How does Operation Brock impact you?

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Consultation has concluded.

View of M20 during Operation Brock

Cllr David Burton, Leader of Maidstone Borough Council:

“The implementation of Operation Brock causes significant disruption to residents and businesses of Maidstone. We know that it is needed as part of the current plan to manage the volume of both freight and tourist traffic using the Port of Dover and Eurotunnel when queues build up. This can occur for a variety of reasons. The number of occasions when Op Brock is in place and the impact for our community, businesses and people travelling to and around the borough are unacceptable. This situation cannot be allowed to continue.

We need your help to build the case for change. So we want to hear from you about the impacts that you experience when Op Brock is in place – for your personal lives and working lives – so that we can build a picture of environmental, social and economic impacts.

Operation Brock is not a long term or permanent solution for the border control issues. We cannot tolerate this becoming the “new normal”.

So we also need to look at alterative solutions. We would also like to hear your views on this.

My personal view is that there needs to be sufficient off road lorry parking in the vicinity of the ports and this would help manage some occasions with high freight and tourist traffic queues. I know that others suggest a scheme to hold vehicles further up country and I will not rule this out although there would be operational challenges to how this would work and be enforced. Technology has enabled us to work productively throughout the pandemic in many walks of life – technology could also offers solutions to these challenges.

We want Maidstone to be a Borough that works for everyone, with residents and local businesses at the heart of our decision making and would really like to hear from you about how this disruption has impacted on your lives and ideas for alternative ways forward, so that I can take this evidence to Government to demand action to prevent this from going on forever."

How can you get involved?

1. Experiences - Share your experiences of Operation Brock. We want to know more how Operation Brock impacts on you, your life, your local area or your business. Tell us about your experiences (below). We encourage you to comment on the posts left by other residents whose experiences you may share.

2. Ideas - Tell us your ideas about what can be done to improve the effect Operation Brock has on you, your life, your local area or your business when it is in operation.

3. Impact - Take part in our quick poll (on the right) to tell us what level of impact Operation Brock has had on you.

4. Location - Use our map to show us where in the borough you've experienced issues due to Operation Brock.

What Next

We will be gathering this information up until 2 October 2022, this timeframe may be extended based on the response or to gather further information and feedback.

Cllr David Burton, Leader of Maidstone Borough Council:

“The implementation of Operation Brock causes significant disruption to residents and businesses of Maidstone. We know that it is needed as part of the current plan to manage the volume of both freight and tourist traffic using the Port of Dover and Eurotunnel when queues build up. This can occur for a variety of reasons. The number of occasions when Op Brock is in place and the impact for our community, businesses and people travelling to and around the borough are unacceptable. This situation cannot be allowed to continue.

We need your help to build the case for change. So we want to hear from you about the impacts that you experience when Op Brock is in place – for your personal lives and working lives – so that we can build a picture of environmental, social and economic impacts.

Operation Brock is not a long term or permanent solution for the border control issues. We cannot tolerate this becoming the “new normal”.

So we also need to look at alterative solutions. We would also like to hear your views on this.

My personal view is that there needs to be sufficient off road lorry parking in the vicinity of the ports and this would help manage some occasions with high freight and tourist traffic queues. I know that others suggest a scheme to hold vehicles further up country and I will not rule this out although there would be operational challenges to how this would work and be enforced. Technology has enabled us to work productively throughout the pandemic in many walks of life – technology could also offers solutions to these challenges.

We want Maidstone to be a Borough that works for everyone, with residents and local businesses at the heart of our decision making and would really like to hear from you about how this disruption has impacted on your lives and ideas for alternative ways forward, so that I can take this evidence to Government to demand action to prevent this from going on forever."

How can you get involved?

1. Experiences - Share your experiences of Operation Brock. We want to know more how Operation Brock impacts on you, your life, your local area or your business. Tell us about your experiences (below). We encourage you to comment on the posts left by other residents whose experiences you may share.

2. Ideas - Tell us your ideas about what can be done to improve the effect Operation Brock has on you, your life, your local area or your business when it is in operation.

3. Impact - Take part in our quick poll (on the right) to tell us what level of impact Operation Brock has had on you.

4. Location - Use our map to show us where in the borough you've experienced issues due to Operation Brock.

What Next

We will be gathering this information up until 2 October 2022, this timeframe may be extended based on the response or to gather further information and feedback.

Tell about your experiences of Operation Brock

We want to hear about your experiences of Operation Brock and understand the impact it has on your life. 

