In Calais Now (1 Viewer)

Feb 16, 2013
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Just got onto cite Europe car park came up the a26 motorway line of trucks maybe thirty mile long and up to Dunkirk, but tunnel passenger traffic directed to outside lane but the lorries are on the slip road so you have go past them and turn in at the last minute if you want cite Europe you have to go past the first turn and come back up, there's about 6 other mhs on here and say they are stopping till morning as we are all on early trains, so think we will as well, hundreds of immigrants about but don't seem to take any notice of us, even seen some femails with them this time
 
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Feb 16, 2013
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Been sitting here a couple of hours now, and the tunnel seems to be loading no problem, loads of mhs getting on, and immigrants just keep walking up the road here, designer trainers and offical looking football shorts, maybe couple of hundred gone by while we are sitting here.
Some just gone by with a lidl bag each.

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OP
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Feb 16, 2013
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Well we are still here in one piece, cup of tea and then round to the terminal, see what's happening, 3 immigrants came and sat in the hedge behind us last night but two blokes with dogs soon came and shifted them, helicopters' flew over with searchlights on sometime in the night, don't know what time that was, never looked
 
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Feb 16, 2013
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Just looked over the fence cars seem to be going to loadup so fingers crossed, looks ok
 

jumar

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We got away early Wednesday morning, our biggest problems greeted us at Dover onwards. We encountered Operation Stuck for the first time, the A roads we were diverted on to were never built to take the traffic they were having to cope with. Just spent the first night back here in the UK, dont know why we live in Spain, the weather is just the same here.

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OP
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Feb 16, 2013
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Came off cite Europe but the usual route to the tunnel was barrier off so had to head for Boulogne and come off first exit and head back in ,lorries everywhere , wouldnt think there were that many trucks in the world but anyway back at tunnel terminal now waiting for our scheduled crossing, doesn't seem to be many here, but a load of caravans ,maybe been to a rally or something.
 
Jun 1, 2015
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I'll be travelling alone so seems a little scary, though,as you say, it would seem that there is some security. Have a safe journey home
 

Judge Mental

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I'll be travelling alone so seems a little scary, though,as you say, it would seem that there is some security. Have a safe journey home

Just drive straight in and straight out..stay an hour away from Calais and you will be fine...

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OP
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Feb 16, 2013
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Did exactly this last Sunday. Never saw a migrant or anyone else.
Believe me there's loads of them, but nothing to worry about as I can see,we came in on the first strike day and coming back the day after the second and apart from a few detours and adelay coming over, would have been just a normal break , and all the scaremongering about cite Europe is well unfounded, probably safer there with the police presence than some out of the way car park or country aire
 
Jun 1, 2015
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Just drive straight in and straight out..stay an hour away from Calais and you will be fine...
Thanks for this advice Judgemental, think that will be best for me. I'm not usually worried by being on my own but you hear so many things being reported back here that it's useful to hear people's first hand experience!

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weekenders

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Thanks for this advice Judgemental, think that will be best for me. I'm not usually worried by being on my own but you hear so many things being reported back here that it's useful to hear people's first hand experience!
Put a "beware of the dog" sign in your window and carry a dog lead and water bowl, keeps prowler's away
 
OP
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Feb 16, 2013
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UK roads are absolute disgrace!! Come out of France trucks all lined all down the mways hardly any police but everything running get here police everywhere but what's happened , closed the m20 both roads, at a standstill now turning all traffic through Ashford, couldn't make it up
 

madgeD

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I totally agree with you chaser , we should have crossed as you did Thurs but I was worried we would be caught up in strike and have to get the dogs treated again so we managed to get an earlier train on Wed afternoon.

All was running smoothly in France but a total fiasco when we hit U.K ! Why the M20 was closed when there was so much traffic all the lorries being stacked is beyond me.
We spoke to a German family that pulled into the CCC site at Cantebury after we did nearly four hours after leaving Folkstone
Tired and totally stressed out.

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OP
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Feb 16, 2013
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I totally agree with you chaser , we should have crossed as you did Thurs but I was worried we would be caught up in strike and have to get the dogs treated again so we managed to get an earlier train on Wed afternoon.

