Conservative MP Sir Roger Gale has warned that British tourists could die in 12-hour queues this summer unless the European Union suspends its new border check system. The MP for Herne Bay & Sandwich in Kent said that traffic backlogs caused by the Entry/Exit System (EES) could prevent emergency services from reaching people stuck in their cars during hot weather.
Dover Traffic Modelling Predicts Severe Congestion
Doug Bannister, chief executive of the Port of Dover, Europe’s busiest ferry port, has warned that modelling shows “severe congestion” over the summer, with around 12,000 vehicles a day expected. The worst-case scenario projects delays of six to eight hours. During the May Bank Holiday, queues stretched to four-and-a-half hours long, prompting French police to temporarily suspend extra checks.
Sir Roger Gale told The Times that the additional French guards promised by the government are “not adequate” and that the system should be suspended. He said: “If you have elderly people, children and dogs in 12-hour queues with no lavatory facilities, inadequate water supplies, somebody will die, somebody will have a heart attack. I’m not overegging it. This is the stark reality. How do you get an ambulance through traffic jams like that?”
Technical Issues with EES Database
France’s individual kiosks and tablets, used to take fingerprints and photographs, have had issues connecting to the central database that collects records across the continent. Despite these problems, British passengers must still supply additional information when presenting their passports to create an “EES profile,” adding time to every manual passenger check.
Mitigation Measures and Government Response
Extra toilets, water stations, and refreshment points are being installed along main routes to the port, and additional traffic marshals are being deployed around Dover. The Department for Transport has agreed to use Lydden Hill Race Circuit, a rallycross venue about ten miles from the port, as a holding area for traffic should major disruption occur. Operation Brock, a traffic system creating a dedicated lane for Europe-bound lorries, will be introduced on the M20 this week.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander is set to meet Apostolos Tzitzikostas, the European commissioner for sustainable transport and tourism, on Monday to raise concerns about the EES system. Ms Alexander said: “We are doing everything in our power to keep holidaymakers and hauliers moving, and we are grateful to the French authorities for their close collaboration. We are also investing over £20 million to help improve vehicle flow and increase passport booth capacity at Dover to help reduce delays in future years.” Regarding Sir Roger Gale’s comments, she said: “This kind of scaremongering helps no one, and it fails to take account of the extensive preparations that have been underway for months.”
