Prestigious Park Mark Freight award for Onroute Truck Stop Avon Lodge
Avon Lodge Truck Stop has demonstrated the highest standards across their operations.
Park Mark Freight is a new and comprehensive assessment managed by Police Crime Prevention Initiatives and the British Parking Association that seeks to enhance the highest quality of today’s lorry parks and facilities in services and operations. The extension of Safer Parking to truck stops and lorry parks meets a growing demand for efficient, well-managed, and high-quality lorry parks and truck stops in order to combat vehicle and cargo crime.
Park Mark Freight builds upon the Safer Parking Scheme’s Park Mark® Award by introducing essential criteria. The Park Mark® is primarily aimed at the prevention of criminal behaviour within the parking environment and requires owners/operators to adopt an active management strategy to ensure that there is minimal occurrence of crime. The freight industry experiences a high volume of cargo theft and the main Safer Parking Scheme Assessment Guidelines do not explicitly cover this type of business.
To be granted Park Mark Freight, a parking facility must demonstrate a wide range of responsibilities, which include low crime, measures in place to enhance the safety of people and vehicles, good management and operations, and exemplary customer service. Facilities are subject to an annual assessment to ensure these high standards are maintained.
Kate Williams, Manager of Avon Lodge said: “We have always made security within our lorry park a top priority, we are in the process of investing in additional CCTV cameras and hope this will bring even more reassurance to drivers when they park up for the night. We are very proud to have been accredited by Park Mark Freight and we look forward to being able to display our certificate.”
Chas Cannon, BPA Area Manager said: “I am delighted that Avon Lodge has joined the Safer Parking Scheme and has become the second site in the South West to achieve the Park Mark Freight award. It demonstrates their hard work and commitment to providing a safe environment for all users. It is becoming increasingly more important to provide safe and secure facilities for drivers and their vehicles and I hope others will follow.”
Pete Wozniak Designing Out Crime Officer said “It gives me great pleasure to present this award to On-Route Avon Lodge, it demonstrates that safety and security measures have been implemented at the site. The facility offers 24-hour staff on-site, CCTV, and good lighting and provides drivers, their vehicles, and goods a secure place to park. The award shows that On-Route Avon Lodge has a clear commitment to the road haulage community”.
For more information visit www.britishparking.co.uk/park-mark-freight
Photo left to right
- Kate Williams - Avon Lodge Site Manager
- Pete Wozniak - Police Designing Out Crime Officer and Park Mark Assessor
- Chas Cannon - BPA Area Manager - South West & South Wales