TRADERS say their once-thriving street has become a ghost town as they are “held hostage” by “nightmare” traffic.
Frustrated retailers in a coastal resort in Kent have complained about the travel congestion surrounding the Port of Dover.
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They say they are losing valuable trade as customers are blocked from reaching their stores in Dover’s Snargate Street.
Traffic jams approaching the port and spilling into shopping areas has become even worse this summer, according to local businesses.
A petition demanding action from port bosses has been set up by Robin Burkhardt, who owns The Old Curiosity Shop in the town.
He says the knock-on effects are even greater on days when a traffic management system known as Dover TAP is put into use.
This comes when high volumes of vehicles are attempting to cross the Channel into Europe.
Port officials then make a point of queuing lorries on one left-hand lane of the A20 until there is space for them at the port.
On some mornings this summer there have been two-hour delays for traffic including holiday-makers heading towards the port.
Locals say this can see congestion sprawl towards the town centre.
Mr Burkhardt says at times he has been unable to reach his own shop because of gridlock from lorries blocking access to Snargate Street.
Such congestion can put customers off too, he says, and prompt them to head instead elsewhere such as nearby Canterbury.
Mr Burkhardt told KentOnline: “The port is the worst neighbour anyone can have.
“We are being held hostage by the Port of Dover – as a town we need to say, enough is enough.
“Dover shouldn’t be a place of departure, it should be a destination.”
Another local trader backing his calls is Jan Shepherd, who runs Biggin BizR where small firms can sell their products under one roof.
She said: “When people know there is a problem, they just don’t come into town.”
And Mark Burford, from Jayne’s Photography and Second-Hand Books, says the traffic jams can often leave the town “absolutely empty” of shoppers.
He suggested fines for lorry drivers using side roads instead of the M20 motorway which links the M25 to Dover and the Channel Tunnel.
Dover MP Natalie Elphicke has called for the Dover TAP system to be moved further away from the town itself.
She said: “Traffic problems harm trade and make it harder for people to get about.”
A Port of Dover spokesperson insisted they worked together with ferry operators and French police to “meticulously plan” for this year’s peak travel season.
They said they aimed to provide “the best possible passenger experience” as well as “minimising community disruption”.
Measures have include supplying traffic officers to key town centre junctions in peak hours.
More than 1.13million passengers have travelled across the Channel during the summer getaway so far.
The spokesperson added: “Despite the huge demand, the plan for summer has been deployed successfully.”
They also thanked the people of Dover for “their understanding” during “isolated periods of disruption”, while promising to “deliver a long-term solution” to traffic problems.
Dover District Council said they “sympathised” with traders and would “continue to work closely with partners including the Port of Dover”.
Families trying to make a getaway across the Channel over the Easter break earlier this year had to endure 15-hour queues at Dover.
There were also lengthy bank holiday traffic jams there in May.
Delays processing passengers have been blamed on French border officials carrying out extra checks following Brexit.
Meanwhile, a new £1.25million public square in neighbouring seaside town Sandwich has been criticised by locals as a “waste of money”.
Elsewhere in Kent, people in Folkestone say it has been ruined by an “ugly” development looking like something from The Flintstones.
Other residents unhappy about traffic gridlock include those living near Paignton Zoo in south Devon, Exhibition Road in west London‘s South Kensington and the Prince and Princess of Wales‘s favoured Anglesey in Wales.
A study earlier this year revealed Britain‘s most congested roads, with the capital topping the list.
Other cities rated worst included Birmingham, Leeds and Edinburgh.
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