A pub that serves alcohol every day from 9am has opened at a motorway service station. Iain Dooley, motoring correspondent for the Press Association, concludes that while it is irresponsible, there are other factors that need addressing in the drink-drive debate

I’M not a huge fan of motorway service stations. Sure, they serve a purpose if you need to make a comfort stop; they are also handy when you need to combat the dreaded fatigue.

Few will argue that such facilities also do a good job of emptying your wallet faster than a slashed tyre lets out air. Granted, you have a choice; no one is forcing you to buy that overpriced burger or that cost-a-packet Cappuccino.

But really, it’s the only game in town and you’re a captive audience, so why are you surprised?

If the prospect of coughing up for rip-off food has your blood boiling, you’re also unlikely to be impressed by the latest addition to the motorway service station’s armoury – a pub.

If you want to know who it is and where it is, the internet is your friend, because the company in question has already benefited from acres of free coverage from enraged news outlets – the bottom line is that it’s perfectly legal to pull up, have a drink and then carry on with our journey.

Do I care? Yes, and no. Regarding the former sentiment, I’m surprised it was given the green light. With more red tape than ever covering what you can and cannot do in a car – especially if you’re a business user – allowing alcohol to be served in such a car-centric environment seems naive.

It also cancels out the Government’s considerable spending on drink-drive awareness campaigns and, as such, it is perfectly reasonable to judge the building of a pub in a motorway rest area as irresponsible.

My more pragmatic view is that a public house on a very public highway is no big deal.

You could simply exercise restraint and not have one for the road. Of course, for some that will be difficult. But that would also be the case at their local pub. And they probably drove there, too.

The harsh reality is that the issue is not primarily about drinking and driving, but the fact that as a nation we can’t handle our drink full stop. The culture in this country is about consuming as much as possible, as fast as possible.

And if you’re not passed out on the pavement on a Saturday night or picking a fight with a stranger, it’s the one bottle of red at home in front of the television that routinely leads to another, and another.

Factor in the absurdly generous drink-drive blood alcohol limit, lack of genuine random roadside breath testing exercises – the seasonal Christmas charade doesn’t count – and the fact nobody really has a clue what a “unit” of alcohol is, and you’ve got a recipe for ignorance, stupidity and complacency that’s a car crash in its own right. Fix this and the issue of serving alcohol next to a motorway will seem trivial.

And it’s not as if this is a new problem; just drive a few miles off the motorway and you’ll soon stumble across a rural pub that was around long before any flash highway watering hole existed. How do you think the patrons of the Cock and Bull get home? Walk? I don’t think so.

 

The Northern Echo:

THE move to open a motorway pub has been controversial because many of the customers will be drivers. But pub developer JD Wetherspoon the company behind the £1.2m Hope and Champion, named after an 18th Century stagecoach route, says it believes patrons will behave responsibly.Manager Steve Baldwin said: “The Hope and Champion primarily serves the motorway users, but its facilities are also available to the surrounding community.”

Road safety charity Brake said as the pub was putting temptation in front of drivers, it should make its drink-drive warnings “extra clear”.

Spokeswoman Ellie Pearson said: “The opening of a pub on a motorway is deeply concerning, and presents a potentially deadly temptation to drivers. It is vitally important that messages about the dangers of drink- driving are as strong and clear as possible, so drivers know it’s not okay to have even a single drink ahead of getting behind the wheel.”

Prior to lodging its application, Wetherspoon met Thames Valley Police and South Buckinghamshire District Council to outline its plans.

The RAC says a survey of 2,000 people suggested only 12 per cent supported putting pubs into motorway service stations. About two-thirds said they did not agree with the move, with older drivers more likely to oppose the sale of alcohol at service areas.

“The public appears to be very much against the introduction of motorway pubs. In our view, this is a risky and, frankly, unnecessary move,” said the RAC’s head of external affairs, Pete Williams.