This thread about the borders of Kent was a surprising hit

But many people asked me: but what would you do to solve this problem?

This thread answers that. How could such a truck pass system work?

#KentBorder #KentAccessPermit #Kermit https://twitter.com/jonworth/status/1309108526522994698

Despite my sarcastic earlier thread, some pass system for trucks to access Dover and the Channel Tunnel actually makes sense - if you assume that whatever Brexit comes on 1st Jan is going to need a lot more customs procedures than now, and there is no space for these at Dover.

The idea needs to be to stop trucks that cannot easily be processed at Dover and the Channel Tunnel from clogging up the roads to Folkestone and Dover, and to park up those trucks elsewhere instead.

The problem that was obvious in my previous thread was that if you need a special truck pass for all Kent (as Michael Gove said), you end up with all sorts of headaches - with Hastings through traffic, the status of Medway etc.

So how do you do it?

You actually need to make an #EastKentAccessPermit - for the area shown in red here

Why this area?

2 temp truck parks at Ashford & Manston are *outside* the zone
Main population centres in Kent are outside it
Number of trucks that need a special permit to enter for deliveries would be limited
Basically no transit traffic Kent to Kent through zone

The zone would have 4 main roads for trucks to the ports (shown with green arrows), and 16 minor roads would either have to be closed to trucks, or somehow policed with APNR cameras (shown with )

A bit more detail on the 4 main roads, north to south.

First the A256 south of the Manston truck park site - the control would be where the red line is shown here. This would be the main route for trucks from Manston to Dover.

Second, the Canterbury situation.

This one is more complicated.

Here the *ideal* way to Manston is via the A299 (green arrow), but traffic from the south would use the A28 that goes through Canterbury (orange arrow). Red line shows where the control would happen.

Third, Ashford.

This news story explains how the truck park there will be built: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/jul/12/local-anger-over-plans-for-post-brexit-lorry-park-at-ashford

The control on the M20 must then be east of that.

Fourth, Romney.

The least important - the A259 would need to be controlled here.

Would this work?



Like lots of things with Brexit it's hard to know. But at least this zone would limit disruption and because of the location of truck parks might just work.

I assume we'll get some more detail from Gove soon too.

/ends