Kent County Council have yet again introduced new measures that make life more difficult for lorry drivers. On top of the strict enforcement of existing parking rules announced last month, the council have now introduced a parking ban that applies to all but a few laybys.
A public consultation on the move opened at midnight on Christmas Day, and has now been shared by the RHA. Should you wish to tell Kent County Council what you think of the ban, simply visit the following link and go through the registration process. You do not need to be a resident of Kent to take part.
What does the ban entail? According to the official documentation published by Kent County Council, the ban, as well as the reasons for introducing it, are as follows:
Following the end of the European Exit Transition Period, a Prohibition of Waiting for Prohibited Vehicles has been placed placed on all roads 24/7 on the above Districts and Boroughs in Kent [Canterbury, Dover, Folkestone & Hythe and Thanet] but excluding laybys off some roads.
Kent County Council as traffic authority hereby make the Order referred to above permanent as shown on the drawing accompanying this document for the following
reasons:
- Avoid the danger to persons or other traffic using the road or any other road or for preventing the likelihood of any such danger arising
- Introducing the restriction to preserve the amenities of the area of which the roads run
The above changes have already come into effect and will apply for up to 18 months. The roads where parking is permitted on laybys is as follows:
- The A249 between M20 J7 and M2 J5
- The A299 M2 J7 to junction with the A256
- The A256 junction with A299 to junction with A2
The parking ban will naturally do little to heal the rift between lorry drivers and Kent County Council.
Last month, Logistics UK slammed the council for its plan to strictly enforce parking laws, saying it was not taking the welfare of drivers into account. Then, once the chaos ensued in the region due to French border restrictions, the council were also criticised for handing out parking fines and providing just a solitary cereal bar to truckers on their first night stuck in the cab.
Photo credit (right image): Paul McNamara / Twitter