Caution required at Portsmouth check-in

[Lucky]

Whilst I was parked at the check in at Portsmouth Dock, another motorhome attempted to drive alongside to access the neighbouring check in and the driver very nearly hit my garage with his mirror. 'Nearly' means I stopped him when his mirror was 1-2 mm from scraping my garage door.

I confess to loosing my temper and verbally emptying both barrels at him, for which I apologised afterwards, but on reflection I think there were lessons to be learned:

1) the spacing between check in booths is easy for 2 cars but very tight for 2 mh;

2) it's human nature to think your vehicle with fit in a gap if logic tells you it should - in this instance we were at purpose built check ins;

3) our judgement can be flawed if we get stressed;

4) if there's any doubt, get out and look.

On reflection I realise I could have been a couple of inches closer to the kerb but in my defence I was on the 'wrong' side and without a passenger to guide me.

My advice is don't try to squeeze through a gap. Instead I suggested to the other driver thar he climbed out of his cab, walk the 4 metres to the check in and do it on foot. After I had passed the bottleneck he could get through with ease. As it happened he just sat in his cab and waited.

This isn't a subject I've noticed being discussed on this forum so I thought I'd put it out there. To add weight to my tale, when I was parked on the other side of check in I heard an alright 'crunch' as some other poor souls had a coming together. Speaking with staff guiding traffic they said its a common occurrence.

Good luck everyone.

 

[TDub49]

Sorry for your experience. Portsmouth is just down the road from me and we have used the port many times in both motorhome and car, most recently in October last year in the moho, and I can honestly say I have never seen a coming together or even a near miss. Guess I have just been lucky.

 

[Figaro]

I'm just jealous of you taking your motorhome on a ferry

 

[TDub49]

I'm just jealous of you taking your motorhome on a ferry

Here's hoping that '22 is the year that you do. Always assuming that you want, that is

 

[DavidG58]

3) our judgement can be flawed if we get stressed;

Cant really think where they stress might come from, you are queuing for the same boat, did he change lanes ?

Reminded me of a few years back on my way to Le Mans for the 24hr race, got stuck on M25 on my way to Portsmouth, rang P&O to say I might miss last check in time, they said they will hold gate open

I was about half an hour late, kiosk open no other vehicles in site, checked in and was told to go straight to the boat

Crossing the normally full lanes a bit faster than needed a man in yellow coat steps out of a kiosk blocking my way I thought I was going to be told I was too late

‘There’s no rush sir, we have delayed setting off for you, we will not go without you now’



Glad you didn’t start with a problem , not sure how you got out quickly enough to stop it happening, but Hope you have a good trip now

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[L' Hobo]

Near misses, and occasional contact have happened to me. That is the only downside of driving my Left-hand Drive 1989 T25 Westy. around small country roads.

After 40+ yrs of driving, It still terrifies me sometime when cars are parked, in rows, along each side of a narrow street and I get halfway along and an oncoming vehicle enters the space and still keeps coming, at speed, towards me.

I pull over and stop, because it is obvious that the gap is not wide enough to pass, the other vehicle STILL keeps coming, often clipping my door mirror at the very least.
(I have now fitted a small RSJ behind the front fibreglass bumper. It look original but can, usually, withstand a collision with a modern car)

Thank God for my dashcam

 

[chaser]

Trouble is, a lot ,if not most motorhomers are not used to driving large vehicles, they maybe drive around everyday, in small cars and then get into the mh and set off after maybe a couple of months or more, and still think they are in the car, they will get used to it again but if at a ferry port they might have only traveled a few miles , no excuse I know but it must happen.

 

[SpeedyDux]

I nearly had a crunch in a car park when a Bailey MH driver didn't realise how long and wide his MH is, and that as he turned right the offside of his MH would crash into the front of my PVC. The driver did stop when I leaned on the horn (the noise is a bit pathetic) and saw my arms waving. If I hadn't been in my cab it would have been rather crunchy for both of us.

 

[icantremember]

'Nearly' means I stopped him when his mirror was 1-2 mm from scraping my garage door.

