Dover & Deal MP Natalie Elphicke meets with the Port’s Chief Executive Doug Bannister
With increased Port traffic expected as people travel to get away for the May half-term starting this Friday, Dover & Deal MP Natalie Elphicke met with the Port’s Chief Executive Doug Bannister to see the additional preparations being made by the Port to ease the impact of traffic congestion in Dover and the surrounding area.
Additional measures are being taken for coaches to better manage queues, with extra border control booths and planned additional French border staffing. There are arrangements to manage peak periods of coach travel away from Dover’s Eastern docks, and to have a better flow of coach and lorry traffic across Kent roads and into the town.
Following her meeting, Natalie said: “We all understand that there are peak periods when thousands of cars, lorries and coaches will be travelling through the Port to France and beyond. It’s vital that there is effective planning and deployment of border controls and traffic management plans to try to minimise the impact of extra road traffic and to Keep Dover Clear.
“I’m very impressed with the level of analysis, planning and extra arrangements being put in place by the Port for the May half-term getaway. It is clear that there has been a lot of work undertaken by the Port to try to reduce the expected impact on Dover town. I will be keeping a very close eye on how these arrangements work this weekend.”
Doug Bannister, Chief Executive of the Port of Dover said: “At the Port of Dover we work hard all year round to try to manage traffic flows to reduce the impact on the town from our busy Port operations. At peak times, this can be challenging. We are continually looking at ways to improve border facilities and traffic management. It will be a busy period again this weekend, but we are working hard with operators, the Kent Resilience Forum, French border control and the Department of Transport to seek to reduce the impact and period of traffic congestion during expected peak times.”