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 My experience of Operation Brock on Facebook Share My experience of Operation Brock on Twitter Share My experience of Operation Brock on Linkedin Email My experience of Operation Brock link

    My experience of Operation Brock

    by Teacher trying to get home , over 2 years ago

    I live in Hawkinge, Folkestone and work at a school in Rainham. I need to get home from work in order to pick up my son from nursery in Hawkinge at 5pm. I am also currently pregnant.

    I have been caught up in the m2 Canterbury roundabout checks for hours to the point that I have become very stressed and have had to phone other family members to pick up my son as I have been over an hour late to pick him up from nursery.

    Before the summer holidays I got in to the necessary habit of checking on... Continue reading

  • Share Disastrous plan lorry drivers no food toilet fascilities on Facebook Share Disastrous plan lorry drivers no food toilet fascilities on Twitter Share Disastrous plan lorry drivers no food toilet fascilities on Linkedin Email Disastrous plan lorry drivers no food toilet fascilities link

    Disastrous plan lorry drivers no food toilet fascilities

    by Jason, over 2 years ago

    Delays as motorway supposed be 70 not 50 and constant damage to cars when there accident there no where to send traffic in event of accident South bound a land on brock side should be opened to relieve traffic and it not fair on lorry drivers as no food or toilet facilities it easy to get companies to provide these you could place upto 4 food vans when busy so drivers can get food only lorry drivers and put toilet blocks down that area a charity was paid by kcc and this service food toilets never provided I could do... Continue reading

  • Share How is this the solution? on Facebook Share How is this the solution? on Twitter Share How is this the solution? on Linkedin Email How is this the solution? link

    How is this the solution?

    by Kingswood resident , over 2 years ago
    Closing the main arterial road through a county to stockpile lorries is an absurd proposal to this problem, and I can’t actually believe that this ‘temporary solution’ has lasted so long with little sign of it ending. The quite obvious impact that this has had on the A20 and, in turn, the single track lanes surrounding it has been hugely detrimental to the quality of life for the residents and small business owners that live and operate in the locality. Quite simply put it is shameful
  • Share Avoiding the area on Facebook Share Avoiding the area on Twitter Share Avoiding the area on Linkedin Email Avoiding the area link

    Avoiding the area

    by VH, over 2 years ago
    As a family we are actively avoiding the area. As an example, we have not visited Ashford Outlet purely because of the uncertainty surrounding Operation Brock. We are choosing instead to visit other areas of Kent.
  • Share No trips to Folkestone! on Facebook Share No trips to Folkestone! on Twitter Share No trips to Folkestone! on Linkedin Email No trips to Folkestone! link

    No trips to Folkestone!

    by paul stevens, over 2 years ago

    My wife and I regularly(prior Operation Brock) used to put the bikes on the car and drive to Hythe. Then we would cycle to Folkestone, have a pub lunch, buy some fresh fish from the trawler shop,, cycle back to Sandgate, sit on the beach, have a fish & chip supper and eventually drive home. We used to do this 2 or 3 times a month. But now we don't because of Brock and the hassle it causes. Just a small part of supporting the local economy in that part of Kent that they and we have lost.

  • Share Chaos and dangerous on Facebook Share Chaos and dangerous on Twitter Share Chaos and dangerous on Linkedin Email Chaos and dangerous link

    Chaos and dangerous

    by Jot, over 2 years ago
    Operation brock turns bearsted junction 8 and A20 into chaos I live in Kingswood and numerous times we have HGV using single track roads as well as all the extra traffic when this happens I have to take a 2 hour detour to get home for a journey that normally takes 40 minutes max Business suffer as while it’s on we do not leave our home for fear of getting suck in traffic or having an accident because idiots that have been taken off the motorway driving far too fast down country lanes
  • Share Increased traffic on the A20 on Facebook Share Increased traffic on the A20 on Twitter Share Increased traffic on the A20 on Linkedin Email Increased traffic on the A20 link

    Increased traffic on the A20

    by Martin, over 2 years ago

    Our house is on the A20 between Charing and Hothfield and we have noticed a huge increase in traffic volumes of both cars and commercial vehicles over the time that Operation Brock has been implemented.

    We assume this is because drivers try to avoid the narrow two-lane contraflow section which has no escape route in the event of a breakdown or collision.

    OR it may be poor signposting at junction 8 which leaves drivers thinking that they should take the A20 in case they will miss getting to Ashford on M20.

    This causes increased noise and pollution for us and... Continue reading

  • Share Thoughtless Implementation on Facebook Share Thoughtless Implementation on Twitter Share Thoughtless Implementation on Linkedin Email Thoughtless Implementation link

    Thoughtless Implementation

    by Christine, over 2 years ago
    I live in Bearsted and work in Dover. My route would be to Jct 8 and south.


    However due to the terrible implementation in blocking southbound access from Jct 8, I have to either go back from 8-7, round an already busy round about and back south adding a journey of 7 extra miles and the time it takes to do it.

    Or I go up New Cuts and then the Nottcutts roundabout, which is being worked on, so further adding to this congestion.

    When the M20 south bound wasn't being able to be used as Brock was using all... Continue reading

  • Share No reveinue for the local areas on Facebook Share No reveinue for the local areas on Twitter Share No reveinue for the local areas on Linkedin Email No reveinue for the local areas link

    No reveinue for the local areas

    by Wheels in Motion, over 2 years ago
    Hi,

    Very simply, like many we have avoided the area. We have not travelled to a regular shopping area at the international in Ashford and days out at Hythe Folkestone and Dover have been avoided. They have lost our spending all because of the delays and potential hassle to travel around Kent. We have spent our money in Brighton and other areas instead.
    Its about time green beltI is taken over and a massive storage park is created to keep Kent moving. KCC and Highways or whoever is ultimately responsible,,, sort this out … you have had years to work... Continue reading

  • Share Inconvenience caused by Operation Brock on Facebook Share Inconvenience caused by Operation Brock on Twitter Share Inconvenience caused by Operation Brock on Linkedin Email Inconvenience caused by Operation Brock link

    Inconvenience caused by Operation Brock

    by L d d, over 2 years ago
    I’m a resident of Harrietsham village with A20 being the only way in and out of my home. I am considered elderly and have underlying health issues, making it necessary to attend many hospital visits. The traffic taken off the M20 has impacted not only on the obvious delays in meeting appointments but also on the stress levels.

    I feel I can’t leave my house for shopping or pleasure whilst the roads are bumper to bumper with cars and heavy goods vehicles.