Operation Brock background
The Quick Straits routes – by way of the Port of Dover and the Eurotunnel – are used for exporting items from the UK to mainland Europe and past and carry very excessive volumes of cross-Channel sure heavy business autos ( HCVs ).
Any disruption to those routes can swiftly result in delays on the terminals. If delays on the cross-Channel routes are extreme, this may result in important queues of HCVs on the M20 motorway and the trunk roads resulting in the Port of Dover and the Eurotunnel. These delays considerably influence different Kent-bound visitors.
To assist cut back disruption in Kent on the strategic and native street community, Operation Brock gives on-road holding capability via a contraflow system. It’s a short-term resolution developed by NHL to assist alleviate queues.
It does this whereas sustaining 2-way visitors on the M20 motorway, within the occasion of cross-channel disruption.
It was first deployed in December 2020 and has been activated 5 occasions:
as soon as in December 2020 to Might 2021
3 occasions in 2022, between March to June, July to September and December to early January 2023
as soon as in Might 2023 to June 2023 (as of June 2023)
For additional info on Operation Brock, see the Activating operation brock part.
Nationwide Highways Restricted
Nationwide Highways Restricted ( NHL ) is the highways authority accountable for working, sustaining and bettering England’s motorways and main trunk roads.
It’s accountable for reaching the federal government’s long-term plan for the strategic street community.
Activating Operation Brock
Activation of Operation Brock is a choice made by the Kent Resilience Discussion board which contains of:
Kent Police and emergency companies
Kent County Council
port representatives
NHL
When Operation Brock is activated, sure visitors administration restrictions are at the moment carried out on the M20 motorway utilizing a brief visitors regulation order.
These restrictions are as follows when Operation Brock is activated:
cross-Channel sure HCVs journey on the coastbound M20 motorway and are held at visitors lights close to junction 9 of the M20 and launched the place there’s house on the terminals
journey on the coastbound M20 motorway and are held at visitors lights close to junction 9 of the M20 and launched the place there’s house on the terminals all different autos journey on the M20 utilizing the contraflow in place on the London-bound carriageway
velocity limits are restricted: the velocity restrict via the contraflow on the London-bound carriageway is 50-mph in each instructions; and the velocity restrict on the M20 coastbound carriageway for cross-Channel sure HCVs is 30-mph
is 30-mph autos wider than 2 metres can’t use sure lanes
Operation Brock visitors administration restrictions are indicated by visitors indicators, together with visitors lights
Operation Brock has proved to be an efficient technique of minimising disruption. It additionally allows native residents and companies to proceed utilizing the M20 and the encircling street community.
It’s recognised that Operation Brock can nonetheless trigger some disruption for Kent locals. NHL and the Kent Resilience Discussion board works to repeatedly enhance the decision-making course of for when it’s deployed and the broader processes that help it.
As well as, the Division for Transport ( DfT ) is working with native stakeholders to discover if there are long run choices to exchange, or cut back the use, of Operation Brock.
Proposed statutory instrument
At the moment, the deployment of Operation Brock is carried out utilizing a brief visitors regulation order – on account of expire on 31 December 2023.
A statutory instrument is required to allow NHL to proceed to deploy Operation Brock on the M20 motorway after this time. The brand new statutory instrument is not going to change the way in which through which Operation Brock at the moment operates on the M20 motorway.
It is going to solely change the authorized framework that provides NHL the facility to activate Operation Brock when it’s required, and it’ll solely stay in place for so long as Operation Brock is required.
The brand new instrument will limit visitors because the short-term visitors regulation order at the moment does.
Related restrictions will apply for the usage of the A2 and A2070 trunk roads when Operation Brock is in use. Restrictions on these roads will proceed to be carried out by NHL utilizing visitors regulation orders.
This instrument is a everlasting secondary laws that might be made by the Secretary of State for Transport. It will likely be topic to evaluation by DfT after 5 years.
This statutory instrument is crucial for visitors administration on the M20 motorway so it could actually proceed past 2023 and DfT are calling for views on it.
Extra info on how one can share your views is beneath.
Concerning the session
We’re asking for suggestions on a proposal for the Secretary of State for Transport to make a everlasting statutory instrument to proceed to control visitors on the M20 when there’s disruption on the Quick Straits.
