Smart Motorway or Deathtrap?

More info in the news today . . .

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51236375

 

It looks to me that the risk to safety was changed as 'Smart' motorway sections were rolled out. What concerns me, who changed the design brief, and on what basis, for spacing the emergency safety refuges, after a pilot trial.

From the BBC article:

Peter

 

you still see a lot of rear end shunts in the two right hand lanes due to people driving along and not paying attention traffic comes to a stop and bang you have cars stranded in the outside lanes and the inside lanes are in that much of a hurry they wont let the stranded cars carry on to the safe refuges and leave them stranded

when using a smart motorway l tend to try and stay in the inside lanes as when the hard shoulder is being used as a running lane there is always a variable speed limit in force so no point staying out in the right hand lanes

a lot of the problems are caused by drivers not paying attention and being impatient and not allowing people that are in trouble cross the lanes to safety

 

In Cheshire we've had disruption and congested local roads for the last 31/2 years, while they converted the M6 to a Smart Motorway between J16 to J19. Now looks like another couple of years of traffic chaos while they install extra emergency lay-byes.

As I've already said - Smart Motorways, planned by morons!

 

well in Wales we have got to wait until 22.40 pm to watch the panorama programme on smart motorways

l did have a look on l Player but not available on there either

 

well after watching the panorama programme l still think a lot of the problem here lies with driver behaviours, lack of concentration and impatience

yes there are flaws in the smart motorway network but the biggest problem is the drivers that are using the smart motorway network

 

That's probably true, but would you be happy to sit in a stationary car in a live motorway lane for 17 minutes before the lane closure signs are activated? And a further 17 minutes before recovery?

I know that I wouldn't - I would be up that embankment quicker than you could say "Jack Robinson"

 

I would be out and up the embankment almost before the handbrake was on.

Once, perhaps 10 years ago I was following one of our vans and we new the wiper actually popped its ball joint. Suddenly it started slinging it down, it popped off and the driver couldn't see. We pulled onto the hard shoulder and whilst he leant under to fix it - on the drivers side, I held his coat ready to pull him away if someone was driving straight at us.
Was a very scary place to be. Was peeing down and dark. We said never again.

I made a rule no repairs any vehicle at the side of a motorway and if you breakdown you get out and stand behind the barrier.

I knew a woman who in past broke down (fuel) on a motorway in her Morris Minor, she came walking back to her car with fuel, to find a truck in front of it and her car smashed to smithereens.

 

here a number that everybody should have in their mobile phones and if you do call from your mobile phone know where you are and give accurate information of your location

Highways England 24hr contact number 0300 123 5000

 

Way back in a previous life I trained as a HATO supervisor (or as Jeremy Clarkson calls them, motorway womble). We were told that even in our very bright vehicles we should in no way stay in the vehicle but should wait outside of it in a safe position, as the average time for a vehicle to be hit in some way was 11 minutes after stopping We had doubts about this, especially given the bloke telling us told us the 25 metre cone area would help save us if someone ran into it, but senior officers confirmed it wasn't a long time.
We were also told of a habit by foreign truckers to run with tyres on the rumble strip while doing other things, and if it went quiet they knew they had to look up. That was scary, especially when we saw evidence of it in action. Someone at the side of a vehicle carrying out repairs would stand no chance

 

Its true about the rumble on the cats eyes, my mate used to be a truck driver in his 20's and said the same - For Uk drivers too.

 

The example that scared me the most was reading a book

 

Not on motorway, but in the morning rush hour - seeing a woman driving 'hands free' using only her knees, while putting her makeup on with both hands, using the visor mirror. She was wandering across the lane like a drunk at around 40 mph.

You could probably write a book on the antics of some of the worst drivers on our roads. Most are fairly easy to spot and give a wide berth, but every so often, one comes along and catches you by surprise.

 

Yes, good news. But I don't think it will be happening anytime soon.

 

As someone who has worked on them, they are incredibly dangerous places to break down.

If there is anyway you can continue driving, however slowly get to the next refuge.


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