Lockdown- but out in the MoHo

[yeoblade]

As I'm travelling around the S.West for work maintaining water treatment plants I see on average most days three motorhomes, generally with a couple in it.
Each time I try to think why their journey is essential, it is unlikely that these large motorhomes are the only means of transport so other than maybe attending a far away funeral/sick or working away I'm stuck for a legit excuse. I saw one overnighting the other night in local POI !
As MOT, servicing, hab checks and repairs are all non essential.

Update: just seen on the news this minute LD3 compliance is only 57% - that will be the answer then

 

[SquirrellCook]

Most mornings on the way to work I see at least two. Btw I work in isolation with Anita. I don’t even go shopping, just sit in the van and watch the family outings to the supermarket!

 

[trevskoda]

If you want to take the kids to a beach or park for exercise then the van with a loo is very important, me also as im in it every 10 mins.

 

[Tim120]

As I'm travelling around the S.West for work maintaining water treatment plants I see on average most days three motorhomes, generally with a couple in it.
Each time I try to think why their journey is essential, it is unlikely that these large motorhomes are the only means of transport so other than maybe attending a far away funeral/sick or working away I'm stuck for a legit excuse. I saw one overnighting the other night in local POI !
As MOT, servicing, hab checks and repairs are all non essential.

Update: just seen on the news this minute LD3 compliance is only 57% - that will be the answer then

I doubt most journies are essential, MOT maybe, if full timing and not on a site. I make occasional car journies to Son, D-I-L and gkids about 15mins, we are allowed as a bubble, on that journey I have seen what must be a livaboard parked for months in the same spot. At some point they must move for fuel and the usual moho stuff.
Not condoning what you have seen but some may have legitimate reasons for moving.

 

[Wooie1958]

Last week we had to drive over to Fleetwood from Preston to pick an item up from Toolstation.

We had no choice as we needed it straight away and that was the closest and only one in stock anywhere around here.

We couldn`t believe the amount of traffic on the roads and coming back home via Cleveleys, Blackpool and Lytham St. Annes.

We saw over a dozen motorhomes out and about, all of them had at least couples in them and 2 of them had kids in them as well.

A group of 3 motorhomes ( quite probably together ) turned off the main road towards the aire at Lytham St. Annes.

All in the round trip is just over 50 miles and we never saw 1 police vehicle in all that journey.

 

[RichardHelen262]

I am still working driving for a living and doing many hundred miles per day, and as already mentioned I very rarely see any police about,
But I see very few motorhomes on the road, and although there is plenty traffic on the roads, I would say 90% of it is trucks and vans

 

[Nesting Zombie]

As I'm travelling around the S.West for work maintaining water treatment plants I see on average most days three motorhomes, generally with a couple in it.
Each time I try to think why their journey is essential, it is unlikely that these large motorhomes are the only means of transport so other than maybe attending a far away funeral/sick or working away I'm stuck for a legit excuse. I saw one overnighting the other night in local POI !
As MOT, servicing, hab checks and repairs are all non essential.

Update: just seen on the news this minute LD3 compliance is only 57% - that will be the answer then

Hey yeoblade,
I’m a Full Time Livaboard, My Motorhome IS my ONLY transport. Been traveling a fair bit in Boxy throughout this Covid affair, For reasons like Shopping, Responsible Black, Grey & General Waste disposal (as it would be a bad day for Public health & Fly tipping otherwise). & Work with emails of engagement in place prior to making trip that has taken me all over the UK. So I might have been one of the Motorhomes you mentioned , in 10 days time I’m also off again for a short local trip to get MOT done, so I can Tax Boxy, Then the Habitation Check soon after. I want to know that My Vehicle & My Home is Roadworthy, Legal BUT ABOVE ALL SAFE for me to travel on the roads in order to get me to where I’m going to then conduct my business.
I am also prepared to argue the thought process of trying to be a responsible heavy vehicle user of 5000kg & being seen to do what ‘I’ think needs to be done in respects of meeting government parameters to help protect other road users in law if I have too.

 

[Snapster]

Are campsites still open and accepting bookings? If so, you can’t blame people for taking advantage. But, the message from the government is “stay at home” which to me, means stop travelling around, whatever means of transport you chose.
I know some people full time in their vans, but doesn’t that mean they should stop travelling around too? The virus only spreads by contact between people and even if you think you are isolating in your motorhome, you could still be spreading the virus, even though you have no symptoms.
Of course, essential travel, if really essential, should be allowed, but everybody seems to think they are abiding by the rules, but as the virus spreads, some of them obviously aren’t.

 

[Nesting Zombie]

Are campsites still open and accepting bookings? If so, you can’t blame people for taking advantage. But, the message from the government is “stay at home” which to me, means stop travelling around, whatever means of transport you chose.
I know some people full time in their vans, but doesn’t that mean they should stop travelling around too? The virus only spreads by contact between people and even if you think you are isolating in your motorhome, you could still be spreading the virus, even though you have no symptoms.
Of course, essential travel, if really essential, should be allowed, but everybody seems to think they are abiding by the rules, but as the virus spreads, some of them obviously aren’t.

Maybe that’s a post for the cv thread as well s Napster , & on your thought process then maybe EVERYTHING including Supermarkets & Fuel Garages, General stores etc should shut . Let alone the Public Health & Fly tipping that would be inevitable if Full Time Livaboards should stay put & or stop traveling too as you suggested & I actually Address in my previous post.
To my knowledge NO camp sites are NOT open to the General Public for Leisure reasons, BUT ‘SOME’ ARE definitely open for Old, Venerable, & Key Workers occupation, & That still means ‘Staffing’ - The On Site Training for ‘Wardens’ has to be done to specific sites, to then ensure Public Welfare, Security & General or Emergency Maintenance of such places must be in place.
On Farms Livestock has to be kept, Parameter Fencing, Drainage & General Land & Building Management has to be done, THATS what I do & that WORK & my client base takes me all over the UK & I have to be actually THERE to do it.

