Guest 640- Registered: 21 Apr 2007
- Posts: 7,819
22 December 2009
07:5335434I couldnt figure this out for a while...the bizarre sight of hordes of tourists and travellers making their way through the freezing temperatures along the seafront pulling their trolleys behind them. I thought initially a coach had broken down but eventually being sharp as a tack, I eventually figured it out when this strange phenomenon went on happening all day long.
"ah! the buses from the station have stopped running to the docks because of the gridlock" sez i to myself with a sharpness that just has to be admired. But because it was such an unusual sight I photographed it in the off chance that it had some relevence to something...
At one point on the main road, rather bizarrely...you had the strange sight of the eastern docks bound carriageway gridlocked solid and on the other side, the western bound carriageway was closed completely, with no traffic at all...then suddenly enter left, gangs and hordes of trolley/suitcase pulling travellers walking along the centre of the abandoned carriageway heading for the docks. A Weird sight somehow.
They no doubt chose to walk on the centre of the road hundreds of 'em because the pavements were unuseable having not been gritted...even yesterday the pavements were an ice rink, even in the shopping precinct of central Dover...you would think somebody would think of those shoppers, me included, and give them a break, and put a bit of grit in the shopping area and on pavements generally.
Top picture was taken yesterday, bottom one the day before. It was the old story of the tortoise and the hare...the tortoise in this case would have made it to the Docks first.
Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
22 December 2009
08:2335440paulb,mind you dont cut yourself being so sharp like that.anyway poor souls walking all that way only to find out that there was very little chance of getting away with no real ferrys to go on.
Guest 653- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,540
22 December 2009
08:2835441Coming back from the Chamber of Commerce last night about 7.15, I saw lots of people (and I mean lots) walking away from the Port, then some more walking up York Street and I realised they were walking to the Station (in Folkestone Road).
I couldn't believe that so many people were not being looked after, no coaches or buses to take them from Port to Station.
Talk about being left to your own devices - shameful, really really shameful.
I doubt if any of them would use Eurostar again and because of the lack of facilities put on for them, if only to take them to Dover Priory.
Roger
22 December 2009
08:3035442There are no excuses for such poor planning, even given the severity of the weather. It isn't the weather that failed us it's the planning.
Guest 640- Registered: 21 Apr 2007
- Posts: 7,819
22 December 2009
09:1635443I wonder if people will carry on in future years attempting this mass Christmas movement. Absolutely millions try to go hither and tither and as we can see the nations travel infrastructures just cannot cope...and the result is misery.
It seems like 30,000 people couldnt fly yesterday...the biggest culprit or victim depending on how you look at it, being Easyjet.
In some cases people want to go home for Christmas to their families which is understandable, but is it worthwhile attempting just go away on a leisure break for example...it just seems to result in misery. If the weather doesnt get you the strikers will. The Eurostar drivers had planned to strike as had the BA cabin crew...a legal loophole saved us from that one.
One other worrying aspect and I think I mentioned it before, is how thinly staffed these big name travel companies are...it may all work slick and fine when all goes hunky dory, but one whiff of trouble and they just dont have enough staff in depth...perhaps a beleagured girl or two on the front desk but after that...nothing. Travellers are left for long periods with no food, no drink, no information, and one story said there were 145 kids on one of those Eurostar trains left in the dark for 15 hours and again with no food, drink etc.
As we said above here in Dover we have hundreds of travellers walking the streets heading for the Ferries and the trains and nobody can help them. Even those in their cars for hours on end must realise its all a mugs game at this time of the year.
Guest 645- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 4,463
22 December 2009
09:2035444The feature of passengers legging it to the port from the Priory was on the national news.What a bloody disgrace. Years ago key staff were issued with a large pass that one displayed in the car window and strategically placed Police Officers waved you along on outside lane into the docks having stopped vehicles exiting the docks and blocking both carriageways.Surely the buses could have been given a motorcycle escort...or something to help rail passengers get to the ferries???
Marek
I think therefore I am (not a Tory supporter)
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
22 December 2009
10:4435446it was a a total disgrace, my heart went out to the travellers humping luggage through the town and along the seafront.
as has been said here, gritting of pavements should have been done at the very least.
what will these people think of dover?
Guest 641- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 2,335
22 December 2009
12:3235450Appalling to think that not only were the passengers not looked after, they had to risk injury by walking along the ungritted pavements! Shocking in the extreme
Guest 656- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 2,262
22 December 2009
12:5935451Could someone in authority please tell us Why, Oh Why, the pavements were not gritted considering the terrible weather conditions over the last few days. I've seen many old and young people falling over. We pay more than enough council tax so this is utterly unacceptable
22 December 2009
13:4935453Colette, you are right - we need to have someone give us a proper response to this. Failure all round.
Guest 660- Registered: 14 Mar 2008
- Posts: 3,205
22 December 2009
14:0635454Having been at the station Sat/Sun and Monday,I can tell you it was murder,not only were the trains cancelled or delayed but when they came in they had all the Eurostar passengers on,to make matters worse the port bus could not make it up on Sat,it refused to come up Sunday and it was fine until mid afternoon on Monday when the Eastern Docks announced they were 'shut' to anymore passengers.Now we were so busy that all the road and paths from the station entrance to the bus bays were completely filled 10 deep,and we were told to hold the passengers at the station which would have meant standing out in the cold and wet on Sat I saw 2 taxis the whole shift obviously there could have been more but I was pinned to my counter dealing with hundreds of passengers who were arriving into Dover and trying to get all over the country.
