Thousands of people have signed their names to a petition aimed at tackling the traffic jam at the Dartford Tunnel and now MD of leading independent logistics operator Europa Worldwide Group, Andrew Baxter, is gathering support from businesses within the area to bolster his Stop the Convoys campaign.
The campaign aims to tackle the traffic jams at the Dartford Tunnel by proposing that all oversized and hazardous goods vehicles are redirected the other way around the M25 – potentially saving up to 2.5 hours of traffic jams at the Tunnel each day.
Over 2,000 people have supported the cause so far, and following a positive meeting with the local Chamber of Commerce, Kent Invicta, Andrew has set his sights on gaining the support of more local businesses in the area that are also negatively affected by the congestion.
Jo James, Chief Executive of the Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce, said: “There’s no denying that the congestion at the Tunnel causes economic and environmental damage and has an impact on businesses – particularly those using the Tunnel on a frequent basis. We had a very positive discussion with Andrew Baxter about these issues and the Chamber will continue to work on behalf of its members to find a workable solution to this ever-growing problem.”
The Dartford Crossing (which is close to Europa’s £30m 1hub headquarters) is an infamously busy route that is brought to a standstill on a daily basis, because each time oversized or hazardous goods vehicles enter the crossing, they need to be escorted in a convoy – stopping all other traffic. On average, 100 convoys go through the crossing a day – this means that one of the tunnels is closed every 15 minutes on average.
Andrew Baxter said: “We launched our Stop the Convoys campaign in a bid to try and make a positive change at the Tunnel, but the repercussions of the daily jams are not just felt by us alone at Europa, they’re suffered by thousands of other motorists and businesses that have to bear the delays every day. It’s those people and organisations who can make the biggest difference. It’s simple – time is a precious commodity and the loss of it costs businesses money. We’ve done our bit so far, we’ve welcomed alternative suggestions, we’re engaging with the right people, now with the help of the Kent Invicta Chamber we’re actively targeting the support of other local businesses, bringing them on board and asking them to help spread the word.”
Andrew has also suggested that another potentially important factor to ease the traffic flow at the Tunnel was to for an official investigation into the height restriction on the left hand tunnel, because currently it cannot be used by vehicles in excess of 4.8m.