It is not going to change how Operation Brock operates, however solely change thelegal framework that provides NHL the facility to control visitors when it’s deployed.
See beneath for the session questions.
Session questions
1 Present your identify and e mail tackle.
2 Are you offering a person response or a response on behalf of an organisation?
Sure, I’m offering a response on behalf of my organisation
Sure, I’m offering a response on behalf of one other organisation
No, I’m offering my very own response (particular person)
3 What’s the identify of the organisation?
4 Which finest describes the organisation or firm?
small to medium enterprise (SME), as much as 50 staff
giant firm, above 50 staff
consultant organisation
commerce union
curiosity group
native authorities
central authorities
police
one other kind of organisation
5 What number of members or staff does the organisation or firm have?
1 to 50
51 to 100
101 to 150
above 50
6 Do you reside in Kent or close to the M20 freeway?
sure
no
undecided
7 Do you might have any feedback on the usage of a statutory instrument to offer a authorized foundation for the deployment of Operation Brock?
sure
no
don’t know
8 What are your feedback on the usage of a statutory instrument to offer a authorized foundation for the deployment of Operation Brock?
9 What different feedback would you prefer to make concerning the proposed statutory instrument?
The way to reply
The session interval started on 29 June 2023 and can run till 27 July 2023. Make sure that your response reaches us earlier than the deadline.
To answer to the questions, see the Methods to reply part.
When responding, state whether or not you’re responding as a person or representing the views of an organisation.
If responding on behalf of a bigger organisation, make it clear who the organisation represents and, the place relevant, how the views of members had been assembled.
In case you want different codecs of this doc, comparable to Braille. giant print or audio CD, contact OperationBrockSIs@dft.gov.uk.
What occurs subsequent
We’ll intention to publish a abstract of responses, together with the subsequent steps, inside 3 months of the session closing on 27 July 2023.
When you have questions on this session, write to:
Division for Transport
Nice Minster Home
33 Horseferry Highway
London
SW1P 4DR
Alternatively, e mail OperationBrockSIs@dft.gov.uk.
Additional info
Freedom of data
Info offered in response to this session, together with private info, could also be topic to publication or disclosure in accordance with the Freedom of Info Act 2000 ( FOIA ) or the Environmental Info Laws 2004.
If you need the knowledge that you just present to be handled as confidential, please bear in mind that, below the FOIA , there’s a statutory code of apply with which public authorities should comply and which offers, amongst different issues, with obligations of confidence.
In view of this, it might be useful when you may clarify to us why you regard the knowledge you might have offered as confidential. If we obtain a request for disclosure of the knowledge, we’ll take full account of your clarification, however we can’t give an assurance that confidentiality will be maintained in all circumstances.
An automated confidentiality disclaimer generated by your IT system is not going to, of itself, be considered binding on the division.
The division will course of your private knowledge in accordance with the Information Safety Act ( DPA ) and within the majority of circumstances it will imply that your private knowledge is not going to be disclosed to 3rd events.
Information safety
On this name for proof, we ask on your identify and e mail tackle, in case we have to contact you about your responses. You do not need to offer us this private info. however when you do present it, we’ll use it just for the aim of asking follow-up questions.
For organisations, we’re as well as asking for a quick description of your organisation to higher perceive the connection between your organisation’s work and the subject.
This name for proof and the processing of private knowledge that it entails is important for the train of our capabilities as a authorities division. In case your solutions comprise any info that means that you can be recognized, the division will, below knowledge safety regulation, be the controller for this info.
If responding to this name for proof on-line, your private knowledge might be processed on behalf of the division by SmartSurvey, which runs the survey assortment software program.
Your identify and e mail tackle is not going to be shared with some other third events, however your responses and proof could also be shared with a 3rd get together for the needs of study.
We is not going to use your identify or different private particulars that might establish you once we report the outcomes of the decision for proof. Any info you present might be stored securely and destroyed inside 12 months of the deadline.
Any info offered via the web questionnaire might be moved to our inside programs inside 2 months of thecall for proof interval finish date.
Session ideas
This session is being performed in keeping with the federal government’s session ideas.
When you have any feedback concerning the session course of, contact:
Session Co-ordinator
Division for Transport
Zone 1/29 Nice Minster Home
London
SW1P 4DR
E mail: session@dft.gsi.gov.uk
