PR345_P06-07_News intro.qxp_PR345_p06-07 11/01/2021 16:58 Page 6
NEWS The DfT used social media to alert HGV drivers to the latest developments regarding travel and parking options in Kent
When the trucks stopped Worries about a new variant of COVID-19 saw Brexit truck parking management plans put into action before Christmas
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mergency truck management and parking protocols developed in anticipation of potential disruption caused by the completion of Brexit were implemented in order to deal with a cessation of crossChannel movement due to the emergence of a more contagious strain of COVID-19. The travel ban between the UK and France was imposed by the French government on Sunday 20 December after the British government warned of a new, fast-spreading variant of coronavirus and had introduced stricter Tier 4 restrictions across London, southern and eastern England. The ban affected air, rail and ferry traffic, including lorry drivers. The Channel is a vital trade route for the UK, with around 10,000 lorries travelling between Dover and Calais each day, largely delivering fresh produce. The suspension of ferry and Eurotunnel services resulted in growing tailbacks of HGVs heading to Dover on the M20. Hauliers were advised to avoid travelling to Kent as disruption could last for several days. This led the UK government to trigger Operation Stack and Operation Brock, emergency traffic management procedures designed to keep motorways and roads in Kent operating. Operation Brock opens up more of the road network in Kent because it means traffic can continue to move in both directions on the M20. Highways England deployed a moveable concrete barrier installed on the M20 that creates a new layout with a contraflow system. This allows traffic to continue travelling in both directions on the motorway at the same time as port-bound HGVs are queued, if necessary, on the coastbound carriageway until they can travel through to the Port of Dover or Eurotunnel. On 20 December, Prime Minister Boris Johnson addressed the cross-Channel travel ban in a 10 Downing Street press conference. Johnson said he had chaired a meeting of the government’s emer-
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gency COBR committee in order to co-ordinate a UK-wide response. Johnson tried to sound a reassuring note, saying: “It is vital first to stress that these delays – which are only occurring at Dover – only affect human-handled freight, and that is only 20% of the total arriving from or departing to the European continent, which means the vast majority of food, medicines and other supplies are coming and going as normal.” The Prime Minister said that ongoing preparations for the end of the Brexit transition period meant plans has been made for severe delays in cross-Channel road traffic. “You may also be aware – in fact, I’d be amazed if you weren’t – that the government has been preparing for a long time for exactly this kind of event. So working with the Kent Resilience Forum, Kent County Council and Highways England, we’ve activated our long-prepared plans, with the result that we have already been able to reduce the number of lorries waiting on the M20 from 500 to 170. The site at Manston Airport is ready to cope with any overflow.” The Kent Resilience Forum (KRF) worked with central government to manage traffic disruption in the county. The KRF partners used broadcast interviews and social media to encourage hauliers to avoid travelling to Kent’s ports while sailings were suspended. However, many vehicles still arrived in the county. At one point, around 5,000 trucks were stranded in Kent. Many HGVs were redirected to a holding facility at Manston Airport. Lorry drivers directed to Manston were able to access food, welfare and toilet facilities. However, with many truck drivers parked up on the M20, Kent County Council provided them with snacks, drinking water and hot food. Portable toilets were also set up at 1 km intervals between junctions 10a-11. A number of charities also stepped up to provide HGV drivers with hot food at the roadside. Discussions about how to free-up movement between the UK and Europe took place on several fronts in the run-up to Christmas. The European Commission urged other EU member states to lift travel bans affecting the UK, but said non-essential travel should be discouraged. The Netherlands and Belgium relaxed bans on arrivals from the UK, as long as they had a recent negative result. After several days of gridlock, on 23 December a new protocol
