Critics of the M20 Operation Brock contraflow say it is too expensive, with the cost of deploying the traffic-holding scheme ranging from £100,000 to £250,000.
Operation Brock is the queuing system for trucks queueing to cross the English Channel that has divided opinion since its inception. Those behind the scheme say it saves surrounding roads and communities from being impacted whenever there are delays at the Port of Dover or Eurotunnel, says the BBC, whose Freedom of Information request to National Highways revealed Operation Brock cost more than £2.7m to roll out across 10 occasions between 2019-2024.
Created by a group of local authorities under the name of the Kent and Medway Resilience Forum (KMRF), Brock sees Dover-bound lorries queue on one side of the motorway while the other carriageway is split between traffic travelling in both directions. Since its inception in 2019 it has since been set up between junctions eight (Maidstone) and nine (Ashford) during periods of anticipated high traffic, such as public holidays and major events.
A spokesperson for the KMRF said the decision to use Brock, which also involves Kent Police, Kent County Council and National Highways, was “driven by intelligence showing increased cross-Channel bookings for tourist traffic”.
Simon Jones, KMRF strategic lead for border disruption, added that it was never done “without having clear data of increased border crossings to inform our planning”.
He said: “Until the government agrees permanent, long-term solutions to tackle disruption on Kent’s roads and delays at the border during busy periods, Operation Brock is the only option available.”
Belinda Totton, business services coordinator at National Highways, said although it was “unfortunate” that a system had to be put in place, “without one we would be unable to maintain the flow of traffic around Kent whenever there was a disruption to travel across the English Channel.”
She added: “Operation Brock may be an inconvenience, but it is better than us closing the M20 in its entirety to safeguard the local authority roads and surrounding towns.”
(Pic: Kent County Council)
