As National Highways prepares to launch Operation Brock overnight tonight (1 April) on the M20, ahead of the Easter weekend, Logistics UK slammed policy makers for failing to replace the “ piecemeal and short-term” contraflow system with a permanent solution.
Operation Brock was designed to manage traffic congestion caused by the introduction of post-Brexit customs formalities and inspections.
It was originally planned as a temporary measure to manage “no-deal” Brexit border disruptions. However, the traffic management system has become a regular fixture, frequently deployed for school holidays, peak freight times, and bad weather and forces trucks heading to Dover and Folkestone to queue for hours.
Last year the cost of deploying Operation Brock was £3m, including nearly £35,000 extra for every 24-hour period it was in place.
James Mills, Logistics UK head of trade policy, said a permanent solution to what was supposed to be a temporary fix is long overdue.
He said: “It is deeply frustrating to the dedicated logistics staff that keep the UK trading that the best solution to predictable seasonal peaks at the Short Straits crossing remains to turn the M20 into a lorry park and force drivers to wait on the hard shoulder, sometimes for days at a time.
Mills pointed out that over half of all goods traded between Great Britain and mainland Europe travel across the Short Straits crossings between England and France, and up to 16,000 freight vehicles travel through the Port of Dover and Eurotunnel every day.
“This shows how critical the crossings are to the UK economy. HGV drivers heading to the ports, along with passengers and Kent residents, deserve a permanent solution to the unavoidable congestion that occurs at the border to keep trade moving while minimising delays and congestion,” he said.
“Operation Brock is an inefficient and expensive workaround for an issue that our sector has been raising with government for years, with over £3m of public money spent last year alone deploying the scheme.
“Delays at the border don’t just impact drivers, but they can add cost and uncertainty into supply chains, ultimately pushing up prices for businesses and consumers.
Mills expressed frustration at the failure of policy makers to act on such a long term problem, and highlighted the contraflow system’s impact on HGV drivers.
He said: “As the delays that occur every Bank Holiday show, a permanent solution at the border is long overdue, one that is befitting of the strategic importance of the Short Straits crossings to the UK’s economy, and where HGV drivers can wait with access to proper toilet facilities, hot food and somewhere to rest - something every other worker in the country takes for granted.”
