‘Smart’ motorways

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Nov 11, 2009
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Even more unsafe when broken down in a "live lane"of traffic on a "smart"stretch of motorway.

Its not that great breaking down in lanes 2 or 3 of a standard motorway either. Until 2018 motorway fatalities were reducing year on year including Smart motorways. I always felt safer on the M42 around Birmingham when it became Smart as when the traffic was flowing smoothly it had the hard shoulder asa hard shoulder. If traffic levels built up the gantry lights would indicate a reduced speed limit and then the hard shoulder would be opened for free running. In which case my normal approach would be to move left.

I think basis of the current concerns is that once again dear old HMG has been short changing us by changing the basis of the construction and use rules such that emergency refuges were spaced so far apart as to be worthless, and the breakdown/accident spotting systems were not installed. All without consultation or announcements. Sadly it took some recent deaths for the charade to become public. Given what they have now undertaken to do I am surprised that there isn't a widespread use of speed governing by gantry signs to slow the whole motorway down to a lower speed such that if an accident were to occur the outcome might be reduced., or even avoid the accident altogether.

https://assets.publishing.service.g...ent_data/file/673760/Redacted_FOI_757_793.pdf
 
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