have quiet exhausts as do thousands of others. Do I get refused entry at pubs and restaurants? Yes. Do I get verbally abused? Yes. Is there anything I can do about it? No. Sound familiar?

Doesnt sound familiar to me, never been abused or refused entry anywhere in bike gear.

 

[Reusables]

The only way to deal with this is parking charges..with max stay limits..
Prices and time limits will need to be different and from each area sure.
This will stop people staying for days on end.

There is some dirt bag who has parked his caravan on its own along the seafront not far from us..been there months ! Think they use it as a sort of holiday home..can you believe it?

 

[joinerderby]

At the end of the day we pay the going rate to park and if you take up two bays you pay double so what’s the problem

 

[VXman]

And this is the problem. Pay50 to 100 k for a MH. But refuse to pay 25 quid for a site. Eventually we will be banned from everywhere.

Pay 100K for a motorhome and then park up in a field a few metres from dozens of other white boxes. Not my idea of motorhoming.

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[DelMar]

It seems some people are commenting on a car park, they don’t even know. Someone suggested having cars in the front row and motorhomes behind to see over the cars.

What is forgotten here, is that there are private houses all along this car park, facing the harbour and not too far back. If I lived there, I would be furious looking at motorhomes all day blocking my view, it is not a very big car park and I think motorhomes should be rightfully banned.

I was there recently and didn’t notice any signs banning motorhomes, although I didn’t particularly look for one. Neither did I see any motorhomes. I just hope it stays that way, as there is another car park nearer the town just a short walk away.

 

[swiftsteve]

This is a recent problem which will end when we are allowed to holiday in Europe again.
These councils will be bending over backwards to get us there when they see their business tax revenue plummet.

 

[Ivory55]

Had to smile at all this money being spent, one recent thread was only just saying they did the nc 500 and only brought fuel and food. I guess the local economy is now booming. Haha

 

[dhall26]

At the end of the day we pay the going rate to park and if you take up two bays you pay double so what’s the problem

In London at least that's not legal. But as long as your wheels are in the box you can overhang as much as you like

 

[bexleyjohn]

If ever there was an argument for the UK developing “French style Municipal sites” then here it is. I cannot understand why town councils can’t see the potential benefits to their economies. Many of the Municipal sites in France are superb in terms of their proximity to town centres and their maintenance. As an example the Municipal site in Argentan (Camping de la Noe) is so good and beautifully maintained - and cheap!

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[Rumour and Innuendo]

I have been riding motorcycles for more than 50 years and I'm well aware that Joe Public regard them as noisy nuisances that should be banned. I'm also aware that to a great extent that's true (a recent road test in a mainstream magazine expressed amazement that the manufacturer did not offer an "accessory" (i.e. noisier) exhaust. Both my motorcycles have quiet exhausts as do thousands of others. Do I get refused entry at pubs and restaurants? Yes. Do I get verbally abused? Yes. Is there anything I can do about it? No. Sound familiar?

I have to say that it must be the sort of motorcyclist you are that is the reason for the abuse you get. I have also been a motorcyclist for over 50 years (53!) and when I was a young and fast/erratic rider I was looked on with disgust by many! Also it was a time of upheaval for many places with the conflict between Mods and Rockers.

Since I have become a responsible motorcyclist, I have had no problems at all. Despite a fast bike and all "the gear" I actually have people come up and talk to me when I get off and take the helmet. They talk about the bike and the freedom on the road. But it is not just since I have had the shiny BMW RR S1000 (getting a bit old now, maybe an upgrade? But this little beast is the reason for the 27 year old Talbot! ) Even when I have had run of the mill bikes people were never acidic to me!

I think you may have to modify something to get the love of those you meet on the road.

 

[DelMar]

The only municipal owned site I know of in the UK, is in Cardiff at Sophia gardens.

 

[Ivory55]

The only municipal owned site I know of in the UK, is in Cardiff at Sophia gardens.

