TRUCKERS are being invited to a top-level seminar to explain to county chiefs the problems they face on the A14.

Richard Cornwell

TRUCKERS are being invited to a top-level seminar to explain to county chiefs the problems they face on the A14.

The event - being staged next month - is part of a fact-finding mission being undertaken by the county council as it spearheads plans to find a permanent solution to lorry parking problems and Felixstowe's Operation Stack system.

Operation Stack is brought into action when the Port of Felixstowe is closed due to strong winds, and once parking on the port and in depots is full, lorries are taken off the A14 at the Seven Hills interchange and parked up on the old A45 at Levington.

The system is working well, but villagers have been assured it is only temporary.

Elsewhere, there are problems with HGVs parking on industrial estates and in residential areas because there are simply not enough official lorry parks.

Guy McGregor, county council portfolio holder for roads and transport, said good progress was being made on a permanent solution for Operation Stack with police, the Port of Felixstowe, and Highways Agency officials also involved.

“We have officers working on it and currently looking at various options open to us,” he said.

“One of the aims of the county council is to get a better understanding of the needs of the haulage industry.

“In February, at Endeavour House, we are inviting people from haulage operations to meet officers and councillors to help us find out more about the life of a lorry driver working in and out of Felixstowe so we can get a clear understanding of their needs.”

Among the potential solutions to Operation Stack is the building of a 40-acre lorry park next to the A14, probably in the Bucklesham area although sites are still being looked at close to the port.

Where do you think the lorries should be parked? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN, or e-mail EveningStarLetters@eveningstar.co.uk