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The Government has agreed to invest £12.6m in a Quick Movable Barrier (QMB) to help Kent police manage the issues caused by Operation Stack. At the moment if there is disruption at the ports of Dover or Folkstone and phase 1 of Operation Stack has to be implemented, the coast bound carriageway of the M20 is closed between juctions 11 and 12 and LGVs heading for the ports are parked on the motorway. Other traffic is diverted onto the A20. But following Kent County Council's pressure for action  to reduce traffic delays caused by Operation Stack and a meeting with Transport Minister Stephen Ladyman last month this should no longer happen.

Using the QMB  - a continuous moveable barrier used to put a contraflow system in place quickly - will provide a contraflow system on the London-bound carriageway and allow all motorway traffic to remain on the road rather then be diverted onto the A20. With QMB two lanes will remain open in both directions. Ladyman says the Government believes the QMB can be in place within a year and will provide an effective way of improving the situation when Operation Stack is implemented. "Ultimately, the vision we share with Kent County Council (KCC) and Kent Police, is for a lorry park to hold vehicles during the closure of [the ports]."

He adds the Government is also investigating the possibility of increasing the capacity  of phase 1 to J10 on the M20 as an alternative to the current phase 2 which uses the stretch of road between junctions 8 and 9. KCC Cabinet Member for Highways Keith Ferrin says: "I am pleased that the Government is prepared to work with us on this as we continue to develop a more permanent solution to the tailbacks and hold-ups caused by Operation Stack." The council made it clear to Ladyman that it would prefer an off-road lorry park and had identified a priority site between Folkestone and Ashford.

The council says it is prepared to carry out further investigations into this option. Ferrin says: "The Government has given us a positive signal and that is good. It's a step in the right direction and we will carry on our efforts on behalf of all Kent's road users. They have suffered long enough. A lorry park offers the best medium to long-term solution to this problem and we want to take it further. We appreciate there are local concerns about the site but these can be overcome." Gordon Telling, Freight Transport Association's head of policy for London, South East and East of England, says:

"For too long the Highways Agency has regarded the network in Kent as a dumping ground where trucks can be hidden away in time of crisis at the ports. Given the forecast growth at Dover over the next ten years it is high time the Department for Transport and the Highways Agency took a strategic look at Kent's roads, which are a vital artery for goods coming into the UK as well as for exports that are supporting the economy. That strategic approach would be considering the needs not just of Operation Stack but also of local development such as East Kent and the Thames Gateway. As traffic volumes grow the best solution is for the Highways Agency to end the uncertainty about a fit-for-purpose lorry park that can service both Operation Stack and regular drivers' rest needs, thereby keeping Kent's roads free for Kent residents and businesses."

Telling adds: "Arguments about cost should be overcome rather than used as a reason for inaction. This announcement is welcome insofar as it will improve safety and have a beneficial impact on traffic flow on some occasions. However, it must not be a smokescreen to hide the issue of truck parking."