pagnol Posted November 30, 2006 Share Posted November 30, 2006 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/6194278.stm Operation stack is causing chaos again. All travellers beware and allow extra time for your journey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisb Posted December 1, 2006 Share Posted December 1, 2006 It amazes me that we've still not got a better solution than turning the main trunk route into a lorry-park so that travellers on services that are otherwise running normally are diverted onto routes causing incredible delays to them and enormous inconvenience to the poor souls who live and work along those routes.A case of completely un-joined up planning in my opinion!Bah! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frederick Posted December 1, 2006 Share Posted December 1, 2006 Who's land do you aquire to park up a 1000 lorries on for days ?.... You cant let them just drive into Dover to find out that the ferry is not running again and there is another strike on because a French cleaner has been sacked like this last one....the trucks have to be stopped before they drive into the town ...The motorway it there .. that what else do you suggest they use ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cjlaws Posted December 1, 2006 Share Posted December 1, 2006 I quite agree with Frederick. Stacking the HGVs up on the M20 seems a highly pragmatic solution. What would chrisb's joined-up solution be? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisb Posted December 1, 2006 Share Posted December 1, 2006 We manage to find land for plenty of other purposes - why not this? There was a huge depot used for engineering trains during the construction of phase 1 of the chunnel rail link - perhaps that could have been utilised.It just seems to me that the current "solution" represents a misuse of the publicly funded highway.Does anyone know where the HGVs get stacked on the French side? Certainly I've not seen them on the autoroute. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted December 1, 2006 Share Posted December 1, 2006 They were all lined up on the southbound A16 on Wednesday midday when we approached the tunnel. No sign of police control (although the motorway signs warned of a bouchon ahead) unlike the efficient way the Kent police seemed to be handling things on the M20. The former CTRL depot (since redeveloped for other purposes) would fail to accommodate a fraction of the HGVs stacked on the M20. Full marks to the British authorities for a handling problem caused by industrial action on the other side of the channel!Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frederick Posted December 1, 2006 Share Posted December 1, 2006 Hell is likely to freeze over before we see it.....but what is required is the French authorities or the EU to direct the closing of an international crossing point by industrial action to be unlawful and in need of urgent action to re-open it if its closed .They could then immediatly put the army engineers into the jobs of the port workers to ensure the ships can dock ...load... and unload .....They could act to remove blockading farmers barriers ...and the navy fishing boats if they try and close the ports...After all what s the loading up of a ferry with passengers and freight to do with fishing or ploughing a field . but its the first place they think of heading to if they are unhappy with their lot... Oh well .....it will soon be 2007.. I wonder how many Dover shut downs next year will bring .. I say 4... starting with Easter.? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deimos Posted December 2, 2006 Share Posted December 2, 2006 Given the state of British motorways (at least when ever I've visited over the last few years) will anybody notice. I assume they are using the M20 as the M25 is already full ?Is it true they are changing the variable speed limit signs to "Full" and "Spaces" signsIan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyphilpott Posted December 6, 2006 Share Posted December 6, 2006 On again today according to the radio. This time because of bad weather in the channel.Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cjlaws Posted December 7, 2006 Share Posted December 7, 2006 [quote user="sasfields"]We're doing our usual Xmas shopping trip this weekend - anyone know how we get to the Channel Tunnel if it's still stacked up?[/quote]Operation Stack uses a section of the M20 between the Tunnel terminal and Dover, so no problems with access. Happy shopping! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisb Posted December 7, 2006 Share Posted December 7, 2006 [quote user="Cjlaws"][quote user="sasfields"][/quote]Operation Stack uses a section of the M20 between the Tunnel terminal and Dover, so no problems with access. Happy shopping![/quote]That's just the first phase of Stack - once that section's full of lorries the longer coast-bound section between Junctions 8 & 9 is also used. So far I gather only Phase One is in use this time - but best be prepared in case Phase Two is implemented.After the 'slap down' that my earlier comments got I tried a Google search and discovered that I'm not alone in thinking this 'solution' cannot be allowed to continue. Kent County Council and the other local councils, FoE, and many others have been agitating about the economic effects of Stack. The suggested 'movable' barrier certainly seems to represent an improvement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sasfields Posted December 11, 2006 Share Posted December 11, 2006 After all, we had the quickest journey ever on Saturday from Surrey to the Channel Tunnel - just a short delay just before J11 M20 because of a jack-knifed lorry, but even that was only 5 minutes.Walking along the sea front in France though we could see just how bad the weather had been last week. Stacks of debris all over the promenades.That's why we don't use the ferry any more!!It was funny (and gave us the warm fuzzy feeling) to realise that next time we cross to France it will be on a one-way ticket[:D]Sass Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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