Dover's Transport Problems Discussed.
11 December 2007
See Latest Comments below including the latest from Cllr Nigel Collor DDC Cabinet Member who was involved in
the talks.
Dover Tuesday Dec 11 :On a bleak and chilly day in Dover this illustrious group seen on the left, came to pay us a visit to examine at first hand the ghastly traffic problems facing us here in Dover every single day. We all know here only too well the constant problems, not just with the ever increasing flow and traffic snarling, but also with the noise and pollution. It never stops night and day. This group's arrival coincided with yet another traffic accident, this time involving a German truck and a local car which perhaps emphasised the problem with some force. But can anything at all be done? Well, these guys are here to find out.
The event was co-hosted and initiated by local DDC Cabinet Member Nigel Collor who as we know works hard on these issues in an effort to make our daily lives that bit better. Nigel lives right here close to Townwall Street and sees the effect that the ever whirring internal combustion engine's raging inferno has on us every day. His fellow co-hostee was Keith Ferrin from KCC, the Cabinet Member for Highways.
The picture above shows the group being dwarfed by a thundering juggernaut as it passes just inches away from the pedestrian strollers.
Left to Right:Charlie Elphicke Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Dover, Nigel Collor Conservative DDC Cabinet Member for Dover, Mick Sutch of KCC, Robert Goodwill MP and Shadow Minister for Roads, Keith Ferrin Con Cabinet Member for Roads KCC, and Julain Brazier MP and Shadow Minister for Shipping.
I will now add the Press Release for the fuller picture....
KCC holds talks on transport problems
Date: Tuesday 11 December
Time: 11.30am
Location: A20 junction of Townwall Street and Russell Street, Dover
Details: Kent County Council Cabinet Member for Highways, Keith Ferrin, and Dover District Council Cabinet Member for Access and Property Management, Nigel Collor, are hosting a visit by the Shadow Transport team to talk about Kent’s transport problems. They are meeting Canterbury MP and Shadow Minister for Shipping, Julian Brazier, and Scarborough MP and Shadow Minister for Roads, Robert Goodwill, to discuss the need for funding strategic road schemes and highway improvements to cope with the problems caused by heavy traffic, especially lorries, on Kent’s roads
Also on the agenda will be Operation Stack and the need for overnight lorry parking, the huge growth in freight traffic from overseas and KCC’s long-running campaign for a Brit Disc system to make foreign hauliers pay for using roads in the UK.
Keith Ferrin said: “Everyone who travels on Kent’s busy roads will know the urgent need to do something to ease congestion at crunch times. This visit is a good opportunity for us to say that Kent should be treated as a special case.”...end.
In all honestly this has got to be the grimmest location for a photoshoot, with The Gateway in the background doing a fair impression of a grim and grisly Berlin Wall, and the wind whistling icily past the nether regions of Burlington House, the monstrosity just out of shot, and with the trucks piled up at a uselessly un-needed Russell Street set of traffic lights behind....life doesnt get any better than this!! Still, the chaps in the photo put a brave face on it all and stay cheerful as they go about their assessment. Names as above.
Add your comment below.
See Latest Comments below including the latest from Cllr Nigel Collor DDC Cabinet Member who was involved in the talks.
Dover Tuesday Dec 11 :On a bleak and chilly day in Dover this illustrious group seen on the left, came to pay us a visit to examine at first hand the ghastly traffic problems facing us here in Dover every single day. We all know here only too well the constant problems, not just with the ever increasing flow and traffic snarling, but also with the noise and pollution. It never stops night and day. This group's arrival coincided with yet another traffic accident, this time involving a German truck and a local car which perhaps emphasised the problem with some force. But can anything at all be done? Well, these guys are here to find out.
The event was co-hosted and initiated by local DDC Cabinet Member Nigel Collor who as we know works hard on these issues in an effort to make our daily lives that bit better. Nigel lives right here close to Townwall Street and sees the effect that the ever whirring internal combustion engine's raging inferno has on us every day. His fellow co-hostee was Keith Ferrin from KCC, the Cabinet Member for Highways.
