Kent County Council leader says Operation Brock is not answer to M20 disruption
The leader of Kent County Council has voiced his disquiet over the reliance on Operation Brock to ease disruption on the M20.
The scheme sees lorries heading to the continent queue on the coastbound side between Ashford and Maidstone, with the London-bound carriageway operating as a contraflow with narrow lanes and a 50mph limit.
But Cllr Roger Gough (Con) says he is frustrated by the absence of other options available as drivers continue to face hold-ups on the 13-mile stretch between Junction 9 for Ashford and 8 for Leeds Castle.
Speaking before the announcement that Brock would return ahead of the half-term holiday break, he said: “In the longer term, we would very much wish not to have to be dependent on Brock but it is often the best mitigation that we have got; it is not what anyone feels is ideal.
“It is simply the case of ensuring that it is mitigated to the maximum possible degree.
“Many of the things we believe make sense in terms of addressing some of the challenges there are around EEs [Exit and Entry system][1]; for example, getting some of those sites around Dover so they are not dependent on what happens at the Eastern docks; there are other sites north of the the port that could be useful facilities as well.
“As far as I’m concerned, it is a ‘no regrets’ operation; we need these to ease the pressure, whether for EEs or some other role.”
Cllr Gough’s doubts about implementing Operation Brock echo what some MPs are saying - and generally, they are not complementary.
Faversham and Mid Kent MP Helen Whately has been a vocal critic of the scheme saying that it was wrong for Kent roads to be disrupted and journeys taking far longer than they usually would.
“I’m really disappointed that Kent is still bearing the brunt of this national issue,” she said.
“The Kent Resilience Forum understandably don’t want chaos at Dover port, but jamming up local roads for the school holidays can’t be the go-to solution.
“The good news is we’ve had a Levelling Up bid approved to re-design the layout of the port, and lorry park plans are progressing. We just need to get these schemes moving as quickly as possible.
“I’m bringing together the Roads Minister, KRF and KCC for an urgent planning meeting to get this moving forward.”
There are also many organisations who represent the tourist industry who are saying that the prospect of being jammed up in a motorway queue is deterring visitors.
Today, drivers heading towards London were stuck in seven-mile hold-ups following a crash and diesel spillage in the contraflow[2].
The incident, which saw queues stretch back to Junction 10, happened just hours after the system was introduced overnight.
Now the contraflow is in place, all HGVs heading for the Port of Dover or Eurotunnel must follow the signs to join Operation Brock at M20 Junction 8.
Any EU-bound HGVs not complying with signage and trying to use another route to Eurotunnel or the Port of Dover risk a fine of £300.
This includes trying to bypass the M20 by using the M2/A2 at Brenley Corner.
All other coastbound traffic – including local freight and car drivers heading for the continent – should follow the signs and cross over to enter the contraflow on the M20 London-bound carriageway.
National Highways says Brock has been deployed due to expected high passenger numbers heading to the continent over the Bank Holiday.
References
- ^ there are around EEs [Exit and Entry system] (www.kentonline.co.uk)
- ^ drivers heading towards London were stuck in seven-mile hold-ups following a crash and diesel spillage in the contraflow (www.kentonline.co.uk)