Lines of lorries stacked on the hard shoulder of slip roads are a common site in Kent. For years it’s been a concern, but worst fears were realised last year when Susan Mellor, a 74-year-old mother from Maidstone, died after her car crashed into a lorry illegally parked by the M20.
As people living in my area of Kent know, lorries fill every lay-by, line up on the hard shoulder of slip roads, crawl onto the verges of country lanes and tuck themselves away in housing estates. None of these places have facilities for drivers, so as well as the problem of huge HGVs parked on the roadside, there’s also littering and fouling of verges and hedges with human waste. Residents nearby are understandably upset, and it’s pretty bad for the drivers themselves.
I called a House of Commons debate to push this issue up the Government’s agenda. MPs from both sides of the House, and from all over the country, contributed to the debate, proving that this isn’t just an issue for Kent, it’s a national problem.
I’m delighted that the Minister has committed to looking into how many more lorry parking spaces are needed and how they can be made available. He committed to taking a “fresh look” at freight parking, considering enforcement as well as the availability of parking spaces. His commitment to do more about litter on roadsides will be welcomed by all those who have contacted me about that problem too. I’m looking forward to taking him up on his offer to meet me and other Kent MPs as well as councillors and hauliers to thrash out some concrete solutions.
This was a really productive debate and I’m confident that fixing fly-parking is now firmly on the Department of Transport’s to-do list