That was "Lucky"

 

[L' Hobo]

I nearly had a crunch in a car park when a Bailey MH driver didn't realise how long and wide his MH is, and that as he turned right the offside of his MH would crash into the front of my PVC. The driver did stop when I leaned on the horn (the noise is a bit pathetic) and saw my arms waving. If I hadn't been in my cab it would have been rather crunchy for both of us.

To be honest, when I wrote I was not just thinking about M/H drivers but drivers in general.

As I didn't realise I was short-sighted until I was in my mid 20's, I honestly think that a lot of people just need to wear glasses and should be forced to have a proper eye test every 5yrs, not just reading a number plate.
Contentious I know, but I believe it would make the world safer!

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[Popty]

Hi all, little concerned about this, we are booked on the Portsmouth-Bilbao ferry end of April with our LHD American RV, which is wider than the UK Moho's, are there any larger check ins for larger vehicles or is it just a case of being extra careful

 

[L' Hobo]

Hi all, little concerned about this, we are booked on the Portsmouth-Bilbao ferry end of April with our LHD American RV, which is wider than the UK Moho's, are there any larger check ins for larger vehicles or is it just a case of being extra careful

Just park in the middle of the booths, (or walk), you shouldn't be there too long!

 

[Northernraider]

Near misses, and occasional contact have happened to me. That is the only downside of driving my Left-hand Drive 1989 T25 Westy. around small country roads.

After 40+ yrs of driving, It still terrifies me sometime when cars are parked, in rows, along each side of a narrow street and I get halfway along and an oncoming vehicle enters the space and still keeps coming, at speed, towards me.

I pull over and stop, because it is obvious that the gap is not wide enough to pass, the other vehicle STILL keeps coming, often clipping my door mirror at the very least.
(I have now fitted a small RSJ behind the front fibreglass bumper. It look original but can, usually, withstand a collision with a modern car)

Thank God for my dashcam

That's only a tidler ....the new mini is almost bigger

 

[Northernraider]

Hi all, little concerned about this, we are booked on the Portsmouth-Bilbao ferry end of April with our LHD American RV, which is wider than the UK Moho's, are there any larger check ins for larger vehicles or is it just a case of being extra careful

Just hog both lanes ... can't say i noticed anywhere narrow when i took the 8.4 metre frankia through Portsmouth

 

[eddie]

Hi all, little concerned about this, we are booked on the Portsmouth-Bilbao ferry end of April with our LHD American RV, which is wider than the UK Moho's, are there any larger check ins for larger vehicles or is it just a case of being extra careful

Its won't be a problem

If you find that another motorhome driver has stopped a couple of foot off the kerb, making your lane tight, just hang back and weight

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[gpat]

Being from the Isle of Man and spending many a happy hour in narrow queues. You learn to pull you wing mirrors in before squeezing through. It's not like you need to see behind you at that moment.

I don't even have to tell SWMBO anymore. She just opens the window and does her side

 

[SM0129]

Trouble is, a lot ,if not most motorhomers are not used to driving large vehicles, they maybe drive around everyday, in small cars and then get into the mh and set off after maybe a couple of months or more, and still think they are in the car, they will get used to it again but if at a ferry port they might have only traveled a few miles , no excuse I know but it must happen.

I totally agree with this- I spent years driving vans and it took a while to get used to the size and the lack of a rear windscreen. You would soon get used to looking for exit points and spaces to reverse into as you drive into a confined space/ parking area.

A few years back we got the ferry to Bilbao. When we arrived, all the vans on our side had to do a U turn to exit the ferry. We were in the furthers lane to the left, so had the whole deck area to do so. One motorhome owner just couldn't do it- every time he pulled forward the ferry workers were telling him to turn hard lock right. He didn't, he kept driving dead ahead towards the bulkhead- they would get him to reverse back and try again, but he just kept driving straightforward. At about the 10th attempt he realised that if he didn't turn around then he would be heading straight back to Portsmouth, so he FINALLY managed to turn the vehicle around. I just do not think he was used to driving such a big vehicle.

 

[Lucky]

... not sure how you got out quickly enough to stop it happening, but Hope you have a good trip now

I happened to be walking around the mh to enter through the hab door so I could scan the dog's microchip.

 

[Lucky]

You learn to pull you wing mirrors in before squeezing through.

