Taking the sting from the Stack

Published: 08-05-2008

A new CPRE Kent report - Easing the Pain of Operation Stack - shows how Kent’s Operation Stack congestion nightmare can be eased without recourse to a damaging, and ultimately pointless, greenfield lorry park.

Kent County Council recently unveiled plans for a 70-acre permanent lorry park next to the M20 at Sellindge, near Ashford (the area chosen for the lorry park is on the left of the photograph above). We believe that it would be more effective – and significantly more cost-effective – to maximise the efficiency with which we use the existing motorway network during Operation Stack and minimise disruption to other traffic. 

Our recommendations include a full exploration of the opportunities presented by more extensive use of the QMB system (already proposed for Phase 1 of Operation Stack) before any action is taken to explore proposals for a massive HGV park.

We also contend that there is considerable scope for improving the transport choices that are made nationally and internationally both in the short term and the long term. KCC is an enthusiastic advocate of local foods; we would therefore expect more to be done to discourage food transport. In the light of the increasing pressures of climate change and energy security, there is a pressing need to focus our attention on making the best use of all our available resources, and to foster smarter growth which respects our environmental limits rather than accommodating and indeed encouraging the spiralling growth of road-based freight.

The report, which can be downloaded below as a Word document, has been sent to the Highways Advisory Board, Kent County Council, the Highways Agency and the Police. We hope the report makes it clear to everyone involved in the future of road freight in Kent that pouring tarmac over more of the countryside will achieve nothing.

Associated Districts

• Shepway
• Ashford

Associated Campaigns

• Transport
• Tranquillity

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