Lorry permits will keep HGVs off our rural roads
Government proposes fines for drivers who flout the rules
The Department for Transport (DfT) has begun consulting about regulations to ensure lorries can’t bypass traffic management queues in Kent after Brexit. It says number plate recognition cameras could be used to enforce compliance, while traffic officers could get new powers to require drivers to present documents proving they are ready to proceed to ports.
The checks would take place in the Operation Brock queuing area, with drivers prohibited from entering the queue without a permit showing they had joined via the M26.
The government is proposing allowing access to a number of main roads for permit holders, including parts of the M20, the A2, the A256 and the A299, but cross-Channel HGVs will be prohibited from using all other roads when Operation Brock is in place.
The proposals have met a mixed reaction. Eddie Powell, the chairman of Harrietsham Parish Council said: “Certainly whenever we had Operation Stack, the predecessor to Brock, all the rural roads around Hollingbourne, Harrietsham, Leeds and Charing would snarl up with traffic trying to take a short cut. “So anything that helps ensure HGVs keep to the main roads is to be welcomed.”
However, Heidi Skinner, a spokesman for the Freight Transport Association based in Tunbridge Wells, said the proposals were placing all the responsibility on haulage firms.
She said: “The Government wants drivers to arrive with the correct documentation but hasn’t been able to clarify what that documentation will be.
“To add a threat of fines of over £300 for those drivers trying to circumvent the system and achieve their Just in Time deliveries will add to the business pressures and potentially increase prices at a time when logistics businesses are doing their utmost to keep goods and services flowing freely.” Transport Secretary Grant Shapps insisted: “These measures will make a material contribution to the effective management of traffic in Kent and facilitate traffic flows at ports.”