The European Union’s planned border control system, which won’t be officially implemented until later this year, will cause serious bottlenecks for tourists heading to the Summer Olympics. Doug Bannister, head of the UK’s Port of Dover, has warned that passenger numbers could rise by 30 percent for travel to the Olympics, which open in France on July 26, as work to install the necessary border control technology takes place.
Starting July 18, processing times within the port are expected to reach up to two hours, especially during peak hours from 6am to 1pm Friday to Sunday, Bannister advised travelers. do not have Please arrive at least 2 hours before your booked ferry sailing time and do not turn up without a reservation.
During the Easter holidays in April 2023, there were significant delays at ports, long border processing times and poor weather, causing some bus passengers to wait for more than 14 hours.
To cope with expected high demand this summer, ports, ferry operators, the Kent Medway Resilience Forum and UK and French border authorities have put in place a number of measures, including spreading out travel demand at peak times, increasing the number of border control points for tourist vehicles from seven to 11 and introducing a new freight permit system on Kent roads.
The port has also provided advice to passengers, emphasizing the importance of allowing sufficient travel time, using recommended main routes and preparing adequate food and entertainment for a comfortable journey. Passengers are advised to have their passports ready before arriving at the border crossing to speed up processing.
Meanwhile, preparations continue at key Channel crossings to prevent disruption when the EES goes live and non-EU nationals are required to register their biometric information when crossing the border for the first time. The EES is expected to go live in October, but the programme has already experienced some major delays.
Border officials on both sides of the Channel also raised concerns about EES delays in May, with French Transport Minister Patrice Verglietteté warning of “operational issues” related to Olympics-related travel, and British Foreign Secretary David Cameron raising concerns about “several major bottlenecks” at the main train stations of Dover and St Pancras.
Source: BBC News
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July 15, 2024 – Cass Kennedy and Alex Perala
