RHA calls on Kent County Council to end “hostile” parking ban

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The Road Haulage Association (RHA) has urged Kent County Council (KCC) to end its ban on lorry parking in large parts of the county, which appears set to become permanent despite originally being described as a temporary.

At the time the ban was implemented, both KCC and the Government said the parking restrictions would be lifted after 6 months. However, the Council is now seeking to make the HGV parking restrictions permanent.

In a statement, the RHA says it is “calling for a return to normal parking rules that will allow drivers to use lay-bys and other legal parking places, without the imposition of fines and clamping.  It is imperative that HGV drivers are allowed to stop, when the need arises, which is usually safety related.”

The RHA states it firmly believes that the long-term lorry parking issues in Kent must be dealt with urgently. This, according to the RHA, needs to be done with an improvement to the quality and quantity of facilities for commercial vehicle drivers and their vehicles, “not with anti-driver rules which create a hostile environments and simply move parking issues elsewhere.”

KCC have long been running a consultation asking for views on making the restrictions permanent. As the RHA points out, the consultation does not explain why legally allowed lorry parking is essential for drivers and operators.

Approximately a month ago, it was revealed that only 3 RHA members had bothered to respond to emails from the RHA requesting feedback on the ban and the parking situation in the county.

Nevertheless, the tide seems to have turned since then, with hauliers and drivers responding to calls to take the time to air their views via the consultation document. According to retired trucker Sebastian Barrow, who has been tirelessly campaigning against the ban, as of May 28th, there were 249 objecting to and 98 supporting the ban in the consultation document.

Both Mr Barrow and the RHA are encouraging all lorry drivers and operators to respond to the Council’s consultation with their views. The document can be found here, responses can be made until midday on Saturday.

Back in April, Tory Councillor David Brazier, who supports the strict Kent HGV parking ban, was quoted in Kent Online as saying the county was “infested” with HGVs before the ban kicked in:

It used to be the case that every lane, lay-by, nook and cranny was infested nightly with HGVs with all the deeply unpleasant consequences of their stopping overnight. This [ban] has been needed for years. It’s brought tremendous relief to many residents. To relinquish the powers at the end of six months would be an unthinkably backward step.

Duncan Buchanan of the Road Haulage Association said that Brazier’s words were “shameful”, and added that the Kent councillor has an “ ignorant mindset”. Buchanan also accused Brazier of dehumanising lorry drivers.

A fortnight later, a truck was clamped in Kent while parked at a layby waiting for a tyre replacement, sparking yet more criticism over the strict HGV parking restrictions.

Commenting on the HGV parking ban, Tom Cotton, RHA Policy for England and Wales said:

“The need to introduce the ban is largely as the result of the failure of Kent County Council to facilitate adequate HGV parking in the first place. Despite many years of encouragement from the RHA to do so.”

Meanwhile, Mr Barrow is continuing to write to the authorities in Kent regarding what he and others perceive as the council’s failure to provide sufficient legal parking facilities in the region.


Photo credit: Google Maps

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