The new High speed trains where the best performers but they were coming from St Pancras with more standing than sitting and on sunday we even had 3 or 4 Eurostar reps,of course to make it worse we had no snow in Dover well not too much but what people didn't realise the conditions in places like Sandling /ice Tonbridge Medway/snow.The Eurostar passengers were really rude and I was sworn at, threatened and knackered and we were running trains which eurostar weren't,but it wasn't brilliant by a long way and we struggled but eventually we sort of got there,the funny part was the steam train run,thats called progress!
If you knew what I know,we would both be in trouble!
Guest 660- Registered: 14 Mar 2008
- Posts: 3,205
22 December 2009
14:1035455Oh i forgot on Sunday we had Police controlling the passengers and the traffic at Dover Priory on Sunday afternoon,never seen anything like it.
If you knew what I know,we would both be in trouble!
Guest 673- Registered: 16 Jun 2008
- Posts: 1,388
22 December 2009
14:1435456My God, the photos look like refugees streaming down the roads in war torn Europe. Was there nobody in Dover who could organise a shuttle from the station to the docks for all these poor people?
I was down at Dover Priory yesterday to see Tornado pass through. After years of procrastination, work is finally being done on the concourse outside the station. The taxi section is all torn up with diggers working, and barriers along the front of the station. Great time to choose, Christmas in the ice. All the lovely trees lining the Folkestone Road went a long time ago of course, totally unnecessarily.
There was a huge queue of people waiting to board shuttle buses, and one bus there. Two taxis were cramming people in outside the Priory Hotel. Presumably they were getting to the docks so what was the problem, not enough shuttle buses and taxis? JHG will know, Phil and I had a chat with him behind his window.
Paul says the eastbound carriageway was grid locked. How can this be with Operation Stack in place for days now?
P&O and LD Lines are carrying foot passengers. Norfolkline never have as there is nowhere for them to go from Dunkerque West which is a long way from Dunkerque. SeaFrance gave up some time ago as there are normally so few footies these days.
The days of masses of footies going across for duty free are long gone. The backpackers and others who used to come down on the train and get shuttled to the ferries have also gone as Eurostar took all that traffic, rail passengers being able to go direct by train from London to the continent. Some of the infrastructure has therefore gone. The big footies departure lounge above the booking hall in the docks has long been closed.
So what went wrong? Was the eastbound carriageway really grid locked and, if so, why did the police not deal with it? Were there not enough shuttle buses and, if so, why were more not hired by the ferry companies? Was there too much congestion in the concourse outside the station and, if so, why have they started digging it all up at this time of year when a pre Chistmas rush is the norm, let alone an unexpected contingency such as this? Was DHB doing anything to assist getting their customers from the station to the docks or were the fat cats sitting in their office working out the mega bonuses they expect when the port is privatised? Why did DDC not arrange for grit to be down for all these unfortunates struggling with their luggage along the icy roads and pavements? Did the Southeastern railway and Eurostar do anything to assist their customers in the final leg of their journey?
P&O were taking at least 500 footies on every sailing, and LD taking as many as they could carry. The provision was there to get them to France, why could none of the organisations mentioned manage to get them from the station to the docks?
Edit: Posted this and saw that JHG had come up trumps and posted minutes before giving the lowdown. The whole thing is a shambles and I would feel ashamed to be a Dovorian and British were it not for the fact that total disorganised chaos is now the norm in this country and nobody expects anything else.
Guest 672- Registered: 3 Jun 2008
- Posts: 2,119
22 December 2009
16:1335459On Saturday night I was at the Marine court having Christmas dinner with friends.
Having a ciggy outside I got talking to a chap from Boston USA.
The car park was like a skating rink and Traffic all over the place.
This chap had been stuck in traffic for over 6 hrs and when he and his golleague saw Marine Court they said enough was enough and decided to call an end to their journey till the next day.
He'd never seen anything like it and couldn't believe we put up with this sort of thing the way we do.
What more can you say?
grass grows by the inches but dies by the feet.
22 December 2009
16:2135460Indeed - and still no official word.........................................
Brian Dixon- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
22 December 2009
16:3635461i saw ex eurostar passengers at 0830 this mornig walking past a port buss parked in the layby,disgusting way to treat people in the 21st centry.
Guest 672- Registered: 3 Jun 2008
- Posts: 2,119
22 December 2009
16:5535462Do you think we'll get one Bern?
The bloody annoying thing was that Dover was grid locked and the only way to get about was to walk.
So you would have thought the paths would have been taken care of.
Who should have been responsible for this? I think we all would like to know.
grass grows by the inches but dies by the feet.
Guest 660- Registered: 14 Mar 2008
- Posts: 3,205
22 December 2009
17:1735463OY Ian you were out with my Mrs,now tell the truth
If you knew what I know,we would both be in trouble!
Sue Nicholas- Location: river
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 6,023
22 December 2009
17:2335464KCC Now responsible .Why not lobby your man about town Nigel??Many moons ago my husband was Duty Officer for Seaspeed .They looked after their passangers and made sure they had buses or if they had to wait refreshments .many times the shifts in bad weather ended up in the early hours and my husband would bring some of the crew home for a bite to eat .
If the passangers had a delay as a ferry was not available he would organise a sight seing tour .
Those days people were proud to work and indeed have a job .My husband was like I am outspoken but by god he got things done and he held a lot of respect .I have many letters of thanks stored away in some little box in the loft .
Thankfully my children take after us .The elder son is back from Singapore had a day off yesterday now back in Dartford working .Youger one home tomorrow calling into work for a few hours Not bad after a twelve hour flight .
Mother thats me managed to get into town today but the pavements here are still slippery .
Guest 660- Registered: 14 Mar 2008
- Posts: 3,205
22 December 2009
17:2835466I saw you Sue and had a chat down by the BIG TELLY,have a good christmas with the family
If you knew what I know,we would both be in trouble!
