PatrickS
- Location: Marine Parade, Dover
- Registered: 19 Sep 2015
- Posts: 448
#1
Now that Highways England public consultation period has ended I trust they will take great heed of the problems endured for too long by Dover people in relation to any decision on "Managing Freight Through Kent". It is a great shame the consultation on the proposed new Thames Crossing point (the 'Gravesend option') opened just as the former closed, affording no opportunity for comment that was likely to affect the 'Stanford' off road hgv parking proposals as well as the TAP system controlling freight entering Dover on the A20.
With the proposed new Crossing east of the current Dartford ones any link to the M2/A2 would see the management of port bound freight traffic split between the two motorway networks. The potential for holding freight traffic on the A2, in a similar manner to that proposed at or around Stanford on the M20, must surely now have added weight to Highways England's proposals for the control of freight vehicle from the time they enter the County.
There are numerous other factors that complicate the issue especially for the Dover and District communities. Examples are (but by no means limited to) -
- the return of the two ferries currently under refit/trial on the Dover - Calais route;
- potential alterations to the TAP system to reduce noise and pollution to Aycliffe residents;
- reviewing the 40mph limit currently in place east of the roundhill tunnel to the Aycliffe roundabout (a clear annoyance to locals a lot of whom now use B2011 New Folkestone Road or the Alkham Valley alternatives);
- providing clear unimpeded access off the A20 at Courtwood for local traffic;
- addressing access problems to the A20 eastbound for Capel-le-Ferne traffic;
- heavy plant and machinery access to the Western Heights development areas;
- the work being carried out by DHB between the Prince of Wales roundabout and the Eastern Dock (scheduled to last a year);
- improvements needed to the A2 between Brenley Corner and Jubilee Way roundabout, particularly dualing the section from Lydden Hill to the B258 Deal roundabout;
- service vehicle access to the St James Development directly off Townwall Street;
to list but a few.
Perhaps those that responded to HE's consultation process, or would like to share their views on managing freight and local traffic around Dover, could post their thoughts. I'm sure there are plenty!
Don't even start me on the 'help' to local residents afforded by the so called 'Western Docks Revival' initiative.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
#2
Thought there would have been a response to this but I suspect the proposed new Thames crossing is so far in the future and the dualling of a section the A2 has been talked about so long that people have given up on it. The 40 mph limit by all accounts doesn't apply to foreign trucks and leaves local motorists terrified of these monsters on their tail. The situation at night time for Aycliffe residents is frankly ridiculous with horns sounding for no reason and the law about the use of them not applied.
I doubt that any work will start on the Western Heights development in the foreseeable future and not sure how the return of the two ferries will make much difference to road traffic.
As for the "Western Docks Revival Development, a lot of people who showed little interest in it up until now have a major shock coming.
Guest 698- Registered: 28 May 2010
- Posts: 8,664
#3
The elephant in the room is the fact that DHB have a harbour revision order approved which will permit the building of four new ferry berths in the western docks. Split between multiple ferry companies, these new berths together with those already existing in the eastern docks, would enable the port traffic to be split so that none of it needed to transit the town centre.
I'm an optimist. But I'm an optimist who takes my raincoat - Harold Wilson
PatrickS- Location: Marine Parade, Dover
- Registered: 19 Sep 2015
- Posts: 448
#4
Peter, I was under the impression that there was an original HRO plan for new ferry (not freight) berths situated at right angles to the POW pier. That seemed to have been quietly shelved in favour of a couple of freight berths only. If that is the current position then it will have little effect on freight traffic through Dover (apart from the chaos caused by DHB's traffic management systems between Union Street and the Eastern Docks scheduled to last all year).
Is the HRO you refer to just a future "will permit" or is there something more substantive in the pipeline that I have missed?
Looking more closely at DHB's "Statement in Support of the Order" it would appear that they have had to implement what they call "an interim scheme" (the Dover Western Docks Revival) in order to protect the consented development under the HRO of 2012. There appears to be no known timescale for when, or if, the ferry berths will be constructed.
One could ask if the work required for this "interim scheme", with envisaged traffic delays and diversion within the town alongside the already exisiting problems with "Stack" and "TAP" controls, is in any way considered proportionate to the inconvenience being suffered by local residents, businesses and visitors to our town.
