Future of Motorway Service Areas - Programme Evaluation Report by Design Council

Future of Motorway Service Areas Programme

Evaluation Report

Background

The design of England’s motorway network finds itself at a critical moment. The adoption of electric vehicles is accelerating; the need to address climate and environmental challenges is pressing and our national highway infrastructure can play its part. This means rethinking the status quo in many areas. One of these is the role of motorway service areas.

The design and function of service areas can evolve. Beyond catering to the electrification of vehicles, the evolution of motorway service areas has the potential to involve a broader spectrum of considerations. The challenge involves integrating technical constraints, like charging technology, with sustainable practices, customer preferences, and economic trends.

We have the opportunity to reimagine motorway services as dynamic, multifunctional hubs; ones that make the most of rapidly-changing technologies and sustainable landscape practices to cater to the future’s diverse and evolving demands. This report highlights the pivotal role of design in orchestrating this transformation.

The Future of Service Areas programme, developed by the Design Council on behalf of National Highways and based on research by the Jacobs and Atkins Joint Venture, responds to the evolving demands of a country transitioning toward zeroemission mobility. This programme signifies a concerted effort to reimagine these places and contribute to a sustainable and regenerative future for all, where motorway service areas transcend their conventional role, and embed best practice climate and environmental principles.

While these changes present exciting prospects, they also entail careful planning and collaboration among various stakeholders, including government bodies, businesses, industry and local communities.

By engaging in a series of workshops taking in diverse views, the Design Council has facilitated collaboration and a coalition of people, ideas, insights, and perspectives necessary to shape the future of these spaces.

These efforts culminate with this report that summarises their output. We outline a set of foundational principles that can be used to guide the evolution of motorway service areas, and could effectively underpin future development, ensuring that the UK’s service areas are resilient to the changes the future brings.

Executive summary

As we stand on the threshold of a transformation in travel with the introduction of Electrical Vehicle (EV) technology, Motorway Service Areas (MSAs) have the potential to play a pivotal role to support this significant shift. The next generation of MSAs could offer more than a break for tired travellers; they can become the hubs of a greener, more sustainable journey in line with the types of vehicles they serve. Mobility technologies are transforming the landscape of travel; therefore, service areas should evolve in step with this transformative change. The service area of the future, described through the six principles in this report, outline how MSAs can provide a support structure for travellers and become active participants in this evolution

The Motorway Service Areas (MSA) of the future are more than just rest stops; they are launchpads for better travel experiences. By implementing the six principles outlined in this report, MSAs can act as accelerators of the green transition, minimise the environmental impact of travel, become resilient to future technology, and shape a future where travel is a restful, well-planned experience. With their commitment to user well-being, environmental responsibility, and technology integration, MSAs have the potential to position the UK as a global leader in sustainable transportation and infrastructure development.

The next generation of service areas should...

1. Offer spaces for relaxation and interactive experiences, promoting well-being and driver safety and invigorating travellers on their journeys.

2. Offer adaptable, universal services and spaces that cater to diverse travellers’ needs, regardless of their mode of transport or unique personal characteristics.

3. Be designed to be inclusive, accessible spaces that break down barriers, ensuring everyone can enjoy them.

4. Make the most of real-time interactive digital technology to provide travellers with the information to support wellinformed, hassle-free journeys.

5. Embody distinctive character and a strong sense of place through placemaking, fostering a welcoming environment for all travellers.

6. Champion sustainability, support local communities, and serve as active stewards of the environment to mitigate climate change.

3 Outline of workshops

Approach

The Future of Service Areas workshops were designed with collaboration, knowledge sharing and innovation in mind. They offered the opportunity to explore the question:

“What opportunities does the electrification of personal vehicles pose to re-imagine the future of motorway service stations?”

Through the workshop exercises, participants reframed this question in a way that facilitated open dialogue whilst developing specific priorities, building consensus and drawing on industry expertise, exploring how electrification intersects with innovative travel modes, economic paradigms, and sustainability.

At the heart of the programme, the workshops brought together ideas from a cross-section of experts and key stakeholders involved and interested in the future of these spaces. These include representatives across the UK from design, transport, infrastructure, the natural environment, hospitality, accessibility, and more.