Share your story

Thank you for sharing your story with us.
CLOSED: This discussion has concluded.
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    Frustrated from Harrietsham

    by Flabbergasted , over 2 years ago
    Brock causes unbelievable frustration by being blocked from getting out or in to the village. What should be a quick visit for an appointment to the doctors or visit a family member, shopping help someone with a lift to hospital etc. Surely there must be a better way to solve the issue than blocking a major arterial road through the county. The French have contingencies why on earth do we park lorries on a motorway. Don’t just talk about it spend the money and do something!
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    Not fit for purpose

    by Brogan, over 2 years ago
    I live in Ashford and travel to Maidstone for work. What should be a relatively easy commute takes so much longer when Brock is on, especially impacting the time on the a20, which I must drive on to get home seeing as junction 8 is not a joining roundabout (the traffic to junction 7 has always been a nightmare and isn't worth battling through to get to the m20). It is most ridiculous though, that I have been late to work on multiple occasions because of Brock. When something breaks down, it is chaos. It once took me an hour... Continue reading
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    Gridlock made worse by Brock

    by Christopher Smith, over 2 years ago
    I travel around Maidstone for work and pleasure. The traffic is bad enough with the current lack of road and traffic provision but it gets so much slower when Brock is in operation. Crossing the town from park wood to Boxley can take as long as 50 minutes. The return journey must be via the town because New Cut is overwhelmed with traffic on top of the normal overloaded route.
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    Gave up job in Aylesford

    by Adam, over 2 years ago

    I landed a job working for the Apogee Corporation based in Aylesford and when Brock wasn't on, I could get to the office from where I live Bridgefield Ashford in under an hour, without issue. Unfortunately Brock was constantly put up and taken down. When it was up. It only took one vehicle to have an issue and I was stuck. The amount of times I was stuck I lost count. I tried many times taken the longer scenic route through Charing and Lenham but again if there was a problem along the M20 then the scenic route would grind... Continue reading

  • Share Disgraceful on Facebook Share Disgraceful on Twitter Share Disgraceful on Linkedin Email Disgraceful link

    Disgraceful

    by Christine , over 2 years ago
    Why on earth does the motorway need to be closed at J8?!! A motorway is just that a MOTORWAY not a lorry park.

    Local residents are truly fed up with the extra traffic on the A20 and the inconvenience of having to go to either J7 or 9 to pick it up. The problems at Dover are over so why is J8 still closed. Makes no sense whatsoever, there is a huge new lorry park opened in Ashford, use it!

    Local roads are not meant for the extra traffic surely someone with common sense at Highways can see it.

  • Share Lenham resident on Facebook Share Lenham resident on Twitter Share Lenham resident on Linkedin Email Lenham resident link

    Lenham resident

    by David , over 2 years ago
    I live in Lenham and regularly travel to and from Maidstone. Travelling into Maidstone is not affected too much, however when operation Brock is implemented travelling from Maidstone back to Lenham frequently as between 15 and 30 minutes to my trip due to the volume of traffic.

    where the traffic goes from two lanes to one lane just the Lenham side of the Leeds roundabout there are a lot of angry motorists where people do not yield or pushing to the single line.
    there is often traffic snarled up where vehicles try to turn right into Broomfield Road. As larger... Continue reading

  • Share Motorways are not lorry parks on Facebook Share Motorways are not lorry parks on Twitter Share Motorways are not lorry parks on Linkedin Email Motorways are not lorry parks link

    Motorways are not lorry parks

    by DK, over 2 years ago

    Nothing about Op Brock is positive for residents. It impacts every journey even when it is running as it was designed. As others have pointed out every journey at best is longer. When the motorway is closed completely I never attempt it having had to turn back and abandon plans previously. This is not traffic management as described, it is pandering to the port and eurotunnel. They must know their capacity so why take bookings when they know they cannot accommodate the traffic? Airlines cancel flights at a moments notice so it cannot be impossible to cancel ferry and train... Continue reading

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    Ridiculous Kent - The Carpark of England

    by Nick, over 2 years ago

    We live in Ashford and almost everyday have to use the M20 to go to work and return. Op Brock is a stain on the South East and is completely unsustainable. Reducing the motorway to such few lanes means it just takes 1 person to crash or breakdown causes massive pile ups. Sometimes they just shut the M20 completely and then all traffic has to use the smaller local routes which get traffic locked. How is Op Brock even considered a solution? Everyone in the area is absolutely fed up of being used in the governments ever failing 'brexit strategy'... Continue reading

  • Share Scary on Facebook Share Scary on Twitter Share Scary on Linkedin Email Scary link

    Scary

    by Fed up of Brock, over 2 years ago
    The amount of times I have been driving local country roads that are narrow when Brock is on, and suddenly have to emergency break and drive into the curb/bushes because a massive HGV is coming down the road trying to avoid Brock. They ignore all warnings saying unsuitable for HGV. My car ends up scratched and I’m left trying to get the adrenaline lower in my system. As for the HGV drivers?…they carry on their merry little way totally oblivious to the stress and scare they have given me.
  • Share Unsustainable on Facebook Share Unsustainable on Twitter Share Unsustainable on Linkedin Email Unsustainable link

    Unsustainable

    by Charlie, over 2 years ago
    Commuting through operation Brock has meant I have had to get up significantly earlier (I now have to leave the house at 5am rather than 7.30) so that I can avoid the traffic it causes especially with the number of breakdowns or accidents, or just poor traffic management whereby all traffic comes to a standstill. I have never seen so much disruption to the running of the motorways, and with no leeway and no hard shoulder for miles and miles it is very dangerous. People try to avoid this using other means such as the a20 which now gets very... Continue reading