New White Elephants on the M4

Dempo1

n97 mini wrote: »

Even if it involves more expense on the taxpayer?

If they are ever to make a return to the exchequer then they will need to curtail services when the demand dictates.

As far as i am aware these alledged service stations were built under PPP which seems to be part of the problem, not helped by the fact one of the consortium (Pierse) has gone into recievership within a month of these stations opening and of course before paying any of the sub contractors.

L1011

-Corkie- wrote: »

Are the toilet and shower facilities open at night. If not there a waste of time. Can you go in and make a cup of coffee after 11pm??

There are 'other' toilets open round the back, not the rest of the stuff.

This country does not yet have enough long distance road travel (and its arguable that it will ever, due to the size) so they'd lose significant amounts of money if they stayed fully open overnight.

The only service stations that stay *fully* open with deli services etc are either on roads with 70-80,000 AADT (Texaco Foxhunter) or with significant local traffic (erm, Texaco Foxhunter again; there are others too).

If we start getting significant numbers of truckers working the M1/M4 etc in the wee small hours, except Superstop to open for them. Similarly any future services, and the private ones popping up very close to junctions - M8 Cashel u/c, M8 Fermoy, etc.

We never had these services on the old roads and the new ones aren't bedded in enough in to culture/pscyhe/business world yet to have the kind of 24hr traffic the UK, with its 50 year old motorway network, does.

ardmacha

There are two issues here. Firstly the design of the station and the inclusion in the design of a mode for restricted operations. Secondly, the hours at which there are restricted operations. I think these new custom designed stations could have been properly designed so that a small seating area indoors could remain open with coffee and some food items. This could be achieved by including a security screen, if one is perceived to be needed. Petrol operations could continue by having a barrier to close off some of the pumps. Basically some imagination, rather than having the customer roll up to a station where everything appears closed, where the pumps tell you to pay afterwards but don't work and where the dimly hit hatch where you have to pay is entirtely out of view from most of the pumps.

There is no reason whatsoever why these stations could not have included a restricted mode in their design. Presently they are entirely laid out for full operations and customers arriving in later hours are treated with contempt.

Dempo1

ardmacha wrote: »

There are two issues here. Firstly the design of the station and the inclusion in the design of a mode for restricted operations. Secondly, the hours at which there are restricted operations. I think these new custom designed stations could have been properly designed so that a small seating area indoors could remain open with coffee and some food items. This could be achieved by including a security screen, if one is perceived to be needed. Petrol operations could continue by having a barrier to close off some of the pumps. Basically some imagination, rather than having the customer roll up to a station where everything appears closed, where the pumps tell you to pay afterwards but don't work and where the dimly hit hatch where you have to pay is entirtely out of view from most of the pumps.

There is no reason whatsoever why these stations could not have included a restricted mode in their design. Presently they are entirely laid out for full operations and customers arriving in later hours are treated with contempt.

Could not agree more, it seems bizarre that such expense was laid out planning and building these stations with no consideration or 24 service. In addition i would not be recommending any lady drivers alone venturing into these stations at night.

n97 mini

Dempo1 wrote: »

As far as i am aware these alledged service stations were built under PPP

I thought they were built using public money? They are operated by private contractors, which is where the PPP bit comes in.

Dempo1

n97 mini wrote: »

I thought they were built using public money? They are operated by private contractors, which is where the PPP bit comes in.

I am not entirely sure to be honest, I think the NRA had some financial involvement and where in fact the people who applied and gained the initial planning permission.

http://www.build.ie/construction_news.asp?newsid=72804

Then of course we had the ill fated super stop consortium who are responsible for this debacle not helped of course by those **** in Pierse who neglected to pay the subcontractors:mad:

http://superstop.ie/