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 A very tight fit. on Facebook Share A very tight fit. on Twitter Share A very tight fit. on Linkedin Email A very tight fit. link

    A very tight fit.

    by Mark, almost 2 years ago

    I live in Westwell and journeys to Maidstone or Sevenoaks take much longer since I avoid the M20 and Brock. The Bock lanes are far to narrow and being over taken by a huge lorry which is exceeding the speed limit, because I was driving at 50! That one experience, with my Grandson in the back was enough. Now it is always A20.

    Highways England have taken the easy solution and have done nothing to explore other answers. It is now so bad that even my MP doesn't answer letters on the subject; poor chap trying to defend the indefensible.

  • Share Large convoys on Facebook Share Large convoys on Twitter Share Large convoys on Linkedin Email Large convoys link

    Large convoys

    by Archimedes , almost 2 years ago
    Over the past month large convoys of vehicles have been seen travelling east along the Ashford Road in Harrietsham. Oftentimes it is so difficult to get onto the road because of the long lines of traffic.
  • Share Chaos on Facebook Share Chaos on Twitter Share Chaos on Linkedin Email Chaos link

    Chaos

    by Roy Upton, almost 2 years ago
    On 24/7 I intended to visit my daughter-in-law fir her birthday and to take presents and cards. The town centre was grid locked, the A20 Ashfield Raid was at a stand still so I turned round a came back home. The problem was caused by lorries and holiday makers trying to avoid the M20.

    i wrote ti Helen Grant, but it seems that her only concern is fir the ‘poor lorry drivers and holiday makers’ , but no mention of disruption to residents of Maidstone and the surrounding villages.

  • Share Groan re Operation Brock on Facebook Share Groan re Operation Brock on Twitter Share Groan re Operation Brock on Linkedin Email Groan re Operation Brock link

    Groan re Operation Brock

    by Suzanne Yeo, almost 2 years ago
    I live in Leeds Village, to access the M20 to go towards Dover, I have to go back to junction 7, although I live by junction 8! There seems no rhyme or reason for not being able to go on at Junction 8 as the division between cars and lorries is beyond that point. I travelled to Hythe yesterday, and noted there where very few lorries in the lane designated for them, the travel restriction placed on me of 50miles per hour seemed to add to the large amount of traffic travelling my way almost 'bunching up' and the closed... Continue reading
  • Share Is creating a motorway car park the best the UK can do? on Facebook Share Is creating a motorway car park the best the UK can do? on Twitter Share Is creating a motorway car park the best the UK can do? on Linkedin Email Is creating a motorway car park the best the UK can do? link

    Is creating a motorway car park the best the UK can do?

    by MRB, almost 2 years ago
    Creating a motorway car park due to insufficient planning is simply in excusable!
    Impact on local communities (which includes me) necessitates longer travelling time, inconvenience and continued frustration.
    The greater impact is on the drivers (waiting for hours) heath safety and welfare. AND the perception that Britain are unable to provide a suitable strategy for dealing with disruption at our ports.
  • Share Nightmare on Facebook Share Nightmare on Twitter Share Nightmare on Linkedin Email Nightmare link

    Nightmare

    by Kim Rye, almost 2 years ago
    I use the M20 twice a month to go to Essex and back. I travel up in the morning and 3 days later I travel back down after 10:00. The system is utterly ludicrous and the worst experience I had apart from the ludicrous queues was travelling back one night from the Maidstone intersection to junction 11 with a speed limit of 30 mph on the inside lane (hard shoulder) with cones spaced so close together. You could have used them as skittles. As I was driving in the dark, the effect of the cones flashing past to my right... Continue reading
  • Share A long commute and Kent based businesses stung on Facebook Share A long commute and Kent based businesses stung on Twitter Share A long commute and Kent based businesses stung on Linkedin Email A long commute and Kent based businesses stung link

    A long commute and Kent based businesses stung

    by MeganB, almost 2 years ago

    Adding extensive time onto my commute from Maidstone to Ashford since Spring this year. In addition to this it also affects Kent based businesses such as the Aspinal foundation in peak periods. The only bonus is the mpg for the 50 mph speed limit - and that’s the only benefit.

  • Share Missing Family Time on Facebook Share Missing Family Time on Twitter Share Missing Family Time on Linkedin Email Missing Family Time link

    Missing Family Time

    by Gemma, almost 2 years ago

    Operation Brock has meant that my husband is later home every night as he works in ashford. Not only this, 8 weeks ago I had our first baby and the fact that it takes my husband 15-20 mins extra time added a lot of stress to my labour as I was worried about him getting back in time. Most of the time you drive along the motorway there are t any lorries using brock anyway.

  • Share Misery for the people of Kent on Facebook Share Misery for the people of Kent on Twitter Share Misery for the people of Kent on Linkedin Email Misery for the people of Kent link

    Misery for the people of Kent

    by PhilM1978, almost 2 years ago
    I live in Bearsted (Maidstone) and work in Ashford, my normal journey between jct 8 and Jct 9 has been absolute misery for the past 5 years. We first had to deal with traffic caused while the system was built, next was the implementation phase, then the in use phase followed by the mens when it is stored away

    (Usually only for a short period).

    A journey that could take 25 mins before this poorly thought out disaster now takes 45 mins if I am lucky. Firstly I cannot enter at Jct 8 anymore so I have to travel to... Continue reading

  • Share Cut off on Facebook Share Cut off on Twitter Share Cut off on Linkedin Email Cut off link

    Cut off

    by Shirley, almost 2 years ago
    My granddaughter lives in Ashford and has no family in the area having moved there from SE London. I am her nearest relative in Maidstone so the onus is now far more on me to visit her and help her with her 2 young children as the journey time from Bexleyheath can be up to 2 hours. A journey from Maidstone that once took around 25 minutes on average now takes 40/45 minutes. This not only costs more in fuel but must be choking the environment too.

    I have every sympathy for the lorry drivers who are left to their... Continue reading