New system sought to fix 'painful' Dover traffic

Kent County Council says it is looking for alternatives to Operation Brock, including an off-road lorry facility to try to ease congestion.

Operation Brock sees lorries heading to Dover queuing on one side of the M20 in an attempt to ease congestion, but council representatives said it was a "painful measure for everybody in Kent".

Peter Osborne, cabinet member for highways and transport, said that while they were seeking a solution to the ongoing issues the contraflow system between junctions eight and nine was "all that we've got".

The Department for Transport (DfT) said it was looking at longer-term solutions, which could include off-road sites.

Mr Osborne said: "I'm pretty sure that everyone at the council and most of our residents want to get rid of it."

Operation Brock is funded by the DfT, with decisions on its use made by the Kent and Medway Resilience Forum (KMRF).

On average the operation costs about £250,000 each time it is deployed, a Freedom of Information request revealed.

Mr Osborne said the council had looked at sites for an off-road holding facility, but the site needed to be between Ashford and Folkestone and on the left side of the M20.

Discussions had included the Sevington inland border facility, which the government is reportedly considering selling following its post-Brexit deal with the EU, but Mr Osborne said the site was on the wrong side of the road.

Toby Howe, highways and transport strategic resilience manager at the KMRF, told Radio Kent that "being realistic, it [Operation Brock] won't be fixed this summer and it won't be fixed next summer".

The DfT spokesperson said: "We recognise the impact Operation Brock has on residents which is why we're working closely with partners to improve safety, reduce local impacts and develop longer-term traffic management solutions.

"This could include using technology and off-road sites for holding HGVs when there is disruption on the short straits."

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