If you are heading down that way don't forget Operation Brock is in place again on the M20.
Operation Brock / M20 - A rolling thread, so do check the dates, as it’s not a permanent fixture
- Thread starter LOLGEOFF
- Start date
It commenced on 01 April and will remain in force until the night of the 07 April.
We can bet it will be back before Christmas, too.
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FFS!
It works better than them shutting the M20 to vehicles, other than lorries. Also a lot better then when the southbound carriageway was reduced to a single lane for cars / bikes, lanes one and two being a car park of trucks, many miles long.
I am not sure what happened to the idea of making a vast lorry parking lot? Maybe they built houses on it instead?
It's an absolute nightmare for trucks and utter effing chaos.
Drivers are controlled by their driving hours and being stuck in brock with no facilities or knowledge of how long it's going to take to get to the port causes massive problems.
Also, the trucking community are treated like second hand citizens when tourists are obviously given priority to get to the port.
I think teh authorities seem to have forgotten who keeps the ferries running all year round.
The truck parking you were referring to @Wapping was meant to be at Manston Airfield but local objections put pay to that. It was an idea which could have worked well but old Bernard and Vera who live in Manson View didn't want those nasty old lorries ruining their afternoon naps......
Drivers are controlled by their driving hours and being stuck in brock with no facilities or knowledge of how long it's going to take to get to the port causes massive problems.
Also, the trucking community are treated like second hand citizens when tourists are obviously given priority to get to the port.
I think teh authorities seem to have forgotten who keeps the ferries running all year round.
The truck parking you were referring to @Wapping was meant to be at Manston Airfield but local objections put pay to that. It was an idea which could have worked well but old Bernard and Vera who live in Manson View didn't want those nasty old lorries ruining their afternoon naps......
I can well imagine that being queued along M20 is no picnic. There again the old ‘Stack’ system didn’t work for anyone and at least cars / bikes are now separated from lorries, which is probably safer overall for everyone.
The large lorry park idea seemed to be a very good compromise, not least as they could have put in some basic amenities for the truck drivers who I have every sympathy with. I wouldn’t have minded a £10 levy on ferry / Chunnel tickets to pay for some of it. That way, everyone wins something.
They have a big field car park in France, where we were corralled when the Chunnel had a massive power failure; it’s the only time I have seen it used. It had to be brought into play, as the queue of vehicles stretched for several miles back along the motorway. It was bloody dangerous.
The large lorry park idea seemed to be a very good compromise, not least as they could have put in some basic amenities for the truck drivers who I have every sympathy with. I wouldn’t have minded a £10 levy on ferry / Chunnel tickets to pay for some of it. That way, everyone wins something.
They have a big field car park in France, where we were corralled when the Chunnel had a massive power failure; it’s the only time I have seen it used. It had to be brought into play, as the queue of vehicles stretched for several miles back along the motorway. It was bloody dangerous.
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That's little consolation when you're riding towards Folkestone at 50 mph when the other side of the carriage way is an empty lorry park.
Mind you, none of us will be travelling anywhere when the fuel runs out.
Life can’t always be a bowl of cherries. At least bombs aren’t falling on your head.
As an alternative (and as no respecting bikermate ever contemplates using a motorway) try:
Courtesy of Ectopic of UKGSer, Folkestone resident who used to commute up to London, when not holding up travellers at the tea huts.
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It’s good to remind oneself of this from time to time.
Manston Airfield is expected to reopen as an airport in 2028
A proud Battle of Britain history.
And, IIRC, one of the longest runways in the UK and listed by NASA as a diversionary landing location for the Space Shuttle.
That would make sense, as it was used to receive badly damaged bombers later in the war.
Off topic a bit but.............
Have a read of the Channel Dash stuff............
www.manstonhistory.org.uk
Have a read of the Channel Dash stuff............
History of Manston Airfield
Manston airfield history from 1916 to the present day, including events in World War I, World War II, interwar years and its time as RAF Manston.
www.manstonhistory.org.uk
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Boringly back to the M20....I recall that for many years, miles of it were a form of contraflow and a magical purple pipe/conduit held up with 2 broom handles every 2 metres appear at the end of the hard should. It went on for miles...well, it still does. the contraflow seemed to have gone last weekend when we last used it, no sign of a new road surface or suchlike...but that magical purple pipe still remains.....what a weird bit of motorway work
I believe that was all linked to the (subsequently abandoned) move to create a smart motorway. Better known as a death trap. I could well be wrong.
I pity the poor sod who turned up at work one morning and was told
"Sid, you've a bit of pipework to do...grab that purple stuff and some of them broom handles and a hammer...and get walking, there's 10 miles of it to do....."
"Sid, you've a bit of pipework to do...grab that purple stuff and some of them broom handles and a hammer...and get walking, there's 10 miles of it to do....."
Mostly likely Łukasz, not Sid. Sid is sat on his arse, moaning about bloody Poles, stealing his job.
Any filtering allowed ?
