Dover crossing: coach arrival advice as busy summer expected
Coaches are not to arrive at the Port of Dover more than three hours before they are due, industry trade bodies have heard at a briefing. Those that do will be turned away, it was heard.
Peter Bradley, MD of the UKCOA, said: “The Port have asked that coaches do not arrive more than three hours before they are due, otherwise they will be turned away because of the potential lack of space due to infrastructure work required by France and the EU to support the EU’s new Entry/Exit system due to go live in October.
“I did challenge this, as often coach drivers are worried of potential delays on the road network and would prefer to arrive early than get delayed enroute and arrive late. However I understand the enormous pressure the Port is under, so I think the advice to coach operators that the UKCOA would give is that once coaches get near to the port and they are early, they need to stop off somewhere close to the port, and then continue their journey once they are under three hours of their scheduled arrival time.”
Ahead of the peak holiday getaway period, the Port of Dover announce their extensive Summer Getaway plans, working with their partners, ahead of what traffic forecasts predict to be a demanding summer period.
Partners that make up the summer getaway system include the Police Aux Frontières, Border Force, the Port’s three ferry operators DFDS, P&O Ferries and Irish Ferries, and the Kent & Medway Resilience Forum, all of which have put measured plans in place to support the collective goal for an efficient summer operation as possible.
The operational plan includes working closely with coach customers and ferry operators to spread travel demand during peak times. The designated Coach Processing Facility on the approach to the ferry terminal will be used to conduct the Advanced Passenger Information (API) checks and smooth movements to the Port.
The plan is to see the installation of additional border control infrastructure at the French border for tourist traffic, from seven positions to 11 while retaining two freight and five coach positions.
The Port is sharing hour-by-hour projections for every day of the summer getaway with operational partners, to enable them to plan their resources and processes. The Port’s team of Passenger Champions will be located ahead of border controls and on hand to assist passengers during peak periods. It also plans to provide regular operational updates on social media and its website.
“Our current modelling indicates that processing times inside the port will be up to two hours during the peak hours of 6am to 1pm on Fridays, through to Sundays every weekend of the summer holidays” – Doug Bannister, Chief Executive, Port of Dover
Doug Bannister, Chief Executive, Port of Dover, says: “On arrival at the port this summer, our customers will see the contractors we have on-site, working around an already busy 24/7 operation to construct these facilities. The effect of these works that are required to house the process means that our Buffer Zone, where traffic waits for French border clearance, will have a reduced capacity.
“In addition to these vital works, we must also factor in an anticipated increase in traveller numbers of 30%, who will be making their way to Paris for the Olympic Games, starting later this month.”
He continued: “We have added in as much capacity as we can to compensate, but we have a duty of care to be responsible. On that basis, we are advising those who will be using the Port of Dover this summer that it will be exceptionally busy.
“Our current modelling indicates that processing times inside the port will be up to two hours during the peak hours of 6am to 1pm on Fridays, through to Sundays every weekend of the summer holidays, due to the extreme popularity of these days.”