Emergency powers to control lorry queues in Dover post-Brexit are being made permanent, signalling continued disruption is expected – and people are unimpressed.
Operation Brock, a traffic management system designed to cope with queues of up to 13,000 lorries heading for mainland Europe, has been extended indefinitely, even though it was meant to end by October 2021, after being extended once when the Brexit transition period ended in December 2020.
The measures involve a series of concrete barriers, allowing lorries to be held on one side of the M20 to access the Port of Dover, while other traffic continues to flow in both directions via a restricted narrow lane contraflow system on the other side of the road.
They were introduced in Kent amid fears that the UK’s withdrawal from the EU could lead to disruption for cross-Channel trade.
The government’s consultation response said removing the sunset clauses would provide the Kent Resilience Forum with “the ability to respond to circumstances appropriately and swiftly, minimising any disruption”.
“The Operation Brock response plans will continue to be for temporary use and only implemented if strictly necessary to minimise traffic congestion in Kent caused by disruption at the Short Straits,” it said.
It highlighted possible uses as a “contingency traffic management measure for disruption, caused by, for example, bad weather or industrial action” in future.
But reacting to it, people were not pleased with the quiet announcement:
Feel sorry for those voted Remain living in Kent. The Emergency Brexit Power to turn on lorry queue overflow is now permanent. When ON will disrupt residents & business with 100 miles loop. Although we may never have enough HVG drivers to queue now👀 #Brexit pic.twitter.com/yFfGQCjoco
— FrogyUK🌱🐾🐰💚💙😷🇪🇺🌊 #FBPE #Environment #FBPA (@frogyuk) August 10, 2021
We have a choice.
— Siobhan Benita (@SiobhanBenita) August 10, 2021
We can admit Brexit was a mistake and campaign to rejoin the EU.
Or, we can wave our flags a bit harder and suffer the damage forever.
I choose #RejoinEU.https://t.co/1IK2pmUPIw
"This is an admission that far from ‘teething problems’, the government expects supply problems from their rushed Brexit deal to continue indefinitely."
— Best for Britain (@BestForBritain) August 10, 2021
said Naomi Smith @pimlicat, of the internationalist campaign group Best for Britain
(1/2)https://t.co/qdBlaP5FKo
How utterly delightful. I hope this is everything that everyone voted for 😀
— Robin Rimbaud - Scanner (@robinrimbaud) August 10, 2021
Today in unpredictable consequenceshttps://t.co/RFJ3r3BADs
— Russ Jones (@RussInCheshire) August 10, 2021
This week in Brexit
— David Schneider (@davidschneider) August 10, 2021
✅Roaming charges to apply in EU
✅Army to deliver food
✅Supermarket shelves emptying
✅Critical shortage of vets
✅Haulier shortage getting worse
✅Queueing lanes for lorries to be made permanent
And it’s only Tuesdayhttps://t.co/Jb1iWECrmY
2016: Sunlit uplands!
— Toby Earle (@TobyonTV) August 10, 2021
2021: Kent is now a lorry park. Again https://t.co/9CH5wRJQjg
The emergency Brexit powers for lorry queues were meant to end in 2020.
— Parody Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson_MP) August 10, 2021
We have decided to make them permanent, now that the 'teething problems' have turned out to be a throbbing, pus-filled abscess. https://t.co/D5rD2dsTfm
We really need a universal symbol for: 'yes we did rather insistently say this would happen and now it has'. https://t.co/XNwleI7TSK
— Ian Dunt (@IanDunt) August 10, 2021
But hey, at least we have blue passports now.
