Last week I visited Kent Police HQ to see how they were managing Operation Stack. I was impressed, but at the same time - as many constituents have told me - it is far from being an answer. Operation Stack brings Mid Kent to a standstill; journeys that usually take 5 or 10 minutes take hours, people can’t get to work or to important appointments, operations are delayed because hospital staff can’t get to work, teachers struggle to get to school, businesses can’t transport their goods… I could go on, but anyone who lives in the area knows what I am talking about. The Secretary of State for Transport, Patrick McLoughlin MP, is fully aware of this too. I spoke to him several times last week, and this morning a group of Kent MPs met Patrick McLoughlin, Robert Goodwill MP (Ports and Shipping Minister) and Andrew Jones MP (Roads Minister), to discuss Operation Stack.
An alternative plan to Operation Stack is being worked on by Kent County Council, Kent Police, Highways England and others. This is expected to lay out a set of recommendations, including lorry parks, as alternatives to closing the M20 in the event of delays at the Dover-Calais crossing. I’m looking forward to seeing this plan, but the point made by me and several other Kent MPs this morning is that we cannot just sit and wait for it. We need action now, to make sure that in the event of further strikes and service disruptions, there is an alternative to Operation Stack.
I have asked for three specific steps as a priority. Firstly, for the Government to do all they can, through their contacts with the French authorities, to make sure that channel crossings are kept open and fully operating. This means routes into Calais, and also routes to alternative ports. It is unacceptable that the French authorities have failed to prevent strikers and migrants breaking into secure areas, and raises some very serious questions about either their competency or their commitment. The question is also being asked if there’s a legal case, under EU obligations to allow free movement of people, to ensure crossings are kept open for freight, although we’ve been warned this will not lead to any quick answers.
Secondly, we need much better communications to inform drivers of the severity of delays before they enter Kent. Through a combination of electronic road signs, travel websites, and communications from ferry and Eurotunnel operators, drivers must be made fully aware not only of the delays at terminals, but also on the motorway. That would enable more lorries (and others) to find alternative routes, park up before reaching Kent, or delay setting out altogether. I realise that there are many foreign drivers and not all speak English, but it cannot be impossible.
Thirdly, we need an alternative to closing the M20. In the short term, that means finding other places to park lorries (Junction 11 of the M20 has been mentioned, or diverting lorries into service stations around the M25), and it could mean working out how to park lorries at the side of the motorway while keeping some lanes or one carriageway open to enable two-way traffic.
There are no easy answers, and we are dependent on France to keep services running through Calais. In the weeks ahead, I will keep up the pressure on the Department for Transport and the local organisations involved in managing the situation. As I have said on BBC Radio Kent, if there’s a summer of strikes, we cannot have a summer of Kent at a standstill.
Photo Caption : Helen receives a briefing on Operation Stack from Kent Police
