You may have seen recently a huge line of lorries stuck in queues when a French ferry operator, MyFerryLink, went on strike. This caused chaos at the Dover ferry port, and the lines of lorries were parked along the M20, the main motorway between London and the port, until the strike action passed.
This was, however, not an accident, or simply a result of an out of control queue. These tailbacks were actually controlled by Kent police, under the guise of Operation Stack. In this article, we’re going to look at the scheme, touching on its history, its implementation, and its alternatives & controversies.
The History
First devised in the late 1980s, Operation Stack was designed to deal with any problems at either the Euro Tunnel, or the various cross channel ports between England and France. Being the busiest shipping lane in the world, a huge amount of lorries, cars and passengers pass through the port everyday. So a plan had to be put together should either service be halted.
These stoppages could be caused by bad weather, industrial action, or other concerns over safety. In the first 20 years of its service, Operation Stack was implemented 74 times – that’s an average of between 3 and 4 times a year. In the first half of 2005, heavy snowfall caused it to be implemented 18 times in 6 months.
Implementation
Obviously, a scheme this big is not undertaken lightly, and isn’t easy to deploy. Once it becomes apparent that the lorries transporting goods will need to be “stacked”, the Kent police will start marshalling them to the hard shoulder of the M20. Another line can be implemented alongside this queue, either along the left hand lane, or the right hand fast lane. This leaves the road open for cars and patrolling police vehicles.
The operation has three phases:
- Phase 1: Lorries going coast-bound are stacked between Junction 11 (Hythe) to 12 (Cheriton)
- Phase 2: Queues extended to between Junction 8 (Maidstone) to 9 (Ashford)
- Phase 3: Queues extended to the London-bound side, between Junction 9 (Ashford) to 8 (Maidstone)
All other traffic is diverted on to the A20, which runs parallel to the M20. These queues can last for days, and cause chaos on local roads.
Controversy
Owing to the amount of disruption the operation causes, Operation Stack has been met with a lot of criticism. Heavy goods unions are unhappy that it leaves their lorries in a somewhat vulnerable position to theft, and can mean massive disruptions in service even after the problems that started the operation are cleared. Motorists in the area also dislike the scheme for the detrimental effect it has on commutes for the duration of its implementation.
However, an alternative has yet to be found. Attempts have been made to build lorry parks, that would allow for off-site parking, but so far a site that is both logistically well placed (so lorries could easily leave the motorway and gain access) and big enough has yet to be agreed upon. It was even suggested by environmental groups that an “island” should be built next to the port, from reclaimed soil, which would enable a lorry park that wouldn’t require the repurposing of any existing space.
However, as no solid alternative seems imminent, it seems Operation Stack will continue for the foreseeable future.
