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.
  • Share Operation Brock a nightmare for residents on Facebook Share Operation Brock a nightmare for residents on Twitter Share Operation Brock a nightmare for residents on Linkedin Email Operation Brock a nightmare for residents link

    Operation Brock a nightmare for residents

    by Jmac, over 2 years ago
    For anyone living along the A20 between junction 8 and 9 I live in Harrietsham my bungalow faces the A20 so when operation Brock is on all the motorway traffic is passing my property the noise all day and night is horrible not to mention the pollution and during the day it's difficult to drive out of our close and then even more difficult to get back home so the sooner they get rid of operation Brock the better.
  • Share We need a solution on Facebook Share We need a solution on Twitter Share We need a solution on Linkedin Email We need a solution link

    We need a solution

    by Susan Ann Harman, over 2 years ago
    We live in Hollingbourne, and the impact it has if you want to go out,into town etc, is terrible, the traffic blocks the roundabout by the Great Danes, even though it says keep clear, on several occasions we have nearly been hit, the volume of traffic coming through these villages is really bad, there has got to be a better solution to this.
  • Share Mr. on Facebook Share Mr. on Twitter Share Mr. on Linkedin Email Mr. link

    Mr.

    by craneson, over 2 years ago
    This situation has been running badly now for too many years. Manston airport sits virtually empty and has enormous capacity with facilities. Whilst elsewhere but much closer to the M20, lies Detling airdrome site, once again, enormous and easily serviced.

    This would be the least disruptive to residents local and distant.

    Why does it take so long to see the obvious?

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

    Nightmare

    by darrensgone, over 2 years ago
    I live in Bearsted, just off jct 7 of the M20. It is a living nightmare around Bearsted and surrounding areas when Op Brock is active. It's not great the rest of the time but with children to get to clubs it is nigh on impossible with Brock. I try and go to the gym but as that is down the a20 then that is also hard to get to. I also befriend for a charity and the person lives in Ashford and looks forward to my visits. With Brock I have had to cancel at is impossible to get... Continue reading
  • Share Right or wrong move?! on Facebook Share Right or wrong move?! on Twitter Share Right or wrong move?! on Linkedin Email Right or wrong move?! link

    Right or wrong move?!

    by Sharon Saunders, over 2 years ago

    We moved to Lenham last year and unfortunately did not even consider Operation Brock! However, the traffic implications have been huge.

    The volume of traffic using the A20 past Harrietsham and Lenham increases hugely when Brock is in place! It is ruining the small villages and making travel difficult. You have to plan days out as cannot go towards certain places if Brock is on, can lose whole mornings/afternoons sitting in traffic! And lorries are just parking up anywhere ruining what is supposed to be The Garden of England!

    Our motorway should be opened up and suitable lorry parks opened... Continue reading

  • Share Can't get out of village on Facebook Share Can't get out of village on Twitter Share Can't get out of village on Linkedin Email Can't get out of village link

    Can't get out of village

    by Peter, over 2 years ago
    Operation Brock means a huge increase in traffic on the A20, going East. Consequently, when I am trying to get anywhere from Hollingbourne, I have to queue at the bottom of Eyhorne Street whilst we wait for a gap in the stream of traffic coming from the right. Councillor Burton is absolutely right in his comments. It is ludicrous to use a major motorway as a car park. Just another example of 'broken Britain'. What isn't the lorry park at Semingford J10 in use? What a waste of money.
  • Share It's going to get worse - No body is listening !! on Facebook Share It's going to get worse - No body is listening !! on Twitter Share It's going to get worse - No body is listening !! on Linkedin Email It's going to get worse - No body is listening !! link

    It's going to get worse - No body is listening !!

    by Robert Sinclair, over 2 years ago

    The theory behind operation Brock was a short-term panic solution to BREXIT.

    We are In the next stage - the long-term solution, and this has not been considered because there will be congestion until Dover gets its act together or the Port Facility is moved to a better location. Rail will not work because most of the journeys are too short.

    The short-term solution will cause environmental damage, increase congestion, and ruin local people’s lives.

    The A20 cannot cope with the increase in traffic. We are back to the 60s when the HGVs were smaller. The M20 was built to... Continue reading

  • Share Very difficult for residents on Facebook Share Very difficult for residents on Twitter Share Very difficult for residents on Linkedin Email Very difficult for residents link

    Very difficult for residents

    by Alex, over 2 years ago

    Operation Broc is impacting negatively on residents lives

    It increases the amount of traffic on th A20 including heavy lorries, makes it difficult to join the A20.

    Cars are using the narrow lanes off the A20 to miss the jams and this makes the journeys more dangerous.

    The utilities still carry on with road works. putting road closures on the roads off the A20 which creates more traffic on residential areas with less roads. there should be better thought to when the closures are scheduled.

    Some examples: Charing, Leeds Road, Chegworth Road, Fairboune Lane, Hollingboune Greenway Court Road. All... Continue reading

  • Share It's the unpredictability that's worst on Facebook Share It's the unpredictability that's worst on Twitter Share It's the unpredictability that's worst on Linkedin Email It's the unpredictability that's worst link

    It's the unpredictability that's worst

    by GMIB, over 2 years ago

    When Op Brock is running, there seems to be no consideration for the impact on the A20 and the narrow lanes in Kent. We have seen the village of Lenham gridlocked from the A20 junction back to Platts Heath. You have to think twice about even driving to Ashford, let alone Hythe or Folkestone. You never know how long a simple drive into Maidstone will take.

  • Share Mrs Stevens on Facebook Share Mrs Stevens on Twitter Share Mrs Stevens on Linkedin Email Mrs Stevens link

    Mrs Stevens

    by Gail, over 2 years ago

    Operation brock is causing lots of stress to the people of kent and a devastating impact on business owners.. For my family personally we have an elderly relative we have to visit regularly in Folkestone.Operation brock and the chaos it causes to surrounding routes has meant at times we are unable to get to our elderly relative This causes lots of upset and frustration .It is just not fair on people & businesses of Kent for operation brock to keep being implemented. We cannot keep using our motorways as lorry parks.