I think the site at port William , Wigtownshire is owned and run by the local community/council

 

[Neil S]

I think the site at port William , Wigtownshire is owned and run by the local community/council

www.kingsgreencaravanpark.com
It is volunteer run
Nice wee site but only grass pitches and reasonably priced

 

[Neil S]

.

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[Gizmouk]

We're currently at Ayr (Scotland) where originally you could stay all along the prom for free overnight in a MH however this has now been stopped and whilst you can still stay during the day if you want to stop overnight you can't unless you go into the official area which is chargeable. I don't know why this has happened but suspect it is because the prom area got overwhelmed with MHs stopping for days on end which I can well believe happened.

The only place along the prom where you can now officially stay overnight from April to September is in the new Ayr 'aire' which has 16 parking bays specifically for MH use, it is laid out with 5 central 'block' ones each 3 car bays wide and 2 deep, and the rest being long bays (the length of 3 car bays) at the side of the road with some next to the prom and others at the rear of the 'block' bays. There is a new temporary toilet waste disposal point (trailers which have large waste containers on them) along with a water bowser to rinse cassettes (although this was empty as it's just been put there) as well as waste bins for MHers to use. It cost £5 a night to stay from 6.00 pm to 9.00 am from April to September, free at other times of year and during the day. The only restriction is that you can only stay 1 night in 2 (ie 24 hour gap in between). In order to use the bays overnight you have to register for the 'Ring-go' app and pay through that (they make a small service charge of 15p for this, more if you want SMS confirmation, reminders etc but they are optional).

We actually stayed on it last night ... yes I know we did the unheard of and actually paid for once. We needed a stop as our intended one* wasn't available anymore so we'd gone to Ayr to stay at the roadside but as time was getting on we thought we'd give the 'aire' a go. We settled into one of the central spots and once I'd registered for Ring-Go (that was a pain in the bum) I managed to pay. It was great at first then the 'fun' started ... boy/girl races in their souped up cars driving in, round the back of us down to the far end of the car park then back again round the front of us only to go round again ... noisy and a flaming nuisance, we thought we were in the middle of a flaming race-track at times, later it got more 'exciting' as they discovered they had horns too ... at one point around midnight we had several of them sitting along the prom not far away from us beeping at each other for ages. Not happy bunnies but not a lot we could do and fortunately around 12.30 am it stopped and we had a good night from then on. (*We had planned to stay at Loch Doon but found that this was no longer possible unless we used the campsite, ie no free parking overnight at all anywhere near the Loch, okay during the day but not at night, and it was very full ... we don't 'do' sardines so didn't want to stop.)

In the morning the next door MHer came over and spoke to hubby about it all, he was going to get in touch with the council and tell then of the issues and that whilst it was a great idea to create the 'aire' where it was and the lack of control of the youths in their cars etc it just made it pretty much unusable and this was a mid-week night, I hate to think what it will be like on Friday/Saturday nights! As the MHer is a local chap he knew who to contact at the council and will hopefully get them to do something about it otherwise word will spread and it will become a white elephant which will be a shame, however the layout could do with some thought due to the need for cars to go one side of the central bays to get into the car park and the other side to exit, not idea especially since the local MHer said one of the cars nearly lost it as he was going too fast when going round the back of him!

We had a potter round and found some streets nearby which were suitable for stopping on for another night so remained on the 'aire' until around 5.30 pm then moved to a quiet side street looking over the large grass area behind the prom/beach, nice and quiet, not bothering anyone, so hopefully will have a more restful night; we'll go back to the prom tomorrow for another nice potter and sit on the beach then back to the side-street again so that hubby can watch the Scotland-England match tomorrow night. The shame is that if we hadn't had the issue with the 'aire', and if we were allowed to stop there for a consecutive night, we would likely have done so and paid again (shock horror! ).

If I can give a brief explanation and insight:

The council were going to ban all motorhomes from Ayr Esplanade car park, because of:
1. Too many motorhomes taking over too much of the car park, especially along the seafront.
2. Too many motorhomers "parking" up for long periods of time. One in particular for months at a time.
3. The sea front houses ain't cheap, and don't want to look at a row of motorhomes. One of those houses is owned by a senior councilor, and well, you can work out the rest.