The two workshops were designed around the Design Council’s framework for innovation –including the Double Diamond design process. Through this process, National Highways and stakeholders were asked to step back from jumping to solutions and instead focus on ensuring the right challenges were explored.

Following each workshop, the Design Council undertook consolidation activities to review and analyse the themes and ideas generated and draw these down to principles, examples and outcomes (see below).

Workshop structure Provocations

Short presentations at the beginning of each workshop created an atmosphere of genuine challenge, exploration and excitement for participants and set the scene for innovative thinking.

Attendees

Workshop One

• Robin Haycock: Electric vehicles, Sustainability and Transport

• Jonathan McDowell: Architecture and future environments

Workshop Two

• Lindsey Wilkinson: Landscape Architecture

• Linda Chandler: Smart Cities, Technology & data

• Ross Crawford (Design Council): Explore Station Programme

• Kathryn Woolf: User-centric design research

Workshop One: Mapping the Challenges

Workshop One addressed the challenges of reimagining Motorway Service Areas’ end-user experience. It promoted a collaborative mindset, building enthusiasm among participants while highlighting the opportunities within the challenge. Through a systematic approach, the workshop applied divergent thinking to broaden the scope of insights before converging on opportunity areas. This approach, in addition to a comprehensive mapping of the diverse customers and users involved in shaping, delivering, commissioning, and using these spaces, ultimately strengthens the capacity to generate value and innovation.

Workshop Two: Ideating Future Opportunities

Workshop Two focused on ideation, building upon the challenge areas identified in Workshop One. This session delved deeper into the possibilities that lie ahead for Motorway Service Areas. We also drew on the participants’ expertise to envision what they feel the future service area should embody. Workshop participants explored potential opportunities through structured ideation exercises, fostering creative thinking and innovation and nurturing a shared understanding of what success might look like.

To help ensure the next generation of motorway service areas fulfils its potential, the workshops aimed to bring together a cross-section of attendees from different industries that worked or had an interest in this field. They contributed to the insights in this report and include fields from road infrastructure, Service Area Operators, the design sector; and civic and commercial fields.

4 Insights

Principles for the Service Area of the Future

These guiding principles are the result of the Future of Service Areas Programme. The outcomes of this programme suggest that Motorway Service Areas could align with these principles to ensure they are well-prepared and resilient in the evolving landscape shaped by the adoption of zero-emission mobility. These principles offer a roadmap for creating resilient, welcoming, connected, and environmentally-conscious spaces, ushering in a new era of service areas that enhance the overall travel experience for all.

Motorway Service Areas are experiences designed to refuel not only vehicles but also the well-being of travellers. This principle acknowledges the significance of providing areas or activities for tranquillity and calm to recharge users’ mental energy while offering activities to help travellers expend excess energy before continuing their journey. Its aim is to create uplifting experiences where drivers or passengers can take a break, shift their focus from the road, and refuel themselves for the trip ahead.

Examples (how to achieve this): Outcomes:

• Designating serene spaces within Motorway Service Areas where travellers can disengage from driving. These areas can range from quiet rooms to opportunities for short walks in natural surroundings or nap spaces.

• Accommodate diverse private needs, like spaces for prayer, reflection or meditation or spaces for play and active engagement, understanding that individuals have various personal requirements.

• Offer a range of activities for engaging activities to choose from, ensuring that travellers have a variety of options to expend their energy. Options include play spaces for children, supervised childcare areas, play spaces that cater to the well-being of families and activities like running or playing games for other users.

1

Energy and Well-being

Offer spaces for relaxation and interactive experiences, promoting well-being and driver safety and invigorating travellers on their journeys.

Refreshed and Re-energised Travellers: Travellers look forward to breaking their journey at Motorway Service Areas to have a break and reduce the stresses and anxiety of travel. MSAs help travellers pause and recalibrate. They make each stop along the journey a valuable experience while also helping travellers pause and recalibrate, ensuring that drivers and passengers can continue their trip and feel better prepared for the journey ahead.

2

Adaptability and Universality

Offer adaptable, universal services and spaces that cater to diverse travellers’ needs, regardless of their mode of transport or unique personal characteristics.