The picture above shows the group being dwarfed by a thundering juggernaut as it passes just inches away from the pedestrian strollers.
Left to Right:Charlie Elphicke Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Dover, Nigel Collor Conservative DDC Cabinet Member for Dover, Mick Sutch of KCC, Robert Goodwill MP and Shadow Minister for Roads, Keith Ferrin Con Cabinet Member for Roads KCC, and Julain Brazier MP and Shadow Minister for Shipping.
I will now add the Press Release for the fuller picture....
KCC holds talks on transport problems
Date: Tuesday 11 December
Time: 11.30am
Location: A20 junction of Townwall Street and Russell Street, Dover
Details: Kent County Council Cabinet Member for Highways, Keith Ferrin, and Dover District Council Cabinet Member for Access and Property Management, Nigel Collor, are hosting a visit by the Shadow Transport team to talk about Kent’s transport problems. They are meeting Canterbury MP and Shadow Minister for Shipping, Julian Brazier, and Scarborough MP and Shadow Minister for Roads, Robert Goodwill, to discuss the need for funding strategic road schemes and highway improvements to cope with the problems caused by heavy traffic, especially lorries, on Kent’s roads
Also on the agenda will be Operation Stack and the need for overnight lorry parking, the huge growth in freight traffic from overseas and KCC’s long-running campaign for a Brit Disc system to make foreign hauliers pay for using roads in the UK.
Keith Ferrin said: “Everyone who travels on Kent’s busy roads will know the urgent need to do something to ease congestion at crunch times. This visit is a good opportunity for us to say that Kent should be treated as a special case.”...end.
In all honestly this has got to be the grimmest location for a photoshoot, with The Gateway in the background doing a fair impression of a grim and grisly Berlin Wall, and the wind whistling icily past the nether regions of Burlington House, the monstrosity just out of shot, and with the trucks piled up at a uselessly un-needed Russell Street set of traffic lights behind....life doesnt get any better than this!! Still, the chaps in the photo put a brave face on it all and stay cheerful as they go about their assessment. Names as above.
Add your comment below.
- It's good to see that some parliamentary heavyweights are looking into the traffic congestion which is snarlling up Dover's road system. Let us hope that something can be done soon to resolve the ongoing traffic problems as the situation is now getting quite desperate.
- A very productive meeting and an opportunity to explain our situation to two of the Shadow Ministers for Transport at Westminster.
Keith and I had a brief meeting proir to the main event at County Hall and some good will come from that in the future.
Before heading for Dover via the A20/M20, we had a meeting and presentation with Paul Carter, the Leader of Kent County Council and Alex King, the Deputy Leader and the first Chairman of the Dover Pride Board. There were some very positive exchanges with it being made very strongly that Kent County Council fully backs local efforts here in Dover on many fronts, not only our roads lobbying.
Possible sites for a slolution to Operation Stack were discussed, the lorry parking issues and the volume of traffic using the road and the effects of the crash at the Wester Heights roundabout on the traffic flow was evident.
I seized the opportunity to hand documents to Robert, Julian and Keith as well as some photographs of the issues - I did apologise for the content of some taken in the lay-bys along the A20 and suggested that they did not look at them around meal time - local people will know what I mean.
I would like to thank the various media organisations for their interest, all three local radio stations recorded interviews and the local press and Doverforum website continue to give us their firm support on efforts to bring the Dover Situation to the fore in any arena at any opportunity.
- I hope Nigel mentioned the poor air that we have to breath along the A20 in Dover (I'm sure you did Nigel!). I wonder if we can have the air tested (again) while all those cars purr along Townhall St (slowly) towards the Eastern Docks for this Xmas shopping, as well as the normal HGV traffic.
Topsy - topsy
i understand that a representative of kent county council stated at a dover town neighbourhood forum, that the air quality in the docks area was of a high standard. - Air Quality along Townwall Street is constantly being measured Topsy as there is an Air Quality Management Area declared for nitrogen dioxide along there that is about to be extended back to Archcliffe Fort.
