Very limiting, but there are answers

I have lived in Kent for my entire adult life and remember times before the M20 "missing link", and Royal Engineers Way/Fairmeadow. Crawling into Maidstone and crawling from Maidstone to Ashford was the norm.

It did get better. So we have had a few years when those new roads made things better, but there was no follow-up with the Leeds/Langley by-pass, or a southern relief road.

And now that so many extra people live in Maidstone (and the rest of Kent), it has become tougher getting around town, before one ever considers leaving for the day for work or leisure. Typically the journey from Junc 6, 7 or 8 to our destination is still shorter than the journey from home to the motorway!
How many people both live and work in Maidstone? I have often found that many who now live here actually work in London, and many who work here have to live in Medway, Swale or Ashford where it is more affordable for their income. And lets not get started on all those who bring their grammar school children here from the other towns/counties where they live!

So when there is an extra delay with Op Brock, this then means that a journey to the coast, or Ashford is just a non-starter.

A permanent solution is required, but it requires the people of Kent to accept that has to be built in Kent. There is no sense in complaining and then opposing any solutions that are offered for fear that house prices will be blighted etc. But we cannot move mountains, and the selfish will continue to be selfish and blame others.
It doesn't have to be one single entity though, or even just one approach.

I for one would happily have seen a road-to-rail depot set up in the district, or an expansion of the Junc 8 services to allow greater HGV capacity. Ashford, Dover and F&H could all also accommodate M20 schemes. Gravesham, Medway, Swale, Canterbury and Dover can also accommodate M2/A2 facilities to make the North Kent corridor the natural route to Dover, rather that diverting traffic onto the M20.
Remember that the Lower Thames Crossing will be with us before you know it and that will relieve congestion at Dartford, but put traffic into Mid Kent much quicker.

Another alternative view is that if you cannot improve capacity of roads to the ports, then you have to LIMIT capacity at the ports. Just as Airports recently told airlines to stop selling tickets, as they couldn't put people on the flights they had sold. Kent authorities could force the shipping companies into a maximum capacity that fits with an agreed maximum road capacity. This could be reduced when adverse weather is anticipated so new tickets are not sold when companies know they cannot sail.
Just as the DRC is free overnight, there could be overnight discounts for crossings, helping to shift traffic away from peak times.
We need to bring back the Eurostar services boarding from the Kent stations now, as making it a London-only service has pushed Kent travelers onto the shuttle or ferries instead.

I'd rather not have the inconvenience of long delays on the M20 or any Maidstone Roads, but it's not just about me. I chose not to make unnecessary journeys so I'm not part of the problem.

Sad to say, but after 4 decades in Kent I am now looking to move away so that I can go out when it suits me rather than when traffic allows. Worse still, I will probably sell my home to a Londoner who will add to the problem with a daily commute.