Regular visitors will have noticed that the site looks a little different. I’ve been wanting to rewrite the underlying code that the site runs on for a while, as this is one of my oldest websites so as well as being out of date by current standards it’s got progressively cruftier below the surface over time since it was first created.

So, I’ve finally found the time to rewrite it completely. All the original code has gone, the new system is based around a modular, object-oriented design that uses the same underlying code as some of my newer sites such as BritishListedBuildings.co.uk.

In the process, I’ve taken the opportunity to clean up the visual design a bit as well. It isn’t radically different, but I’ve switched to a fixed-width layout in place of the previous fluid one (yes, the web-design purists will be aghast, and no, I don’t care) and moved the Google adverts to the top so that the main content of the page has more space. I’ve also increased the default font size a tad, and utilised some cool Web2.0-ish  tricks for the comment and update forms. The site also uses textual URLs throughout, in place of the old “area=23″ style URLs. Don’t worry if you’ve got the old ones bookmarked, though, they’ll redirect to the new ones.

Some of the features that have disappeared will return once I’ve written the new code for them, but some have gone for good. I do, though, have some plans for newer features that i think will be more useful.

One new feature that I’ve already introduced is the ability to rate MSAs on how good they are for caravanners, truckers and families as well as giving the usual overall impression. With the closure of the Motorway Parking for Caravans website, there’s a gap there for information of that type and I though to would be useful to offer ratings for other user groups as well. I may extend this later, if there’s enough demand.

Another new feature is the inclusion of OS maps and Bing maps as well as the usual Google maps – these give different aspects to the view and I think that offering alternatives will be useful.

I’ve also made the decision to include Irish MSAs in the listings. I didn’t originally intend to extend the scope of the site beyond the UK, and I still have no intention to include sites from mainland Europe, but Ireland seems a natural fit for the website as the language and culture are broadly the same.

It goes without saying that any changes are likely to throw up bugs, so if you see anything that isn’t working correctly then let me know – preferably by posting a comment to this blog thread. Any other opinions, complimentary or otherwise, are always welcome.

This was one of the comments waiting to be checked this morning:

Why don’t you put  a note on your site referring drivers who are being ripped off by Private Parking Companies that they may wish to visit moneysavingexpert.com or pepipoo.com for advice before making their payments. Or are you, as I suspect, less ‘independent’ and less driver/customer orientated than you let on.

Apart from the unjustified paranoia (the fact that we don’t link to your favourite websites doesn’t mean that this site is any less independent), there’s a fair point there. The penalty charges incurred for overstaying your welcome at MSAs are, in many cases, probably unenforceable. So, for those who wojuld like to read more on the subject, then I would recommend this page:

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/reclaim/private-parking-tickets

What I wouldn’t recommend, though, is taking advice from unqualified conributors to various website forums. In particular, the other website mentioned above – pepipoo.com – is one that I’d avise you to steer well clear of.  Although it does contain a lot of good, accurate advice, there’s also a vast amount of dross posted in the forums by well-meaning but ignorant bar-room lawyers. Unless you’re capable of telling the difference between the good advice and the rubbish, then don’t go there – and if you can tell the difference, then you probably don’t need to!

If you’re looking a for a forum in whch to discus legal matters (including parking, clamping, etc), then my suggestion would be to forget the web and go to Usenet instead. The uk.legal.moderated newsgroup has a high proportion of intelligent, informed contributors and you’re far more ikely to get good advice there than on any web-based forum.

I’ve taken advantage of some spare time over the holiday period to add the ability to view larger versions of the photos on the site. This only works for ones submitted in the last year or so, as before that I didn’t keep a copy of the original photo submission due to space constraints. But, for those where I do have a copy of the full-size original, it’s now linked from the standard images under the “Photos” tab – if the icon changes to the “link finger” when you mouse over an image on the Photos tab, then it’s clickable and the link will show the large image.

For an example, go to the Photos tab for Beaconsfield services and you’ll see that all the images are clickable and lead to the larger version.

Yes, that’s right, you can now follow MotorwayServices.info on Twitter. Whenever someone posts a new comment here on the site we’ll tweet about it, so you can easily keep up to date with what people are saying.

Welcome to the Motorway Services Blog. This is intended to complement the main Motorway Services website by acting as a place for stuff that doesn’t fit into any of the main categories as well as allowing for information about the site and about MSAs in general.