Email from local resident to Sellindgesludge@hotmail.co.uk
Date: Sat, 17 May 2008 18:30
From: local resident (name withheld)
To: Sellindgesludge@hotmail.co.uk
Subject: Letter from Paul Carter
Please see copy of a letter from Paul Carter stating that there may now be an access road onto the A20!
Response from Paul Carter.......
Dear local resident
Re: Proposed Lorry Park
Thank you for your further E mail of 30 April 2008 in response to my previous communication regarding the above issue.
As I indicated previously, the proposal is in early stages of development and this is being done by our own team of designers. Neither Montserat Properties Ltd nor any other developer has been involved in the design of the site. We would however, wish to consider all options for running the site, including outsourcing, to ensure effective use of resources and achieving value for money and this may involve engaging the private sector. Under the proposal we would own the site and we would set the terms and conditions for operating and managing it, these will not be set by the private sector as you seem to imply.
Although the Government have not been fully supportive of a vignette system of charging HGVs I believe that this is a national issue and the Government must play a major role in this. We will work closely with the Government to resolve the funding issue.
We have looked at other options, for instance diverting freight to rail, encouraging the use of other ports, holding back lorry traffic at lorry parks remote from the Channel Ports, but none of them can provide a solution to the huge problem. Hauliers and HGV drivers prefer this route because this is the quickest and cheapest way to access Continental Europe.
The experience of rail freight through the Channel Tunnel has been particularly disappointing – last year only 1.2 million tonnes was taken by rail – far below the forecasts of 6 million tonnes before the Tunnel opened and significantly below the 3.1 million tonnes actually carried in 1998. This represents a market share by rail of some 2.5% by weight.
Eurotunnel has recently cut its prices for rail freight and it is hoped that the amount taken by rail will increase to around 6 million tonnes in five years. However to put this into perspective, this increase is less than the actual increase in freight coming through by road over the last two years.
The Highways Agency plan to introduce a moveable barrier, known as the Quick Movable Barrier (QMB), to help manage the traffic in Phase 1 of Operation Stack later this year. This involves the installation of a continuous barrier in the middle of the M20 London-bound carriageway between Junctions 11 and 12. This will allow non cross-Channel lorry traffic to proceed down the M20 towards Dover in contra-flow in one lane on the London-bound carriageway, while London – bound traffic proceeds in two lanes.
The performance of the QMB will be closely monitored and it will be of particular interest to see how quickly it can be put into operation. However, the proposed QMB will only cover Phase 1 of Operation Stack (ie parking around 800 lorries) and the two-week long disruption earlier this year required Phase 2 for the vast majority of the time. The Police will still bring all traffic off the M20 at Junction 11 so delays on the M20 will continue, but the affects of diversions onto the A20 should be significantly reduced. The QMB will not contribute to a solution to the Overnight Lorry Parking problem.
As the development of the proposal proceeds it has become evident that there may be a need for a minor access road from the A20 to the lorry park to cater for light service vehicles and the emergency services. Its use would be controlled and it would not be available to lorries. A similar arrangement exists at a number of motorway service areas and operates successfully without affecting the surrounding road networks. Access for HGVs to and from the site will be via on and off slips from the M20.
I note your comment that a major part of the lorry park facility would remain empty for much of the year. However, the disruption caused by Operation Stack causes huge inconvenience to the community in Kent and has significant impact on the local and national economies, on balance this is the best option.
With regard to preventing HGVs from parking on our local roads, I am on record saying, we propose that overnight HGV parking would be free at the lorry park. This will encourage HGV drivers to park here as opposed to them having to pay around £20 a night to park on a licensed site, as is the case now. The proposal means that there will be no excuse for HGV drivers to park on local roads overnight. At the same time HGV parking ban on local roads will be effectively enforced, and we should see an end to lorries parking on verges and laybys in many parts of Kent .
I hope that this has provided sufficient clarification and has allayed your concerns.
