How Imperial’s findings on post-Brexit border issues caught politicians’ eyes

Dr Ke Han has reflected on his work to predict post-Brexit traffic conditions on the M20/A20 motorway in Kent. Imperial College London's Dr Han has warned of 'paralysis' on the M20/A20 motorways if we don't avoid customs delays after the UK leaves the European Union (EU). Commissioned by the BBC , his team created simulations of how motorway queues could stack up after longer border checks per vehicle at the ferry port in Dover , and at the Eurotunnel port in Folkestone, both in Kent. They found that two extra minutes spent on each vehicle at the border could more than triple the existing queues on the M20/A20, to 29 miles. At peak times, Kent could see nearly five hours of traffic delays. Table showing how the time taken at customs could affect queue length Predicted queue length (red) after one minute extra check per vehicle Predicted queue length (red) after two minute extra check per vehicle - His work prompted the government to actively seek preventative measures like those previously proposed. The include using additional lorry parks along the M20/A20, and electronic checks at ferry and Eurotunnel ports.