- In essence you are right Howard although I dont think the term used was high standard, more not at 'danger levels'. However it was a much more turbulent meeting than the recent one on Policing, where people believed much of what was been said, people generally didnt believe the stuff they were peddling about air quality at that meeting earlier in the year.
Our very own Keith Sansum ( where is he at the moment??) chaired that meeting and I spoke to him about it at the time or shortly afterwards and he himself wasnt convinced. I myself am convinced air quality is very poor here in Dover. The airborne filth is clearly visible on warm days.
But back to Nigels meeting yesterday, I dont think pollution was high on the agenda, it was more about what to do to get us out of the current trucking traffic snarl-up mess. Lets hope they made progress as its a tough problem to fix.
By the way one further note on pollution...Im sure I read somewhere recently that DDC are setting up some observation situation. If anyone knows anything further please let us know. - Ah...Nigel we posted at the same time, thanks for the info.
- Referring to the past forum meeting and air quality, I pointed out to the DDC officer that air quality reading were measured at the wrong point. He had not taken into account, and he apologised for this,that the majority of vehicles were foreign and that their exhausts were on the opposite side to where he was taking the readings.
The duelling of the A2 is not the stumbling block to easing congestion as is often stated, it is the absence of signage at the Dartford Tunnel at the insistance of the Highways Agency that the A2 is primarily for the use of vehicles to the proposed Thames Gateway.
The extra time taken by traffic using the single carriageway A2 as opposed to a duelled one is approximately 8 minutes at its slowest usage, but you would need the proposed exit road from the docks otherwise it would be impracticable.
In summary, it is easier to procrastinate than use what is already there to its best advantage.
ps. Nigel thanks for all your hard work for me both as a Dover resident and truck driver - slightly off topic here, but i think that air pollution is a big issue.
two posts i remember from way back, an analysis was made of the residents of east cliff and athol terrace, chest problems were well above the national average.
the second was from paul, speaking from his garret on top of gateway towers.
i do not remember the exact wording but he referred to a smog emanating from certain ferries that covered the immediate area on certain days.
people living in the area of the docks and snargate street seem to suffer all the problems but get no gain from it.
funnily enough i visited harwich once and it was the same problem.
the only difference being that trucks were diverted away form the village. - PAULb why you ask where I am I keep posting!!
with regard to air quality, indeed I chaired that meeting and I was disgusted that a person with such high qualifications and experience could be saying that the air quality around is not a problem.
No one believed him, and it just showed how out of touch he was, and that
he needs to review how he comes to his conclusions.
- Thats great Keef - keep on trucking as they say.
And speaking of trucks there is a huge backlog again right now tonight Friday, stretching for miles and miles. Horns are blaring, anger is mounting, everyone is frazzled, just what you need on a friday night..so life goes on in snarl up Dover. Not sure what's causing the backlog this time as the sea is not rough and all ferry operators appear to be..ermmm well, operating! - paulb
in my non polluting way, I walked from my house to the leisure centre to referee youth football there/
The Fokestone Road was full of traffic from Elms VALE junction to the botom of Folkestone road.
It hadn't moved much once i reached the bottom of the Folkestone Rd.
that was at 4pm
I came out of leisure centre at 9.30pm and lorries were bumper to bumper blocking all the side roads.
DOVER SUFFERS AGAIN - Huge volume of traffic, both trucks and cars, heading for the continent all morning. At times traffic at a standstill. It must be a rush of christmas shoppers heading towards the Calais booze markets. Sea conditions are pleasant.
- Ken
Thanks for the thanks?
Paub
Was the backlog related to the lorry drivers dispute over cost of fuel or did that add to it?
general;
friday night was 5 a side night with 28 youth teams battling it out in a KCFA registered league
Some people moan about the youth but if you look at it every friday that 28 teams most have 7 players so thats about 196 kids taken of streets pus parents, plus supporters, plus friends,
plus referees and organisers
fair weekly friday night had by all
Let's hope that these guys can help with resolving our (serious) traffic problems - starting with dualling the A2 !
I guess Nigel, you also spoke about the resurfacing of Townwall Street in March, as well as stack and all the other major concerns we all have.
Roger