Delegates from Kent County Council met with transport secretary Stephen Ladyman last week to discuss ideas for replacing the traffic-management police initiative Operation Stack. A joint announcement will be made within the next few weeks, which Kent council leader Paul Carter hopes will result in strategies to replace the current plan of moving trucks on to the hard shoulder of the M20.
Carter has proposed a 'quick change removable barrier' that could be dropped down over motorway lanes
and also suggested five sites that could be turned into a vast lorry park in the longer term. Both the council and Ladyman are now seeking an endorsement from Kent Police for the projects, which if achieved would leave just planning permission as a final hurdle.
Carter says: "We have presented a package of options. One is for temporary relief involving the quick removable barrier, while we look for a medium term solution." A Department for Transport spokesman says: "No decisions have been made, but an announcement will be made in due course."
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