Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Frustration as traffic hell at Brenley set to last until end of month
Motorists enduring two-hour gridlock as fall-out from Operation Brock causes congestion chaos
The worst traffic woes Brenley Corner has suffered for years are set to continue for another three weeks.
Much to the dismay of motorists, the notorious roundabout - where the A2, M2 and A299 converge - will remain reduced to one lane for the rest of April as part of a plan to reduce hold-ups at Dover.
Officers are using the Faversham junction as a stopping point to prevent HGV drivers from travelling along the A2 to reach the port and Channel Tunnel.
Rogue hauliers trying to avoid Operation Brock on the M20 are being diverted to go back and join Junction 8 of the M20 at Maidstone.
While helping to reduce congestion approaching Dover, the traffic management scheme has caused severe problems on the roads around Brenley Corner.
Motorists have been met with delays of up to two
‘We are trapped in the village. You really can’t get in and out well. You’ve got to know the back routes, or you’re stuffed’
hours as they attempt to go about their usual journeys.
The “nightmare” situation at the roundabout is set to be in force until April 30.
Yesterday it was revealed police have issued zero fines to lorry drivers bypassing Brock - despite warnings they would be hit with £300 penalties.
A number of HGV drivers being sent back up the M2 from Brenley Corner are bypassing the long route up to Maidstone and are opting to travel down the twisting A251 from Faversham to Ashford, where they can join the M20 at Junction 9 or 10a.
Lorries have also been using the A28 and getting lost in country roads on the approach to Canterbury as
they attempt to avoid the checks at Brenley Corner and get onto the coastbound A2 at Wincheap.
Boughton resident Barbara Harrison says her village has been cut off due to the immense congestion.
“It’s a total nightmare,” she said.
“There are queues going all the way back to Faversham, and then queues on the A2 coming from Canterbury and on the Thanet Way and motorway.
“We are trapped in the village. You really can’t get in and out well. You’ve got to know the back routes, or you’re stuffed.
“If you’ve got an appointment you have to leave a lot earlier. When the schools were open, buses were stuck and children were getting to school so late.
“Everyone is so fed up with it.”
Thousands of new homes - including 2,500 on Duchy of Cornwall land near to the junction - are set to be added to Swale Borough Council’s Local Plan this year.
There are fears the new estates will pile further gridlock misery on the area in the coming years.
Faversham MP Helen Whately says the impact of Brock - and the likelihood of more homes - further proves Brenley Corner is in dire need of an upgrade.
“Like many people I’ve been sat in traffic at this roundabout recently,” she said.
“I’ve also heard from local residents and businesses about the misery it is causing them. This has got to stop.
“While Brock is making the situation worse, there have been problems with this junction for a long time.
“These problems could increase if Swale Borough Council gets their way with plans for thousands of new homes around Faversham without a plan to improve local infrastructure.
“I’ve made sure this junction is firmly on the Road Minister’s radar. The end could finally be in sight for traffic jams at Brenley Corner, but we cannot take anything for granted.”
The impact on most of Kent’s road network has been severe over the past week due to Brock.
One Rochester resident making a trip to Canterbury on Tuesday evening says she has never experienced such congestion.
“It was a horrendous journey,” she said.
“I’ve never seen so many lorries on the carriageway parked up on the hard shoulder - it was chaos.
“The journey to Canterbury would usually take me about 50 minutes, but the journey took more than two hours.”
Ashford MP Damian Green has called for changes to be made to the management of Brock after Kent was “plunged back into the worst days of Operation Stack”.
Simon Jones - strategic planning lead at the Kent Resilience Forum - said: “We would like to thank everyone affected for their patience during what was a particularly challenging and prolonged period of
‘I’ve never seen so many lorries on the carriageway parked up on the hard shoulder - it was chaos. The journey would usually about 50 minutes...but took more than two hours’
disruption to Kent’s road network, surrounding towns, villages and communities.
“The impact that the traffic disruption had on local residents who were unable to go about their daily lives was significant, while the frustrations of HGV drivers and hauliers was understandable considering the delays encountered.”
Police, National Highways and KCC have all been asked for further clarity on the future situation at Brenley Corner, but none have stated a timeframe.
A National Highways traffic order does, however, reveal that the junction will remain one lane for the next three weeks.
At the weekend, KCC’S senior highways manager said Brock “had proved its worth” despite being labelled “shambolic” by road-users.
Toby Howe said: “This weekend, Operation Brock has proved why it is needed.
“We would have had far more congestion. It would have been possibly similar to Christmas 2020 when we had lorries on every single road.
“So I think Brock really has proved its worth.”
■ What do you think? Email kentishgazette@ thekmgroup.co.uk