This principle highlights the importance of extending experiences within Motorway Service Areas to the needs of various vehicle types and their fuelling requirements. It centres on functional attributes in its design that cater universally to all vehicles and their technologies beyond personal EVs to provide services and spaces for other vehicle types, like HGVs, caravans and motorcycles and alternative fuelling technologies, like hydrogen. This means tailoring the services, offerings, and spaces to align with the requirements of these diverse vehicle profiles, championing design flexibility and versatile service provision to accommodate evolving requirements.

Other considerations:

• Is the future electric? Other low-emission futures, like hydrogen, might be more viable for some vehicle types, like coaches. This impacts the types of offers available at Motorway Service Areas. “Service Areas will have to provide charging in a place that is safe for passengers to return to the vehicle during the charging process, so not an isolated space. The charging should be compatible with passenger access.” — Confederation of Passenger Transport.

• Not all MSAs should look or function the same; their adaptability means that while all MSAs should offer a baseline of flexibility, each MSA can have different options available to different users. For example, there will be drivers who want to get a quick bite and a coffee, and service areas should be able to deliver spaces for this type of stops, as well as for longer journeys.

Examples (how to achieve this):

• Acknowledge that different vehicles, from electric cars to HGVs, require specialised amenities and services to suit their distinct needs. Fuelling spaces may vary in size and time needed, and their parking location should be carefully considered. For example, reversing a caravan/ towing car into the existing changing bays poses significant difficulties for drivers.

• Pay attention to the distinctive requirements of certain users, like coach drivers who may benefit from features such as traffic TV monitors and private spaces to rest or amenities for truck drivers, like laundry services.

Outcomes:

• Tailored Experiences: Travellers have the freedom to explore Motorway Service Areas at their own pace and style, providing unique experiences for each type of traveller.

• Inclusive Spaces: All users, regardless of vehicle type or personal needs, find welcoming, accessible, and reliable spaces within Motorway Service Areas, promoting, eliminating divisions and ensuring equitable access to essential facilities.

Motorway Service Areas should be accessible and accommodating to people of all abilities and backgrounds. Inclusive design practices are at the core, advocating for processes that consider all perspectives, backgrounds, and expertise, ensuring everyone has a voice in shaping the access and use of MSAs. This recognises the need for spaces catering to a broad range of abilities and needs, ensuring that they are functional, comfortable, and easy to use, ultimately fostering a sense of inclusivity and accessibility for everyone.

Examples (how to achieve this):

• Implementing inclusive and visually accessible signage ensures all visitors, regardless of abilities, can navigate MSAs. This can be through clear on-site signage in standardised formats or using a common language for information and wayfinding.

• Cater to diverse needs by providing personal support and assistance in welcoming spaces and charging areas, giving users a choice in the amount of human interaction that suits their preferences and needs. Consider that users may need more personal help and support, especially when dealing with new technologies or unfamiliar spaces.

• Increase safety in MSA through various passive strategies, like improved lighting throughout, designing open and visible layouts and training staff to provide helpful and supportive assistance.

3

Accessibility and Equity

Be designed to be inclusive, accessible spaces that break down barriers, ensuring everyone can enjoy them.

Other considerations:

“Service areas provide disabled parking for cars but not for everyone else, highlighting accessibility issues.” Accessibility should go beyond compliance and be embedded across all aspects of an MSA.

Outcomes:

• Universal spaces: MSAs embrace an ethos of barrier-free access, removing physical obstacles and deliberately planning for it. They break down barriers of access for all travellers, becoming welcoming, empowering spaces for everyone where no traveller is left behind.

• Inclusive Design: Inclusive design is a cor nerstone of MSA development, where people from all backgrounds contribute to continuously enhancing the MSA experience to make it a hub for innovation and diversity.

• Inclusive Safety: Safety continues to be an integral aspect of the MSA experience with a particular focus on supporting vulnerable individuals. This helps foster an atmosphere of trust and reassurance that extends to all travellers, Travellers can confidently access and enjoy MSA facilities while prioritising their safety and well-being.

4

Navigation and Information

Make the most of real-time interactive digital technology to provide travellers with the information to support well-informed, hassle-free journeys.

This principle goes beyond the geographical boundaries of Motorway Service Areas to provide comprehensive information and support to travellers through technology beyond the need for EV charging provision. It highlights proactive planning. This means considering the complete travel experience, from the initial journey planning phase to post-visit awareness. It advocates for seamless technology integration to offer solutions that encompass all essential information and adapt to changing practices. It emphasises the importance of giving travellers easy access to information, enabling them to make informed decisions at every stage of their journey.

