Stuck in Dover

[XmasGridlock]

No AIBU. Just stuck in my car in gridlocked Dover with a two year old. Only about two minutes from home. Been here half an hour now. Lots of traffic building up behind me. Plenty of people turning around. Anyone fancy keeping me company?

I have made it home!

@CallmeAngelGabriel

So, how come the whole town is grid-locked? Surely the lorries are diverted away from the main thoroughfares when there's this sort of issue at the port? Do they drive through the main streets then?

(Sorry for my ignorance; it's been a while since I travelled via Dover).

I was in that exact same queue earlier. Luckily no stuck as long as OP. I turned right at the roundabout in the first picture.

It’s not lorries causing the delays in that part of town. It’s vans, tons of them go through the port and if they get turned away they just head into the back roads and try again.

@CallmeAngelGabriel

So, how come the whole town is grid-locked? Surely the lorries are diverted away from the main thoroughfares when there's this sort of issue at the port? Do they drive through the main streets then?

(Sorry for my ignorance; it's been a while since I travelled via Dover).

How come the town is gridlocked?

Because despite 4 years of planning for a very similar potential scenario the government have fucked it.

Glad you're home op. Sounds like it was a nightmare. Hope you have chocolate in!

All the roads bins are still out and unemptied. Obviously the dustcarts haven't been able to get through.

Dover is NOT an easy town to walk around
and now not an easy ton to drive around
stay safe OP

@XmasGridlock

I have made it home!

Wooohooooo! Relieved for you.

Take care. Have a large drink!

Hope you made it back okay. We’re 3 miles outside of Dover and DH got stuck earlier but managed to turn around and come home.

One heartening story to come out of this; ‘Gravesend Gurdwara and Khalsa Aid delivers hundreds of curries to lorries stranded in Kent’

www.kentonline.co.uk/gravesend/news/hundreds-of-curries-delivered-roadside-to-stranded-truckers-239717/

Time to get myself cleaned up and out of these piss soaked pants.

Lots of love for the two year old who was fucking amazing the whole time.

The cashier at Tesco’s was telling me she lives just outside the port. She was due to finish work at 2pm and start again at midnight and was considering just staying there in between because she couldn’t see how she could get home and back. It’s terrible

That man who wouldn't let the family in to use his toilet should be ashamed of himself.

Congratulations OP! Hope your appointment goes ok.

RTB not far off with your 2pm estimate.

So glad you are home Op! Your 2 year old is trooper.
Ignore the fuckwits on this thread.

@noelgiraffe

Given that Dover has been gridlocked all morning, a clear run to the chemist and a standstill on the way back isn't the conclusion I would have leapt to.

But y'know, your sunny personality shines through.

Unpleasant and unnecessary.

Eh, finally? That was a reply to someone moaning about my innocuous question as to whether the OP was on her way out or back home. For some reason it didn’t quote.

It was actually pretty restrained, in the circumstances.

Glad you made it home, OP, hope your car scrubs up ok!

@makingmiracles

Oh no, was just about to suggest getting out and opening the passenger side door and back door and crouching between them to pee for a bit of privacy...i was too late...hope you don’t have to sit in your pee for much longer OP

I was once stuck on the m5 7 months pregnant for 5hrs, how I didn’t pee myself ill never know!

I had to do exactly that when stuck on the M25 for 4 hours because a lorry had caught fire! And once in Dorset when we had badly misjudged how long a journey would take.

It really is a horrible feeling when you're stuck in traffic like that, it makes me feel almost claustrophobic, and utterly powerless.

Brexit has absolutely nothing to do with this!

Brexit has exacerbated the issue - due to a number of warehouses stockpiling (yes they are, DH works for one), there s a larger number of HGVs and vans delivering to us, and therefore trying to get home. The reason for the stockpiling is Brexit.

You’ve had some unnecessary grief on this thread noelgiraffe!

@PandemicPavolova

Poor people.

Apparently they set up the initial testing at the airport which meant the trucks who can move go to the back of the queue, because the ones at the front still can't go anywhere?

Who, in logistics... Looking at a map would decide to test those right at the back of a gridlock queue.

Now they are moving the testing to the actual front?

Beggar's belief

Fuck me, they can't seem to get anything right. What a load of useless twats.

Any eejit can see that you can only clear a queue like that from the front, ffs.

@nosswith

Hope you are a Remainer, if not no sympathy. Agree about the wipes. Nearly time for Fairytale of New York I think.

There’s always one

Congratulations op!
Have a lovely Christmas 🎄 🙂

Glad your ordeal is over, OP, and for your toddler, for being so good.