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The FTA says a truck park is still urgently needed in Kent - despite the opening of a new barrier to manage traffic during Operation Stack. The £12.6m Quick Moveable Barrier on the M20 in Kent - part of phase 1 of the operation - was announced by roads minister Stephen Ladyman this week, who added that the barrier could be in place within a year. The barrier comprises a set of concrete blocks and a machine for lifting and placing them on the carriageway.

It is designed to prevent drivers  from manoeuvring illegally as they have done with the plastic cones used previously. But FTA head of policy for London, South East and East of England Gordon Telling says what the area really needs is an off-road site where vehicles travelling to the Port of Dover or Eurotunnel can be effectively marshalled and managed. Telling 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.

"Today's 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." Kent County Council has been continuously lobbying central government for an off-road lorry park and has identified a priority site between Folkestone and Ashford. Keith Ferrin, cabinet member for highways adds: "The Government has given us a positive signal with the barrier announcement and that  is good.

"A lorry park offers the best medium to long-term solution to this problem and we want to take it further."