Other considerations:

• This principle acknowledges that future Motorway Service Areas must work with vehicle manufacturers, the motorway service area operators, and technical experts to leverage technology, respond to evolving travel trends, and offer a one-stop platform for travellers to obtain the guidance and information they need.

• Be aware of potential data privacy and security concerns when collecting and using traveller data for information services.

Examples (how to achieve this):

• A unified in-vehicle platform that integrates essential travel information, from route planning and live traffic updates to personal services and EV charging spot availability. Facilitating preplanned rest stops and services and optimising travellers’ experiences by aligning with their specific needs and preferences.

• Booking applications within each MSA that enable travellers to reserve facilities, such as workspace, rest pods, or EV chargers, to enhance convenience.

• Remote communication and cloud or website connection between MSAs and travellers, enabling a tailored, personalised experience.

Outcomes:

Other considerations:

• Interactive Ecosystems: MSAs evolve into dynamic digital ecosystems, offering an interactive and intuitive experience that seamlessly connects travellers with the road and provides comprehensive information for wellinformed journeys.

• Be aware of potential data privacy and security concerns when collecting and using traveller data for information services.

• Informed Journeys: Travellers benefit from wellinformed, planned journeys, alleviating charging anxiety by ensuring a strong connection between accessible information and strategic planning.

Distinctive and inviting Motorway Service Areas can transcend their conventional role as stopovers to create meaningful journey experiences. Quality and beauty have an important role in shaping spaces that draw people in, with attractive, high-quality spaces that people want to visit. The Motorway Service Area of the future should go beyond its essential functions to contribute to making journeys appealing. This is achieved by celebrating the local areas’ beauty through architecture and landscape design, emphasising each service area’s connection to the local character, creating a unique identity for each and fostering a sense of place, establishing a connection with travellers. This principle aims to elevate the overall experience for road users through placemaking principles to create more inviting, recognisable, and quality-driven spaces.

Other considerations:

Are we creating destinations? Embedding good design into Motorway Service areas does not create destinations. This principle aims to transform Motorway Service Areas into inviting and engaging spaces where customers and users can have a better, more welcoming experience and connection to the places they pass through. Ultimately, this principle attempts to transform Motorway Service Areas as more than just necessary pauses along a journey; it aims to enhance the customer experience and celebrate the appeal of travel itself.

5

Identity and Placemaking

Embody distinctive character and a strong sense of place through placemaking, fostering a welcoming environment for all travellers.

Examples (how to achieve this):

• The Pennine Tower at Forton Service Area (Grade II listed status) was designed to act as a distinctive landmark, drawing passing motorists and providing an innovative vantage point, contributing to a unique sense of place and attraction within the surrounding countryside. “Forton services looks designed for ambitious placemaking.” — Workshop one participant.

• “A park for cars”: Thinking about MSAs as having similarities with parks underscores a shift in perspective, focusing on people and places. It brings into focus the potential design implications of this shift, placing the spotlight on travellers and the places they engage with.

Outcomes:

• Sense of place: Each service area becomes a distinctive, unique stop that offers a one-of-a-kind experience, creating a unique sense of place for each.

• Support of local places: Motorway Service Areas that celebrate the local areas’ natural, built and historic environment through its design. Creating a strong sense of place that connects travellers with the regions they pass through and which local communities can take pride in.

¹ Historic England listing for Former Pennine Tower Restaurant at Forton Motorway Service Area.

6

Environment and Local Area

Champion sustainability, support local communities, and serve as active stewards of the environment to mitigate climate change.

Consideration for environmental impacts should be at the core of Motorway Service Area design and operation, emphasising the need for practices that support environmental protection. Simultaneously, we advocate for a strong local focus, highlighting the importance of local areas and the need for a collaborative process with them, encouraging a culture where Motorway Service Areas become an integral participant in their areas. This principle recognises that Motorway Service Areas can become spaces that benefit both the environment and the local area.

Examples (how to achieve this):

• Engage in inclusive and collaborative processes that welcome input from diverse stakeholders. Particularly, integrate the opinions and aspirations of local residents and users and involve them in decision-making processes.

• Focus on hosting diverse and local businesses within MSAs, promoting local produce and services tied to the local area that support local businesses.

