News

Operation Stack, a police and Highways Agency (HA) initiative to remove hundreds of LGVs from the A14 after strong winds closed Felixstowe Port last week, has been hailed a success. The emergency procedure is said to have been successful thanks in part to increasing numbers of drivers who now understand the reasons for the queuing strategy. Police say the policy of directing LGVs onto a hard shoulder or an outside lane when bad weather closes ports has proven difficult to implement in the past.  But on 6 March the operation, designed to avoid roads turning into huge car parks, appeared to have worked with traffic still moving on the main route into the port.

Inspector Trevor Sharman of Suffolk Police's roads policing unit says: "I think it's improving because information is getting out to container drivers as to what Operation Stack is about and how important it is to comply with the demands." Sharman says problems have arisen when drivers have ignored advice to queue and have instead travelled into nearby villages and haulage yards, which causes congestion when the port eventually reopens.

"In my experience it has been difficult in the past," he says. "Some, not all, drivers are failing or refusing to co-operate with the traffic management we have in place. This really leads to problems." The HA says it is now constructing concrete standings on the A14 for high-tech signs which will provide LGV drivers with information about the port.

Inspector  Trevor Sharman says he is unaware of council plans to introduce an overtaking ban for trucks on the A14. He asks: "How would you enforce it? [Trucks] need to get into lane two to turn right into dock gate one."