 

[Snapster]

Maybe that’s a post for the cv thread as well s Napster , & on your thought process then maybe EVERYTHING including Supermarkets & Fuel Garages, General stores etc should shut .
To my knowledge NO camp sites are NOT open to the General Public for Leisure reasons, BUT ‘SOME’ ARE definitely open for Old, Venerable, & Key Workers occupation, & That still means ‘Staffing’ for Public Welfare, Security & General or Emergency Maintenance of such places must be in place. On Farms Livestock, Parameter Fencing, Drainage & General Land & Building Management has to be done THATS what I do & THAT WORK & my client base takes me all over the UK & I have to be actually THERE to do it.

I think you have taken my post out of context.
All you have mentioned is classed as essential, so is shopping for essential goods and provision for people without bricks and mortar homes to stay. I didn’t say anything about closing anywhere that provides these, nor did I mention stopping anyone working or travelling for work if it is essential.
What I was concerned with is those travelling around for no good reason.

 

[Nesting Zombie]

Absolutely no offence or argument.
It’s a good debate subject & sometimes the written word comes across wrong doesn’t it

 

[Fisherman]

I have spent nothing on diesel since December 24 and I have driven only 42miles for shopping. I totally agree with snapster. When you think back to the first lockdown empty roads a cyclists paradise, not this time. I posted some photos earlier this week from a hill we can do walking from home. Well during that day we met people from Dumbarton around 20 miles away, and a couple from Stirling 25 miles away. Not on in these times.

But it’s good to see good open debate on here, credit to posters.

 

[Nesting Zombie]

For the purposes of THIS thread it's kinda aimed more at Motorhomes & their use of on the road. Not the amazing amount of Livaboard so say ‘Stealth’ vehicles & other similar wheeled homes per say.
Just wanted to throw in some balance to possible reasons for Motorhomes to be out on the roads too .

 

[n brown]

if i need to go anywhere [ shops, walks, hospital etc ] i'd rather take the camper as it contains a toilet and heating .

 

[Fisherman]

For the purposes of THIS thread it's kinda aimed more at Motorhomes & their use of on the road. Not the amazing amount of Livaboard so say ‘Stealth’ vehicles & other similar wheeled homes per say.
Just wanted to throw in some balance to possible reasons for Motorhomes to be out on the roads too .

Yes the OP did highlight Motorhomes only, which was wrong in my honest opinion.
The sheer volume of traffic on the road cannot be justified as essentIal.
But heading out in a Motorhome for a break whilst hundreds are dying every day, and our nhs is struggling just does not look or feel right. Obviously if you have a good reason for doing so like an MOT then that’s essential. Also I don’t think it looks as bad if travelling in a camper if that’s essential. But mohos like mine just look wrong on the road right now.
Obviously full timers are a seperate issue.

 

[mariesnowgoose]

I think the nation is getting obsessed with this essential/non essential nonsense.

The obsessing - correct me if I'm wrong - seems to come from the percentage of the nation that is stuck at home and not having to be out and about working.

Folk are apparently stir crazy, and therefore way too quick off the mark in (often unjustified) judgements of who should be doing what, imho.
Too much time on your hands to dwell on stuff you can do nowt about!

Patience and tolerance required, not finger pointing and travel envy - especially when you have absolutely no idea why someone is out and about in a camper, or in any other type of vehicle for that matter.

After all, the majority of us are now all going about being good citizens and getting our jabs when called up.
Which means there is a massive light at the end of the tunnel for everyone.

Rant over

 

[Debroos]

We, too, also use the van sometimes instead of the car to go shopping in order to give it some exercise!
Today we will take it, instead of the car, when we go for a walk. This is within 2 miles of our house and will give the van an outing and allw us to make a cuppa and enjoy the view for a bit before we go back inside the house for the rest of the day.
I can't see that any of that breaks the rules....so hopefully the other vans that are out are doing similar.

 

[mariesnowgoose]

I can't see that any of that breaks the rules....so hopefully the other vans that are out are doing similar.

This pandemic has turned us into a nation of mega curtain twitchers and finger pointers.
Almost worth turning some of the bickering that goes on into a TV soap, Debroos!

If some vans aren't sticking to the 'rules', then that's up to them.
If they get caught and fined, all well and good. If they don't no one will be any the wiser.
Not like the occupants of said vans are notorious for going round spitting on the emergency services!

In the big scheme of things there are way more terrible things going on in the world that we should bother about.
Keeping things in proportion is important, and a lot of these arguments are making too many mountains out of molehills.

 

[REC]

I think the amount of traffic on the roads also will be different from first lockdown. As anyone who cannot work from home is allowed to work even if non essential. Many employers will not furlough their staff ( for lots of reasons, I am sure) and their staff have to be on the roads or not get paid. If I was in UK, I could well be driving in my van to Kent in order to look after one or all of three vulnerable family members. I would have to sleep in it too, I would hope that most people would assume there was a good reason for being out, rather than make ill informed judgements? I know some flout the rules but imho most people are responsible and have reason. Maybe we should put a big sign on the van explaining reason for driving? It is a shame there aren't more checks but be kind!

 

[Nesting Zombie]

I’m of the firm & very comfortable reasoning that I’m traveling for my own reasons that I will be happy to ‘Discuss & or Defend’ is Stopped by the powers that be. Although happy to generally Chat & Debate the above, I don’t actually put too much thought into what others are out on the road for or what they may think about why I’m out & about.