Kentish Express Ashford & District
Clamping trial set to become permanent
An HGV clamping trial has been hailed a success - and is set to be continued permanently.
The 18-month scheme was launched in October 2017 and stops lorry drivers from parking overnight between Charing and the Drovers roundabout on the A20.
The ban - which has seen almost 2,500 HGVs clamped - also covers four industrial estates in the town.
A report by Ashford Borough Council (ABC) stated the pilot scheme has been “extremely successful”, reducing the number of HGVs parked in the town by 61%.
The effort has caused an uptake in the use of the Ashford International Truck Stop - the facility was full to capacity for 25 nights in January, and near-full on the other six.
Special allowances were made by the Department for Transport to permit first offence clamping and on-the-spot fines of £150 more than three times the usual maximum fine of £40.
Repeat offenders have also been low in number, with only 1% of drivers facing more than one fine.
Speaking at a joint transportation board meeting last week, ABC’s deputy head of community safety and wellbeing Jo Fox said the authority is nearing the end of the 18-month trial, which finishes on April 30.
“It’s been highly successful, we’ve had some good results with how many lorries we’ve clamped and the uptake in the Truck Stop,” she said.
“We’ve worked closely with communities and, with regards to the future, we’re writing to KCC and the Department for Transport (DfT) and getting approval to roll it out permanently.”
However, for the year-and-ahalf-long trial to extend past its Tuesday, April 30 deadline, a green light will be required from the DfT.
Head of the joint transportation board, Cllr Paul Bartlett, conceded the scheme was running at a loss due to the clamping contractor costs.
But he said: “It has a significant impact on the wellbeing of local people, so we would urge people to put aside the costs.
“We want it to wipe its face but we are content in knowing the scheme is a good thing for residents.”