All was running smoothly in France but a total fiasco when we hit U.K ! Why the M20 was closed when there was so much traffic all the lorries being stacked is beyond me.
We spoke to a German family that pulled into the CCC site at Cantebury after we did nearly four hours after leaving Folkstone
Tired and totally stressed out.
Took us 9 hours to get from tunnel to uttoxeter, usually 4, why they shut both sides is totally beyond me, no need to shut the other side either if they did the same as the French and have two rows of trucks for a longer distance and let the cars go past. Crazy
 

sdc77

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How about blaming the French for your travel problems. Op stack is a tried and tested method of stacking and looking after the welfare of truckers. There are detours in place and nobody thinks it's the perfect solution. I think instead of moaning about the UK people should put a bit more effort in moaning about the causes of all this which from every angle is French. (again)
 

wanderer

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I think the authorities like to show their power over the motorist

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OP
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Feb 16, 2013
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How about blaming the French for your travel problems. Op stack is a tried and tested method of stacking and looking after the welfare of truckers. There are detours in place and nobody thinks it's the perfect solution. I think instead of moaning about the UK people should put a bit more effort in moaning about the causes of all this which from every angle is French. (again)
Ok, but can you explain why both sides of the mway are closed, with not a vehicle on it
 

sdc77

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It's called op stack stage 3 and is to start using the London bound lanes also. Part of the central reservation had to be removed.
 
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In France they would stick a few cones out, a contra flow or two, and everything would still be running.

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sdc77

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In France they would stick a few cones out, a contra flow or two, and everything would still be running.
In France lorry drivers are not being looked after.. In the UK they are and it is organised. Access to the crossing to calais though is a bottleneck in the UK which can't be avoided. Its no secret that op stack is in and that detours are in place.( I think it's been lifted now anyway)
 

madgeD

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We were listening to Radio Kent the interviewer asked a Goverment Minister Why they chose this time to put Operation Stack in place when they knew the strike was happening, his explanation had nothing to do with road works ! It was about what would happen in an event of terrorist action.

We did curse the French ! But what we saw just added to the ongoing problem.
 

Forestboy

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Say it again we think we do everything better than Johnny Foreigner but we don't.
Heres another perfect example. We bring the whole county of Kent to a standstill the French park the same number of trucks but keep the motorway open.
Bloody shambles couldn't organise a piss up in a brewery. Everyone with a tiny bit of authority is covering their ass in the name of H&S never mind the public they're dumb they'll just accept it.

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Say it again we think we do everything better than Johnny Foreigner but we don't.
Heres another perfect example. We bring the whole county of Kent to a standstill the French park the same number of trucks but keep the motorway open.
Bloody shambles couldn't organise a piss up in a brewery. Everyone with a tiny bit of authority is covering their ass in the name of H&S never mind the public they're dumb they'll just accept it.
Glad someone agrees with me, bet the police were happy with their overtime cruising up and down in the sun, there was just no need for it, if they had made the queue twice as long or even more, they could have had lanes open for non ferry traffic just the same as France did with maybe a quarter of the manpower.
 

sdc77

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Say it again we think we do everything better than Johnny Foreigner but we don't.
Heres another perfect example. We bring the whole county of Kent to a standstill the French park the same number of trucks but keep the motorway open.
Bloody shambles couldn't organise a piss up in a brewery. Everyone with a tiny bit of authority is covering their ass in the name of H&S never mind the public they're dumb they'll just accept it.
I missed the bit where the French, are doing it all right. I think you need to speak to some of the drivers stuck in the miles of misery in France. Id also be interested in your solution to the Kent approach to dover problem.. Its all been addressed before. There is no alternative presently that the council..and highways agency can sort out.
The police don't decide policy.. They are legally and contractually obliged to police the roads.
I think your rose tinted view of the French getting it right is a little misguided.
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Forestboy

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I quite like my rose tinted view of life especially La Frace makes it a much happier place. :rofl::rofl:

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Weinsbergaman

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He's a simple solution:

Let's start building things again for our own market place then we won't have so many trucks importing loads of goods. We could also employ our own countrymen in well paid jobs with proper contracts and offer decent prospects for our young.

Cheers, Antony
 

scousebird

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Without operation stack Kent would be awash with HGV's trying to park anywhere they can when there is a problem with the ferries/tunnel. Also it implements a queuing system for when the ferries return to normal, the parked HGVs are released to the port in safe numbers and in the order they arrived at stack. Can you imagine the chaos if the HGVs were parked all over Kent and then all tried to descend on Dover at the same time?

No-one is saying that this is ideal but an agreement on a massive HGV park cannot be made mainly due to NIMBYs - the MPs & Councillors are probably too worried about votes.
 
Feb 25, 2013
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I realise lorries must be stacked, but why must the motorways be closed. In France they are stacked down the hard shoulder, then the inside lane while other traffic runs smoothly down the outside! Start nearest the tunnel then as it fills move back a junction. The lorries first to arrive were then first to leave, not like the chaos on M20 with police cars escorting lorries stacked J8-9 past later arrivals!

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