News

There was a touch of anxiety about Chief Inspector Martin Barnes-Smith as he addressed the recent stakeholder meeting for Operation Stack, and with good reason. The police-led operation to divest the A14 into Felixstowe of all goods vehicles bound for the port has not been enjoying much success lately. Inaccurate predictions about wind speeds delays in erecting traffic management signs motorists clogging up local villages as they attempt to beat the queues, mixed with anger and confusion from  LGV drivers who find themselves marooned on the A14, have all conspired to create problematic headlines.

Two things quickly became apparent at the meeting. One: there is no 'plan B' to Suffolk police's idea to instill harmony on the roads when the port closes, and two: no matter what proposal is put forward, someone somewhere will suffer. As Barnes-Smith says: "Everyone is disadvantaged, so we will all need to take our proportion of the disruption." Suffolk police's plan, to start in October, will retain the basic idea of Operation Stack, but shift it further out of Felixstowe and off the A14 in order to keep traffic flowing and businesses trading.

To prevent a gumball rally race for the docks when it finally reopens, a ticketing system will be introduced so that there is an advantage to queuing stoically with hundreds of other hauliers and not opting for a nearby village green. Those with a voucher will eventually be allowed to enter the port, while those without, won't.  "Under health and safety no longer can I permit my officers, or anyone else, stacking vehicles on a live dual carriageway," said Barnes-Smith. "That road needs to be closed properly. I have a responsibility to lorry drivers, a responsibility to anybody providing a service.

"Secondly, if there's an emergency with the Stack, I need to get an emergency response to those people. We need to be able to deal with that and allow fire services to attend. You can't do that on an open road. And, if the Stack goes beyond four or five hours there needs to be provided facilities, like toilets. We can't do that on an open road." Barnes-Smith visited Dover and Southampton ports to see how they deal with congestion and help formulate ideas for his own county.

One thing stood out for him. "The important thing is having compliance with everyone involved with stacking," he said. "If a lorry driver doesn't want to park where I want them to park and they go straight into Felixstowe, I can't control that and that will start taking apart any plan we have." He speaks from experience. An LGV driver was arrested recently after he refused to comply with an officer's request and, said Barnes-Smith, "put his vehicle into first gear and drove at the traffic officer". He added: "We need to ensure there's an advantage given to a driver if they queue in a stack. If there isn't, those drivers won't stack. We already know that."

The force's proposal, which has yet to be finalised, is to divert container traffic off the A14 between Seven Hills and Nacton, roughly 10 miles outside Felixstowe. LGVs travelling to the port will be directed onto the old A45 near Levington, where said Barnes-Smith, there's enough safe land for parking. Tickets will be distributed and these must be presented when the port reopens to be allowed access. All other traffic bound for Felixstowe - but not the docks - freight or otherwise, will be allowed to continue on its journey.

"From my point of view, the further out we take it the better. We can't close the road near the Dockspur roundabout [in Felixstowe]. If I shut that down I would close Felixstowe down," he said. "What we are looking to do is take Operation Stack away from Felixstowe to allow Felixstowe to go about its normal business. "The downside is that traffic all comes up the A12 and the A14. Beyond the A12 we can't capture traffic coming up from London. We are a little snookered as to how far away from Felixstowe we can be."

Unsurprisingly, representatives of the village of Levington have expressed their concern at the plan. Barnes-Smith tried to counter this by saying there would be officers in the vicinity to control the traffic and that everyone has to do their bit. But councillor Andy Smith, for Suffolk Coastal District Council, said spreading the load would be a better option, allowing lorries to park at various sites. He also warned that a ticketing system would have the opposite effect the police want drivers with vouchers will race to the port, causing havoc.

Another issue raised by councillors is why places such as the Orwell Crossing Lorry Park on the A14 can't be utilised to take up some of the strain. A spokesman for Felixstowe port said: "There's a degree of wishful thinking there. [Drivers] want to get as close to the port as possible. It would be nice if they did park up [further back] but in reality it's not going to happen. I don't think it's practical to keep people further away because people won't obey."

The Felixstowe Port Users' Association, set up for companies that conduct business activities at the port, is cautious about the plans. Chairman Simon Fraser said: "It's a step in the right direction. The police are responding to bad experiences in the past. The last few incidents where they have had to put [Operation Stack] out has caused a lot of problems, not just to the haulage community, but also the locals." Perhaps the biggest problem, as Barnes-Smith repeated throughout the meeting, is that there are no guarantees.

"It may or may not work I have to be realistic," he said. "They have to stack or they don't get into the port. That's my Utopia all I want is officers on the ground looking after the confines of stacking people on the highway. Not to debate, or fight, or anything else on the road. We expect reasonable behaviour from everyone."