Following the chaos on Kent’s roads this summer it is clear that we cannot go on as we are with the M20 closed for three to four days a week, for weeks on end, with the gridlock this causes on many of the county’s key roads. We have lobbied government Ministers and made the case loudly that there must be a way of keeping our motorways and major roads open when delays hold up traffic through the Channel Tunnel or Port of Dover.
Last Friday, along with other Kent MPs, I met with the Transport Minister, Andrew Jones, at County Hall in Maidstone, to discuss the current Operation Stack crisis. Kent County Council, Kent Police and Highways England were also represented at the meeting. I made it clear that we needed solutions to Stack that could be implemented now, and that this should include any currently available sites for emergency off road lorry parking. I also insisted that Highways England should look again at the proposal they rejected last week, to run a contraflow system, or similar, on the M20 during Operation Stack, so that there can always be two way movement of traffic - even if this is a restricted service.
Over the weekend I had further discussions with Ministers as the Government continued its investigation into the most viable solutions should Operation Stack be brought back again this summer. This included detailed examination of the viability of holding lorries waiting to be called to Dover, at Manston Airport and Ramsgate, and to use a site at Ebbsfleet to hold those heading to the Channel Tunnel. The availability of these sites would mean that lorries would wait to receive their movement orders at locations off of the roads network, rather than closing large sections of it down.
Having pressed for these measures I am delighted that the Government has today announced plans to use Manston Airport as an emergency lorry park. Manston is one of the few sites where it is possible to park a large number of lorries in the middle of an emergency - which is certainly how I would describe the near thirty days of travel disruption Kent residents and businesses have endured over the last two months. Taking these lorries off the road will help ease the county's gridlocked network and means we now have a plan for dealing with Operation Stack that keeps them open and relieves the pressure felt by the residents of Kent.
The use of Manston will be kept under review and impacts will be monitored on local routes and at the Port of Dover. This short term measure will provide immediate relief to those living around the M20 while the government continues to work with Kent County Council, Highways England and Kent Police on a range of short to long term solutions. The Transport Minister has also confirmed to me that Highways England are working up plans to keep two-way traffic moving on the M20 during Operation Stack, which I very much welcome.
Last Friday I also met with Lorenzo Zaccheo, the Managing Director of Alcaline International Haulage, based at the Lympne Industrial Estate. On his behalf I have asked the Transport Minister and Kent Police whether local businesses moving freight through Dover and the Tunnel could have their lorries wait at their depot, before receiving movement orders, rather than being forced to make lengthy round trips to then just sit in Operation Stack. This common sense approach would make a massive difference to locally based haulage companies.
In Calais, the new high security fencing that has been supplied by our government should all be in place to protect the Channel Tunnel by this weekend. The French authorities have also now supplied significant extras resources, including riot police, to protect the perimeter of the Tunnel. This will provide far greater levels of security, stopping migrants gaining access to the trains and tracks: endangering lives and disrupting services. This problem has been one of the major causes of Operation Stack this summer, and better protection for the Tunnel will help us all in Kent.
