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SHEERNESS DOCKS

15th October 1976
Page 41
Page 41, 15th October 1976 — SHEERNESS DOCKS
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

CM did a tour of the Channel ports recently, and we looked at the amenities offered in some of the terminals.

While none were luxurious — for the reasons mentioned above — all did offer something for the tired lorry driver.

SHEERNESS Two years ago the terminal at Sheerness could have been charitably described as a shack in the middle of a mud puddle. But things have changed.

Last year the ferry company that handles the Channel crossings put up a modern two-storey brick terminal, complete with all mod-cons. The freight office is on the first floor, and beside it is a new drivers' canteen.

Food is served five days a week, from eight to four, weekdays only, "We'd dearly love to have it open on weekneds as well,Bill Moses, the terminal manager, says apologetically, "but it wouldn't be economic."

There are the usual conveniences — toilets, coffee and sandwich machines — as well as a small shop downstairs selling sundries, and a bankcum-bureau de change. The bank is open at sailing times, and carries sufficient foreign currency, apparently, to handle any reasonable demand.

For the 35 or so accompanied lorries a day that go through Sheerness, telex facilities are available. If a vehicle breaks down, the engineering firms in the docks can assist with minor repairs; if it's a major repair, outside garages will have to be called.

Despite overnights being a rare necessity, the gate has a list of landladies who will put up drivers in the town. The town itself is about a mile from the port entrance and a bus service is available to the railway station.

In addition to the facilities in the terminal, there is another canteen by the main gate available to drivers. It's open five days a week from 7.30 am to 4 pm, and on Saturday, when the other canteen is closed, from 7 am to 1 pm.

There's one weighbridge, also near the gate, open from eight to five and — sometimes — from six to midnight "if required."

The only thing lacking at the Sheerness port is a decent approach road. At the moment the A249 from the A2(M) to the town is a narrow, winding road passing through a number of equally winding, narrow villages. But that's all due to change.

By the end of 1978, if all goes according to plan, the route from the motorway to Sheerness will be a 24ft car riageway straight through, without any traffic lights. A new bypass around Sheerness and Queenborough will take lorries directly to the docks, avoiding the traffic and congestion of the towns.

And also planned for the future is a new driver's waiting room in the terminal building. The colour television for its has already been purchased, and the room will be ready "as soon as the space is sorted out.

DOVER Dover is the largest and one of the oldest of the Channel ports, handling accompanied' traffic of about 140 lorries daily. With such a large turnover the facilities offered should be more elaborate than other ports', and they are.

There are, to begin with, three separate eating establishments. The first is the "Merry Dolphin," in the old terminal building. Open 24 hours a day it serves snacks all the time, hot meals during the day, and drinks during licensing hours.

In the important freight area, another canteen operates serving hot meals during the day. Because most of the drivers using the canteen are foreign, it has a continental air about it — if there's anything particularly continental about chicken and chips. It also has a licensed bar, open, of course, during licensing hours only.

A small snack bar with the usual type offare is beside the passenger terminal. It's open from nine to five.

There are the usual amenities (showers and toilets), and no overnight facilities at all. For those who get stuck at Dover — and docks officials would like to emphasise that few drivers ever get stuck there, the average waiting time for a ferry being about an hour and a half — the terminal officials will supply a list of landladies who have rooms available just outside the dock gates On the other hand, the Continental Freight Drivers' Club recommends two guest houses in Dover, neither more than 20 minutes from the dock. St Martin's Guest House has 12 rooms and the Cleveland Guest House eight.

To cope with lorry break downs on the docks, five or six contract firms have access to the port to deal with any emergencies. There is one general weighbridge.

There is but one bank in the port, situated in the passenger terminal. Its opening hours are" governed by the tourist season, but generally it's open 24 hours a day from June to December, and from 8 am to 6 pm during the winter season.

Expansion is dependent

upon the availability of space, which is at a premium at the moment in Dover. There are plans afoot to expand the export freight terminal (old terminal building) to enlarge the kitchen and waiting room. An enlarged.

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