Calais: the French customs officers are still protesting. They might stop at 10 pm today
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The French customs officers are still protesting but the demonstration should come to an end at 10 pm, today. The Prefect of the region of Calais has re-introduced special traffic management regulations for trucks.
⚠ [INFO TRAFIC]⚠ La grogne des douaniers continue : circulation très perturbée sur l’A16, l’A26 et l’A25 ce jeudi matin, retard sur les Eurostar
➡ https://t.co/fWS6jsUjmh pic.twitter.com/KcyJrkgexD— La Voix Calais (@VDNCalais) March 7, 2019
Customs officials who started protesting less than a week ago are continuing their demonstration today. The region’s Prefect warns of severe traffic problems on the A16, A26 and A25 highways. Because of the extension of the protest and the huge queues of trucks, the prefecture once again implemented special traffic management rules for trucks moving in the direction of Great Britain this morning. These regulations are to apply until 10 pm, today.
Parking zones for lorries have been activated:
– at A16: near Saint-Folquin (from St-Georges-sur-l’Aa to Nouvelle-Eglise)
– at A26: near Setques (from Reims to Calais)
Mandatory traffic deviations for trucks over 7.5 tonnes:
– from Belgium at junction 57 A16 to N225 / A25
– from Lille on the N225 / A25 to Belgium via the A16
– at the roundabout D 601, towards the Loon-Plage ferry port, redirection of heavy goods vehicles to A16
Additional parking zones (only if needed):
– at A16: at Ghyvelde (from Belgium to Calais) between Marquise and Bonningues-les-Calais
– at RN 225: between Bergues and Capelle-la-Grande (from Lille to Dunkerque)
– at RN 42: between Setques and Seninghem (from Saint-Omer towards Boulogne-sur-Mer);
⚠️Mesures gestion du trafic réactivées ce jeudi 7/3 pour les PL>7.5T, mouvement douaniers:
⛔️#A16 fermée sens Belgique>Calais à Ghyvelde, retournement vers la Belgique
Zones de stockage réactivées:
➡️Saint-Folquin A16 (Dunkerque>Calais)
➡️Setques sur #A26 (Reims>Calais) pic.twitter.com/pilcwss6IL— Préfet de la région Hauts-de-France et du Nord (@prefet59) March 7, 2019
It is not the end of the crisis
According to the French media, there is no sign of the end of the crisis. As stated by Vincent Thomazo, general secretary of the French UNSA tax collectors, „the customs authorities have underestimated the pressure exerted by our colleagues in Calais on the night from Tuesday to Wednesday.” These pressures have strengthened the wave of dissatisfaction across France, informs Thomazo. The negotiations of customs officers with the Minister of Public Expenditure should take place on Monday or Tuesday so the protest may continue until the next week.
Photo: Wikimedia.org/Romainberth