Lay-by
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The term Lay-by is used in the United Kingdom to describe a roadside parking or rest area for drivers.
Lay-bys can vary in size from a simple parking bay alongside the carriageway sufficient for one car only, to substantial areas that are separated from the carriageway by verges and can accommodate dozens of vehicles.
Lay-bys should be marked by a blue sign with a white letter P on it. There should also be advance warning of lay-bys to give drivers time to slow down safely. In practice, many local authorities neglect to maintain these signs to an adequate degree, and they be missing entirely.
Mobile catering is provided in some larger lay-bys. Such vendors operate from converted caravans, trailers or coaches, and generally offer much better value for money than roadside restaurants. As such these tend to be popular with truckers.
Lay-bys are beneficial to road safety as they provide somewhere safe for drivers to stop, whether they wish simply to rest, check directions, make a phone call, stretch their legs, or take refreshments.
Many roads in the United Kingdom do not have sufficient lay-bys and drivers may have to journey for many miles to find one.
Some lay-bys have been closed off by councils because of problems caused by travellers or gypsies.
Some lay-bys have parking restrictions to prevent lorries using them as overnight parking, or as a long term storage area for trailers.