However, the Council listened to reason and argument. and have installed the Aire at the bottom end of the esplanade - where you stopped.
A parking App had to be used, as the car park is normally free and therefore doesn't have payment machines. Once set up, Ring Go )and others are very easy to use.
The issue with the boy racers is known, and being looked into.
There's also now an Aire at (Harbour car park) Girvan (about 45 mins drive south of Ayr. Same deal, and started due to too many motorhomers causing issues at both Harbour car park, and more especially at the car park to the south of the town.
Both schemes are a trial, and reviewable in the autumn.

Loch Doon:
Once again, too many motorhomers taking the P and causing too many problems.

 

[Langtoftlad]

At the end of the day we pay the going rate to park and if you take up two bays you pay double so what’s the problem

Well you're reducing the capacity of the car park for one thing. By taking two spaces there's at least one car having to find somewhere else.
It's not always about revenue, occasionally it's about local amenities.

One MH, two spaces, two adults vs two cars, maybe four adults, four kids and a lot more ice creams being bought.

 

[Sugarnan]

Must be a bit of a wimp as I don't like trying to squeeze onto a side street and therefore will park in a carpark if possible, and yes aware that I take up one and a half spaces so do purchase two tickets.

It has also been suggested to use park & ride facilities, which I like to use - some though say no motorhomes!

 

[jongood]

Had to smile at all this money being spent, one recent thread was only just saying they did the nc 500 and only brought fuel and food. I guess the local economy is now booming. Haha

Thankfully we're not all made the same. We re very happy to spend our money in places that make us welcome, whether its entertainment, refreshments or general purchases.

 

[joe and sue]

Thankfully we're not all made the same. We re very happy to spend our money in places that make us welcome, whether its entertainment, refreshments or general purchases

Same here, always use local shops and farm shops, love fresh local products, beer, wine, cider, whisk(e)y, etc

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[pandas]

At the end of the day we pay the going rate to park and if you take up two bays you pay double so what’s the problem

I think they are referring to taking up the parking spot, albeit 2 paid for, for more than 24 hours which I agree in my view is not very neighbourly.

 

[Larrynwin]

Pay 100K for a motorhome and then park up in a field a few metres from dozens of other white boxes. Not my idea of motorhoming.

Really, this is on a site and loads of room .

 

[Hayesdec]

Let me re-write the original quote for accuracy.

"People in motorhomes are ruining the view for those of us who want to park our cars there and enjoy a sandwich and a thermos of stewed tea, by parking there in their motorhomes, enjoying a proper lunch and a fresh brew. This is obviously completely unfair and so should be stopped." Ann Greegit - Wales.

 

[Hayesdec]

Hi Ann
Why not buy a motorhome and join in. You would be very welcome.

 

[bobski]

Unlike cars, motorhomes are fully equipped, why do motorhomes need a parking bay in a prime town center or beach location. Park and ride sites outside of towns would keep everyone happy..

Totally agree re; park and rides, they're half empty most of the time. Max two nights would be sufficient to see what the town has to offer and move on. Aplace set aside for say 5/6 mhs would be good. a bit like an aire eh.

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[pault54]

Why is it assumed by many that we all drive £50K motorhomes. I like many do not and banning motorhomes from car parks during the day helps no one. My wife has mobility issues and to park in a car park with a view on a day out is a joy for her.

What was the minority is now turning into the majority so many more of our motorhome community are now finding beautiful scenic places and parking up for as long as they can get away with, we have just got to ask ourselves would we like our places of residence invaded for weeks on end by motorhomes, I totally understand not wanting to be ensconced on a campsite for long periods as it affects the spontaneity of roaming and thats a big part of the attraction to motorhoming, but for christ sake let's get real here, I know the majority of m/h ers abide by the code and ethic of our fantastic pastime we have been doing best part of 20 years now and the steady decline in behaviour of some is very disturbing and even sickening, and I know not all littering and dumping of fluids is not always down to us, as I have seen shocking behaviour of locals in places we have stayed at , but always at places that are M/H tolerated, sadly the surge in some new additions to our community just simply don't care about the etiquette and moral behaviour that we should all display, again its a minority but it is escalating at an alarming rate, and we need to rescue what decency we have left in the eyes of various people and locals, please let's get back on track before its too late.

