, Labour’s Shadow Transport
Secretary, commenting on the Road Haulage Update,
which contains contingency plans for lorries delayed at the Port
of Dover and Eurotunnel, said:
“The Government’s approach to contingency planning for lorries on
the economically vital M20 link to the port of Dover has been
incompetent and disastrous. It had to scrap an important £250
million lorry park near the M20 last year because it got the
plans wrong and has wasted millions on renting space for lorries
at Manston Airport which has never been used.
“The scale of Transport Secretary ’s dithering and delaying
since Operation Stack in 2015 is breath taking. A no deal Brexit
could grind the South East of England to a halt, but Grayling is
simply asleep at the wheel. This is yet another empty
announcement from a Government which prefers launching
consultations to taking actions.”
Ends
Notes to editors
- · “The
Department has now agreed with Highways England that this
arrangement should take the form of a contraflow system which
would see lorries for the Port of Dover and Eurotunnel held on
the coast-bound carriageway between junctions 8-9 of the M20,
while other traffic will use a contraflow to continue their
journey on the other side of the motorway. Highways England are
starting the preparatory works for the scheme now and it will be
available from early 2019.” https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/road-haulage-update-21-may-2018
