Lack of service stations on Lower Thames Crossing may drive lorries into towns, MPs warn
Concerns raised about truckers seeking rest breaks off new road
Truckers will cause upset for neighbours of the Lower Thames Crossing if planners fail to build in a service station, MPs have been told.
The proposed 14-mile A-road between Kent and Essex will not feature a rest area, according to current plans, and Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has previously said “there is no requirement” to build one.
Ruth Cadbury, who chairs the Commons Transport Committee, warned this highlighted a “national policy gap” which could force lorry drivers off newly built dual carriageways and onto residential streets when they need to take a rest break.
Ms Cadbury told the Commons on Thursday that hauliers “need somewhere to stop and sleep in a place where they and their load are safe” while they are working.
But under the current plans for the Lower Thames Crossing, drivers who need to take a rest would “have to go and find an A-road layby – no toilets, no food, no safety”, the Labour MP for Brentford and Isleworth said.
Earlier this year, Ms Alexander wrote to Ms Cadbury, telling her that “there is no requirement to include a rest and service area as part of the Lower Thames Crossing scheme”.
She added “early proposals for the Lower Thames Crossing included a rest and service area”, but this plan was “re-assessed” with the rest area “removed”.
The proposed new road is set to connect the A2 near Gravesend, the A13 in Thurrock and the M25 near Upminster, with a tunnel beneath the River Thames.
Jen Craft, the Labour MP for Thurrock, said: “We already have significant issues with lorry drivers parking in inappropriate places on roads that are not built for that to get the rest that they need because they can’t get into a service station.”
She asked Ms Cadbury whether the lack of a service station on the proposed route might “exacerbate this issue”.
Ms Cadbury replied: “I absolutely do believe that it will exacerbate the issue because the Lower Thames Crossing is going to significantly increase vehicle throughput, in particular trucks and lorries, on that part of the network, which is already a busy network anyway.”
She added: “The originally proposed (service area) or truck stop has been removed from the plans.
“I’m told there’s no plan and there’s ‘no requirement’ to bring one back – and this illustrates a national policy gap.”
The select committee chairwoman also suggested a private landowner could bring forward their own proposal for a rest area close to the proposed route, if they could secure planning permission.
“I can’t believe it wouldn’t be a profitable opportunity for investors to do that,” she said.
Ms Cadbury and Ms Craft raised the issue during Thursday’s debate on the Highways (Financing) Bill, which MPs approved at second reading.
The proposed new law is designed to create a framework for private sector firms to build, run and maintain main roads, which could be funded through tolls.
Justin Madders, the roads minister, told MPs: “It is no secret that our desire to push forward with this legislation stems from the Lower Thames Crossing.
“The Lower Thames Crossing will almost double road capacity across the Thames to the east of London – it will improve journey times and it will tackle chronic congestion at Dartford, which is bursting at the seams.”
Mr Madders added: “We’ve been clear that the (regulated asset base) model is our preferred financial approach for the Lower Thames Crossing, but this Bill isn’t about the Lower Thames Crossing design, nor does it grant development consent – that work has already been done.
“It simply creates the financial framework that can deliver the Lower Thames Crossing, as well as appropriate future road projects.”
Ms Cadbury said while the Lower Thames Crossing would “relieve pressure” on the existing A282 Dartford Crossing “for a few years after it opens, how long will it be until the toll payers, instead of paying to cross to the other side of the Thames, will be effectively paying to park on the approach road?”
She called for a “transport strategy that supports a modal shift” and added: “If our roads are not to ground to a halt, then I really look forward to a policy that will incentivise alternative travel options so that road space is available for those journeys for which there can never be a choice.”
Ms Craft suggested “a very, very small proportion of a toll that is made on the Lower Thames Crossing” could subsidise a ferry across the River Thames.
This could facilitate “a quick 10-minute hop across the water” instead of a longer road journey for crossings between Kent and Essex, she said.
The previous Gravesend-Tilbury Ferry service stopped in 2024.