 

[Swiss]

I have been riding motorcycles for more than 50 years and I'm well aware that Joe Public regard them as noisy nuisances that should be banned. I'm also aware that to a great extent that's true (a recent road test in a mainstream magazine expressed amazement that the manufacturer did not offer an "accessory" (i.e. noisier) exhaust. Both my motorcycles have quiet exhausts as do thousands of others. Do I get refused entry at pubs and restaurants? Yes. Do I get verbally abused? Yes. Is there anything I can do about it? No. Sound familiar?

It's an interesting thing perception, I am also a motorcyclist, a couple of months ago I was leading a tour of five around the Lake District and stopped at a hotel that I had booked in advance. Upon booking in I was asked to pay in advance. Seeing red, I asked if it was because we were "bikers" and would he be asking me to pay in advance if I had pulled up in my Aston Martin. How stuck was he for an answer!

 

[KimSteve]

Not sure if this has been posted but, according to Wales Online, the locals are getting upset about vans using the free parking at Burry Port Harbour.

“Motorhomes have descended on our town once again, selfishly taking up most of the seafront parking spaces on the harbour’s east side and Pembrey Old Harbour car park, depriving local people, visitors, the elderly and disabled, of the very limited car parking spaces available."

“We are told that some motorhomes are parked up for days on end. Residents feel that permanent signs must be erected in our car parks to stop overnight parking by these vehicles. Such measures have already been introduced in Pembrokeshire, due to similar problems, where fines have been imposed for non-compliance."

“There are good quality sites in the vicinity which provide facilities for touring motorhomes and more should be done to persuade them to use these serviced sites. Carmarthenshire County Council must now take the necessary action to deal with this problem before it gets out of hand, causing unnecessary animosity, as it did during the summer of last year.”

Motorhomes are using free coastal car parks as unofficial holiday sites

They get fantastic sea views without the cost of a pitch

www.walesonline.co.uk

are not the occupant of motor homes visitors as well who spend money in the town and pay the appropriate parking fees?

 

[Ivory55]

It's an interesting thing perception, I am also a motorcyclist, a couple of months ago I was leading a tour of five around the Lake District and stopped at a hotel that I had booked in advance. Upon booking in I was asked to pay in advance. Seeing red, I asked if it was because we were "bikers" and would he be asking me to pay in advance if I had pulled up in my Aston Martin. How stuck was he for an answer!

Or is it experience, if they had a load of stag or hen parties wrecking the joint would they be keen to have more back or take money up front. Some might see them as a good earner, other might see it has trouble. Perception or experience, how do we know.

 

[Emmit]

Not sure if this has been posted but, according to Wales Online, the locals are getting upset about vans using the free parking at Burry Port Harbour.

“Motorhomes have descended on our town once again, selfishly taking up most of the seafront parking spaces on the harbour’s east side and Pembrey Old Harbour car park, depriving local people, visitors, the elderly and disabled, of the very limited car parking spaces available."

“We are told that some motorhomes are parked up for days on end. Residents feel that permanent signs must be erected in our car parks to stop overnight parking by these vehicles. Such measures have already been introduced in Pembrokeshire, due to similar problems, where fines have been imposed for non-compliance."

“There are good quality sites in the vicinity which provide facilities for touring motorhomes and more should be done to persuade them to use these serviced sites. Carmarthenshire County Council must now take the necessary action to deal with this problem before it gets out of hand, causing unnecessary animosity, as it did during the summer of last year.”

Motorhomes are using free coastal car parks as unofficial holiday sites

They get fantastic sea views without the cost of a pitch

www.walesonline.co.uk

"depriving local people, visitors, the elderly and disabled,

Three out of the above four classes could apply to motorhomers and, possibly, all four.

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