The imposition of Operation Stack this summer has been completely intolerable and we will continue to press for more to be done to protect Kent from it and keep our roads open. On Tuesday I raised this in parliament with the Home Secretary, and on Thursday I will be asking the Secretary of State for Transport on the floor of the House of Commons, about what more can be done. I believe that there remain three key issues that need to be addressed. The first is to discuss with the French authorities what more needs to be done to secure the Port of Calais and Channel Tunnel so that services are not unnecessarily disrupted by striking ferry workers or migrants gaining unlawful access to these sites. The French government has a legal obligation to keep the border open for the legitimate movement of people and goods, and over the last few weeks it has fallen a long way short of its responsibilities.
The other two issues relate to how we cope with the problem of vehicles being trapped in Kent unable to make their crossing home. The longer term solution requires building on work that is already underway to create more off road lorry parking. We also need an emergency plan if there are more strikes in France this summer which create further disruptions. The controversial issue is where to put large numbers of lorries, if they are not stacked on the M20. There are a number of options we could look at. I believe the police and highways authorities should look at the feasibility of traffic heading for the Port of Dover, being held at Manston Airport as a temporary and emergency measure. This is a secure site with facilities for the passengers, and much better that holding people for several days in hot weather on the motorway.
The same assessment could also be made to use the county show ground at Detling for the Channel Tunnel traffic. We should also look at modern communications methods to make it possible for lorries to stay at their depot and wait to be called to the Port or Tunnel, rather than just driving to Kent in order to get in the queue. There are already internet applications, like Waze, which use real time technology to tell road users about traffic movements, delays, and the best routes to take. We should create a ‘Stack App’ to do the same for lorry drivers and all Kent’s road users.
