Measures to reduce coach delay at Dover
A series of measures are being implemented at the Port of Dover to alleviate congestion over the coming Easter weekend. The move follows chronic delays for coaches crossing at Dover last weekend.
This weekend, despite considerable car traffic expected at the port, coach numbers are expected to be one third lower than the weekend of 1 April.
To help smooth traffic flows further, the following steps have been agreed by all parties:
- To reduce coach volumes on the projected peak travel day of Good Friday, ferry operators DFDS, Irish Ferries and P&O are working with their coach customers to spread the travel across a three-day period, from Thursday 6 April to Saturday 8 April.
- The Port is installing additional temporary border control infrastructure as contingency capacity for coach processing. The infrastructure is being trialled this week in readiness for the coming weekend.
- French border control authorities (Police Aux Frontières) are providing a full complement of officials to process outbound travellers despite lower coach volumes.
- Coach and car drivers are being advised not to arrive early for sailings, so as to avoid unnecessary bottlenecks in the Dover area.
The Port of Dover made the following comment: “All Port of Dover stakeholders are acutely aware that last weekend was a horrible situation for many travellers, including the elderly and schoolchildren. It is the top priority of all parties to ensure a better experience for travellers this weekend. These additional measures are intended to significantly improve traffic throughput and give travellers a better start to their holidays.”