I agree up to a point. Mine is a low profile with the the body extending beyond the cab, so extended mirrors help me guage the width of what's following. Like a cat's whiskers

 

[Two of usI]

Hi all, little concerned about this, we are booked on the Portsmouth-Bilbao ferry end of April with our LHD American RV, which is wider than the UK Moho's, are there any larger check ins for larger vehicles or is it just a case of being extra careful

I had exactly the same the last time we went thro' Pompey...... just unfortunate that 2 M.Homes arrived at the kiosk at the same time..........don't be concerned, just be aware that it may happen and like said, if two arrive at the same time, walk the extra couple of yards !!!!

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[uzsnowdrop]

Was behind a caravan tugger turning in to a weekend showground. He was directed by the security guy to ‘caravans’ , a special signed parking area for …Caravans.
He pulled through the gate and turned sharp right, I mean sharp, nicely wiping out the security box and smashing into the security guards van. He’d forgotten about the CARAVAN.
Security guard was ummm unhappy…

 

[nicholsong]

Being from the Isle of Man and spending many a happy hour in narrow queues. You learn to pull you wing mirrors in before squeezing through. It's not like you need to see behind you at that moment.

I don't even have to tell SWMBO anymore. She just opens the window and does her side

Our 20 year-old Honda HR-V has a button to press to do that.

 

[Lucky]

Hi all, little concerned about this, we are booked on the Portsmouth-Bilbao ferry end of April with our LHD American RV, which is wider than the UK Moho's, are there any larger check ins for larger vehicles or is it just a case of being extra careful

Rather than block your neighbour's lane I suggest you stop short of the booth and walk to the check in. Staff will have no problem with that (I asked) but they might ask passengers to accompany you so they can see your face (admittedly this wasn't at the border control booth).

When you are ready to drive through decide whether it's safe. If in doubt wait until the mh in the other booth drives off and follow that through.

It might mean the mh behind you has to wait a while although they probably won't know why.

 

[Tea Bag]

Our 20 year-old Honda HR-V has a button to press to do that.

Hi.
WHAT..... A button to press to get your wife to pull the mirror in...?. Know what i want for next Christmas.... Thanks.
Tea Bag

 

[Martyn911]

Whilst I was parked at the check in at Portsmouth Dock, another motorhome attempted to drive alongside to access the neighbouring check in and the driver very nearly hit my garage with his mirror. 'Nearly' means I stopped him when his mirror was 1-2 mm from scraping my garage door.

I confess to loosing my temper and verbally emptying both barrels at him, for which I apologised afterwards, but on reflection I think there were lessons to be learned:

1) the spacing between check in booths is easy for 2 cars but very tight for 2 mh;

2) it's human nature to think your vehicle with fit in a gap if logic tells you it should - in this instance we were at purpose built check ins;

3) our judgement can be flawed if we get stressed;

4) if there's any doubt, get out and look.

On reflection I realise I could have been a couple of inches closer to the kerb but in my defence I was on the 'wrong' side and without a passenger to guide me.

My advice is don't try to squeeze through a gap. Instead I suggested to the other driver thar he climbed out of his cab, walk the 4 metres to the check in and do it on foot. After I had passed the bottleneck he could get through with ease. As it happened he just sat in his cab and waited.

This isn't a subject I've noticed being discussed on this forum so I thought I'd put it out there. To add weight to my tale, when I was parked on the other side of check in I heard an alright 'crunch' as some other poor souls had a coming together. Speaking with staff guiding traffic they said its a common occurrence.

Good luck everyone.

Been taking the ferry from Portsmouth for years never had a problem, always take up to lanes.Like they teach when you do your HGV training, when approaching a roundabout cover both lanes so no one can squeeze down the side of you, so you don't tail swipe them easy. Normally board with the lorries, but last year they put us with the motorhome, the bus was so squeeze in we couldn't even get the entrance steps out, but that's the only happen once. Nice to be back from Coventry Jim thank you off to France tomorrow, nice to be a french resident.

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[Lucky]

Interesting point about driving with the mentality that you're in an HGV. Obviously a typical mh isn't as wide as your land yacht but I might adopt your thinking.

 

[Nigel P]

Red Funnel Southampton check-in kiosk flattened by lorry

Staff members and passengers rush to help three people working inside a ferry kiosk in Southampton.

www.bbc.co.uk