• Implement innovative sustainable practices like waste harvesting (e.g., CO2 capture, bio-waste) to minimise the environmental footprint of MSAs.

• Adopt low-carbon construction and operational practices, reducing the environmental impact of MSAs.

• Make sustainability metrics and practices visible to visitors, creating awareness and showcasing a commitment to environmentally responsible operations.

Outcomes:

• Empowering Communities: Local people and businesses are supported by Motorway Service Areas, creating vibrant, inclusive spaces.

• Sustainable environments: Motorway Service Areas support climate adaptation and mitigation by protecting the environments they are part of and integrating sustainable practices and materials into business models and processes.

Collective Vision for the Service Area of the Future

The Motorway Service Areas of the future represent more than just rest stops on a journey; they are launchpads for transformative travel experiences, fundamentally changing how we connect with our roads, the environment and future technology. Implementing the six principles supports the creation of a holistic vision for the future, where:

MSAs act as accelerators of the green transition.

0102 03

By providing the necessary infrastructure, they reduce the anxiety and uncertainty associated with sustainable travel. This, in turn, fuels the growth of the broader zeroemission vehicle uptake, making sustainable travel more accessible on longer journeys.

MSAs are at the forefront of sustainable practices, minimising the environmental impact of travel.

By promoting sustainable behaviours, travellers actively participate in a culture shift, supporting the transformation of a traditional carbon-heavy industry as they are actively thinking about the role of their journey and its environmental impact.

MSAs become resilient to future technology.

By embracing and preparing for the future, MSAs are capable of adapting to diverse technology changes beyond EVs like hydrogen vehicles.

MSAs become an integral component of the road network, shaping a future where travel is a restful, well-planned experience while simultaneously reducing its environmental impact. With their commitment to user well-being, environmental responsibility, and cutting-edge technology, MSAs position the UK as a global leader in sustainable transportation and infrastructure development.

Participants to the Future of Service Areas workshops discussed a varied set of topics, challenges and opportunities. While the six principles described above are a synthesis of these discussions, the following quotes exemplify the richness that underpins them, demonstrating the nuanced discussions and rich tapestry of topics explored by the participants.

“How might we understand what different people consider a beautiful place?” “Google is going to rank the stops for charging your EV”

MSAs can function like hyper-local cities. Does EV/Charging technology really extend the need for a longer stop?

Prototype the solutions. It would be great to try some of the solutions we’ve discussed before rolling them out, but it can be a luxury to do that.

Is there always the expectation to purchase something at MSAs? Or how can you use the facilities for free, and which ones?

MSAs can use train stations and 15-minute cities as inspiration to integrate experiences with technology.

There are opportunities to use anthropological methods and better understand user needs: Use ethnography to observe behaviour of EV users on how MSAs need to change.

How do MSAs look like in the digital age? How can AI impact them?

Can parking and EV parking be multilevel? For example, a couple of stories high, like airport lounges and with green walls. This frees up ground floor space that can be green and used by people. EV chargers are not reliable; there can be queues that build up the stress of customers at charging points. Users get annoyed when tech lets them down.

How do you integrate different faiths? Is it possible to separate eating areas from shopping spaces during fasting hours?

MSAs should work at each time of day, and the outside environment should create a welcoming atmosphere.

What are the essentials? What is being offered at each site, and how can you give each one a considered choice?

Can MSAs work like Airbnb’s? For example, through direct contact with sellers to personalise the experience or with sleeping options, you can book.

Do not increase the distance you have to walk to the main building, as disabled customers need ease of access.

Impact

Programme monitoring

The Future of Service Areas workshops generated feedback, data, insights and understanding, not only surrounding the service areas of the future but also on more strategic issues and opportunities. Following each workshop, the Design Council reviewed and analysed emerging themes and ideas to achieve the workshop’s main objective: A clear conception of the future of service areas is articulated and understood. The following pages pose questions for the future of service areas and describe how the programme met the objectives set at its beginning, considering feedback from evaluation surveys, workshop exercises and conversations with additional stakeholders.

01

Identify challenges and opportunities, challenge assumptions and explore innovative ideas in the future of service areas.

It has acted as a catalyst for innovative thinking, challenging preconceived notions and fostering an environment of exploration and experimentation. By delving into the potential of service areas that electrification poses, it has exposed numerous opportunities.

