News | Transport


downsmail.co.uk Anger overM20 night fines


THE government agency tasked with preparing theM20 in advance of Brexit nextMarch has been accused of cashing in on speedingmotorists.


DoverMP Charlie Elphicke (pic-


tured) used Freedom of Informa- tion legislation to discover that £300,000worth of tickets have been dished out to motorists in the 50mph roadwork zones. Almost 3,000 vehicle drivers


have been hit with £100 fines since the Highways England-commis- sioned work started. Some mo- torists say they have been penalised in the dead of night when there is no work going on, virtually no traffic and noworkers. IndependentMPMr Elphicke re-


vealed a third of the 2,969 fines, equalling £124,200, were handed out overnight between 8pm and 6am. The roadworks, which aim to


manage traffic flows post-Brexit, create four lane zones around


Maidstone and a new junction at Ashford, all have a 50mph speed limit 24 hours a day. He said: “Drivers are already paying a high price for having to


Transport secretary Chris Grayling apologised to Malling MP Tom Tugendhat over plans for the M26


MP to fight plan for HGV park on M26


AS THEGovernment’s contingency plan to deal with the prospect of cross-Channel traffic chaos emerges, ToryMPTomTugendhat has found himself among its fiercest critics. TheMP forMalling had been as-


sured that in the event of customs hold-ups post-Brexit,


the M26


would not be used to stack lorries. But research into overnight road


closures revealedthis iswhat theDe- partmentofTransport is considering. Mr Tugendhat received an apol-


ogy fromChris Grayling, the Secre- tary of State for Transport, for not keeping politicians and the public informed, but this has failed to si- lence his concerns. On Thursday, October 25, he


made clear his anger at the lack of consultation and the prospect of using the M26 during a meeting with Mr Grayling during an ad- journment debate in the Commons. The MP, who is chairman of the foreign affairs select committee,


18 Maidstone December 2018


maintains the M26 is unworkable for consideration in the event ofOp- eration Stack, linking to theM25, its lack of slip roads andsuitable diver- sions for large vehicles. However,Highways England has


confirmed theM26 is included in a phased approach if customs delays at Dover and Folkestone result in congestion. The spokesman said: “We have


been instructedto take allM20,M26 andManstonplans forwardunder a new operational framework, Oper- ation Brock,which seeks to keep the M20 open.” MrTugendhat said: “Though they


insist the M26 is unlikely to be needed, it is unsuitable for holding HGVs and Iwill do all I can tomake sure it isn’t used.” The 10-mile motorway will be


closed from10pmto 5amfromNo- vember 19-December 21 while cen- tral crossing points are installed. See letters, pages 46-47


crawl through roadworks on the M20. Now more than 1,000 people have been fined while driving at night,when there is nowork. “Highways England needs to


hurryupandfinishthese roadworks. And the government needs to spend the funds raisedthroughfinesonim- provingKent’s roads and fixing pot- holes.” WhentheMPraisedthe issuewith


HighwaysEngland,he claimshewas toldthe cameraswere inplace inpro- tect workers. He added: “Of course, it’s important thatpeopledrive safely andworkers are protected.Yet at the current rate 26 people are caught every day, costing motorists nearly £1million every year. “It’s important that Highways


England ensures motorists are not treated like a cash cow.”


From May 15 to September 13,


2018, some 2,505 fines were handed todriversbetweenjunctions 9 and11, with1,604happeningduringtheday and 901 overnight. The roadworks at theM20 inAsh-


ford andMaidstone are expected to end in the first half of 2020. High- ways England said: “Road workers faceoneof themosthazardouswork- ing environments in the country and we are committed to keeping them safe. “Reducedspeedlimits alsoprotect


drivers,where narrowlanes and fre- quently changing road layouts affect safe speeds. Highways England re- ceives no revenue from speed cam- eras – our sole interest is in encouraging drivers to stick to the speed limit and keeping our road- works safe.”


Modal shift ‘a choice’


ONCEdescribedas the twomost fearedwords inthe Englishlanguage, itap- pears “modal shift” is undergoing something of an imagemakeover. The termis used to describe the replacement of onemeans of transport


with another, which in Maidstone’s case is swapping motor vehicles with walking, cycling and buses. But in the year since the passingof


Maidstone Borough Council’s Local Plan, andwith its 17,600 newhouses and tens of thousands of cars joining roads which are already under con- siderable pressure, modal shift has begun to attain altogether more negative connotations. Politicians on the doorstep hear the words spat back at them in disgust and the phrase is becoming increasingly toxic. Now Conservative borough coun-


cillorDavid Burton (pictured) is seek- ing to restoremodal shift’s tarnished reputation. He has used the phrase “modal choice” frequently in recent times,most notably at the lastMaid- stone Joint Transportation Board meeting. Indeed, he claimsMBC of- ficers are in the habit of using the newtermand adds: “Modal shiftwas about carrot and stick, but I believe that we should take the stick out al- together and offer choice instead.” Thatmeans offering alternatives such as electric bikes or a seasonal ap-


proach to transport other than the car, he said. ButCllrBurton’sTorygroupleader JohnPerry,whorepresents Staplehurst,


is not impressed. He said: “Iwouldn’t think the termwill getmuch traction in the Conservative group as awhole.” Tory county councillor Gary Cooke, who says he has “never bought into


modal shift” was also underwhelmed. He said: “You can change the words if you like, butmodal shiftwould never have anythingmore than a very lim- ited impact on traffic congestion.” Wendy Young of the Leeds-Langley Relief Road Action Group chose two words to describe the newphrase: “Total rubbish.”


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