Liseberg in Sweden has a virtual queue system that works like a joy, along the same lines as the Disney one used to - use the app to join the queue, then you get a time slot allocated and a notification when it’s time to get on. No idea if it would work for truckers but great for small children with limited attention spans.
Oh and there shouldn’t be many live animals waiting around at Dover anymore as the U.K. banned live animal exports in May.
My husband's *barber* makes use of virtual queue technology. It must be within the capability of the ports system to introduce something that makes this easier. I'm at the thick end of the Kent Portals queue mitigation efforts and not only is it miserable for the lorry drivers, it snarls up the whole of South Kent, too.
Genuine question: how much do the ports/Eurostar make use of dynamic pricing to influence demand for their freight services? As per James' point about how Disney often control queueing with twin lanes, the speedier being one you can pay for, I assume there is a degree of dynamic pricing but the trade offs (waiting on the M20 for days) are worth it, yes? This isn't to say I don't broadly agree with the proposal - one might look at where else it might be enabled in public services...
If we're talking about Ebbsfleet, rather than extending Crossrail (though can see that as a longer term option), surely just offering a Southeastern High Speed service to Ebbsfleet as part of the overflow mechanism would work? Passengers heading to or at St Pancras could be redirected as they arrive if the station is getting overwhelmed.
I do like the Ebbsfleet idea, so long as boarding at St Pancras is reserved for people coming from the North and Midlands. Getting a train from Manchester to Euston and then having to get to Ebbsfleet via Crossrail would be hellish.
Ebbsfleet and Ashford have tones of parking - and the whole of the southeast could pick up their Eurostar at one of those stations rather than having to get into central London and join the tiny departure lounge.
It's an interesting idea. I guess you'd need to set up extra lanes for trucks who are using the app to skip the queues of those who aren't. Or just block trucks who aren't using it at some point which would probably also lead to chaos.
Liseberg in Sweden has a virtual queue system that works like a joy, along the same lines as the Disney one used to - use the app to join the queue, then you get a time slot allocated and a notification when it’s time to get on. No idea if it would work for truckers but great for small children with limited attention spans.
Oh and there shouldn’t be many live animals waiting around at Dover anymore as the U.K. banned live animal exports in May.
Re Eloy: I love The Power and the Passion you argue for it
My husband's *barber* makes use of virtual queue technology. It must be within the capability of the ports system to introduce something that makes this easier. I'm at the thick end of the Kent Portals queue mitigation efforts and not only is it miserable for the lorry drivers, it snarls up the whole of South Kent, too.
Genuine question: how much do the ports/Eurostar make use of dynamic pricing to influence demand for their freight services? As per James' point about how Disney often control queueing with twin lanes, the speedier being one you can pay for, I assume there is a degree of dynamic pricing but the trade offs (waiting on the M20 for days) are worth it, yes? This isn't to say I don't broadly agree with the proposal - one might look at where else it might be enabled in public services...
If we're talking about Ebbsfleet, rather than extending Crossrail (though can see that as a longer term option), surely just offering a Southeastern High Speed service to Ebbsfleet as part of the overflow mechanism would work? Passengers heading to or at St Pancras could be redirected as they arrive if the station is getting overwhelmed.
I can assure you not all your audience is white collar.
I do like the Ebbsfleet idea, so long as boarding at St Pancras is reserved for people coming from the North and Midlands. Getting a train from Manchester to Euston and then having to get to Ebbsfleet via Crossrail would be hellish.
Ebbsfleet and Ashford have tones of parking - and the whole of the southeast could pick up their Eurostar at one of those stations rather than having to get into central London and join the tiny departure lounge.
Also, I've just realised that you can just get the Javelin from STP to Ebbsfleet
It's an interesting idea. I guess you'd need to set up extra lanes for trucks who are using the app to skip the queues of those who aren't. Or just block trucks who aren't using it at some point which would probably also lead to chaos.
By the way, a ban on live animal exports received royal ascent earlier this year https://www.gov.uk/government/news/export-of-live-animals-banned