• “EV Charging presents new challenges and opportunities”

—Workshop one participant.

• “The workshops saw some pretty innovative thoughts”

—The Landscape Institute (on the workshop structure)

• “I can see that the process was comprehensive and the end principles a distillation of all that was discussed.”

—The Landscape Institute (on the six principles)

• “It’s important to remember the people at the heart”

—Workshop two participant.

• “[We must]co-design with communities to make sure needs and aspirations are met”

—Workshop one participant.

The inclusion of provocations by speakers with different technical backgrounds in each workshop was instrumental in stimulating fresh thinking. The provocations encouraged participants to challenge the status quo, explore unconventional approaches, and ultimately drive innovation within the industry. The sharing of these novel ideas has not only enriched discussions but has also laid the foundation for a collective journey toward transformation.

• “How might we understand what different people consider makes a beautiful pace?”

— Workshop one participant

• “Why are MSAs isolated from the places they are in?”

—Workshop one participant

• “Clear instructions and useful provocations”

—Workshop two participant

Create new relationships across industries to strengthen crossdisciplinary and co-working relationships across stakeholders

By facilitating cross-disciplinary dialogue, the workshops brought together stakeholders who, in the past, might have operated in isolated silos. This interdisciplinary approach not only promotes understanding but also helps spark the creation of holistic solutions that can transcend the boundaries of specific industries.

• “Great to come together and share ideas with people from different backgrounds”

— Workshop participant.

• “Great group of participants, very well executed frameworks and engaged facilitators”

—Workshop one participant.

• “Good selection and variety of people”

— Workshop one participant.

• “Buzzy, fast moving and interesting way of looking at questions”

—Workshop one participant.

• The workshops engaged a varied scope of industry professionals, extending an invitation to participate in the workshops. The full list of invited organisations included:

Invited organisationsWorkshop ParticipantsTesting of the principles with additional stakeholders:

Westmorland Moto

Welcome Break

Extra

Roadchef

Euro Garages

National Highways Staff

Office for Rapid Charging Fund

Historic England

Natural England

Chartered Institute of Highways and Transport (CIHT)

Royal Institute of Town Planners (RTPI)

Landscape Institute

Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA)

RAC Foundation

The AA Transport Focus

Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT)

Logistics UK (formerly FTA)

RHA (Road Haulage Association)

Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT)

NTTA National Trailer and Towing Association

Motorcycle Industry Association

Federation of Small Businesses

Women In Transport

Disabled Motoring UK

National Highways

Jacobs

Transport Focus

Logistics UK

Camping and Caravanning Club

Westmorland

Welcome Break

Roadchef

Historic England

Roads for All Forum

Design Council validated the principles by actively engaging with additional stakeholders, ensuring that the recommendations were examined and refined through a diverse range of perspectives.

• Federation of Small Businesses

• Confederation of Passenger Transport

• Landscape Institute

Recommended next steps

The Future of Service Areas Programme presented a remarkable opportunity to understand the challenges and possibilities electrification poses to Motorway Service Areas in an early and controlled stage. With the programme’s end, it’s essential to understand how the industry could use the findings from this report and the six principles.

•We believe the principles outlined in this report could work alongside existing National Highways guidance, like the ten principles set out in The Road to Good Design. This alignment is crucial for fostering a comprehensive approach to road infrastructure and ensuring that roads, including Motorway Service Areas, enhance the user experience and communities they are part of.

•Whilst originally developed for motorway service areas, the learnings from the Future of Service Areas workshops should be applied beyond this. The themes the principles highlight– such as community, sustainability, flexibility, technology –are applicable to development in general. We encourage the wider built environment industry to consider how these lessons could be applied to their work.

Both these points will, in turn, validate and enrich these 6 principles, forging a future service area that aligns with the evolving landscape of travel and technology while reflecting as many voices and needs as possible.

This report has been prepared by Design Council on behalf of the Atkins Jacobs JV for National Highways in accordance with the terms and conditions of appointment stated in the SPaTS 2 Agreement. Atkins Jacobs JV cannot accept any responsibility for any use of or reliance on the contents of this report by any third party or for any modifications or enhancements carried out by others.

Future of Motorway Service Areas - Programme Evaluation Report