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NEW REGIME 'MAYHEM' OR 'SUCCESS'?
Page 6
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SUFFOLK POLICE SAY the roll-out of new Operation Stack procedures for trucks bound for Felixstowe Port last week was a "huge success" that prevented traffic chaos occuring in and around the town.
High winds at the port over several days led to the launch of plans to park hundreds of LGVs on the old A45, rather than on one lane of the A14. Local and national press described the regime as mayhem, but roads policing inspector Trevor Sharman says this is not true.
"It was a huge success following one of the most sustainable periods of high winds that anyone can remember at the Port of Felixstowe," he says. It was not just a one-off day of disruption. Had we been running to the old system, the disruption to general traffic flow would have been immense." Sharman says there were congestion problems at the Al2/A14 junction, but only for 40 minutes on the first day. He adds that everyone involved has learnt from the experience and small changes will be made in future.
"I've got to say how different the drivers were: co-operative, supportive, laughing, engaging with officers," says Sharman. "Perhaps in the old stack, they saw police as obstructive. In the new stack, they recognised police were trying to help them."
Guy McGregor, a county councillor and portfolio holder for highways, describes it as "a success with regards to what happened".
He adds: "Felixstowe didn't seize up as a consequence, which must be regarded as an achievement."