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Old 3rd September 2019, 18:02   #11
macafee2
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I cant recall which motorway but it often goes something like this.
sign says congestion use hard shoulder so I move too hard shoulder, next sign, hard shoulder for exit 6 only so I move to lane 1, next sign which is after exit says congestion use hard shoulder so I move to hard shoulder, next sign, hard shoulder for exit 7 only and so I..... you get the picture. I don't consider this lane switching to be a safe feature particularly when towing a caravan.

Apart from the above I have been lucky and not encountered a problem but the hard shoulder as a lane does concern me

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Old 3rd September 2019, 18:10   #12
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Originally Posted by KWIL View Post
My only experience of Smart Motorways is the M3 and the Eastern M42 around Birmingham.

Both work extremely well in the circumstances.
Agreed, they have improved the flow and reduced the danger, but a hard shoulder adds a significant safety margin.
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Old 4th September 2019, 10:58   #13
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I have seen this reported on the local news channel and they included in this an earlier report interviewing the Chief Constable for the region. He said the police were absolutely against the smart motorway scheme because they said it would result in serious accidents and loss of life. But they still went ahead.

In addition to this having my own concerns I did a bit of reading up and what I found was even more shocking and that those making the decisions had considered this very possible scenario. They had come to the conclusions that there could be loss of life but the numbers expected would be acceptable when weighed up against the overall benefits. Who the F"£$ has the right to decide one life lost or one person suffering life changing injuries is acceptable so that we get to our destinations a few minutes quicker.

The highways Department are saying that there are fewer accidents since the smart motorways were introduced so making things safer and less congestion, and that they were constantly reviewing the situation. Its here to stay whatever we think and more will be built because they say its a success.
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Old 4th September 2019, 14:16   #14
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I have seen this reported on the local news channel and they included in this an earlier report interviewing the Chief Constable for the region. He said the police were absolutely against the smart motorway scheme because they said it would result in serious accidents and loss of life. But they still went ahead.

In addition to this having my own concerns I did a bit of reading up and what I found was even more shocking and that those making the decisions had considered this very possible scenario. They had come to the conclusions that there could be loss of life but the numbers expected would be acceptable when weighed up against the overall benefits. Who the F"£$ has the right to decide one life lost or one person suffering life changing injuries is acceptable so that we get to our destinations a few minutes quicker.

The highways Department are saying that there are fewer accidents since the smart motorways were introduced so making things safer and less congestion, and that they were constantly reviewing the situation. Its here to stay whatever we think and more will be built because they say its a success.

The Highways department need to elaborate on less accidents. Less accidents does not men less deaths. Accidents down, deaths up could be true.

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Old 4th September 2019, 15:00   #15
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The problem with fixed, graded speed limits is that they are not always appropriate for the conditions at the time. 50mph may be too fast or too slow at any given moment, and motorists start to ignore lower speed limits on apparently clear roads, whereas the smart speed limit signs respond minute by minute to the flow, and smooth out any bunching, however and wherever caused. This part of smart motorways is indeed an accident preventer and life-saver, but to think the improvement justifies the risk of making the hard shoulder into a live lane is cynical and wrong.
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Old 4th September 2019, 16:13   #16
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I used to do HGV vehicle recovery/repairs and the hard shoulder is an extremely dangerous place to be. I used to park the recovery truck behind the vehicle to be recovered with the wheels parked pointing to the left as protection until it came for time to "lift". I've lost several lamps and wing mirrors despite the Rec Vehicle having full orange safety ligts and hazard markings and being parked well off lane 1. Thank goodness nothing worse. Whilst laid under the disabled vehicle, I was once showered with shattered glass from a mirror. No amount of money can make up for a lost loved one. If you have to stop on a hard shoulder, get as far away as is practical.
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Old 4th September 2019, 21:15   #17
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Don't know about you but I am horrified and mystified over the increasing use of doing away with the hard shoulder. It would terrify me to have to come to a stop in a busy lane with nowhere to get off. Two days ago a widow instituted proceedings for corporate manslaughter. Here's the report from one newspaper.

Has some genius decided that a few pile-ups are worth expanding the width of our motorways?

Dave
A nd just exactly what makes these motorways smart, is there an official definition, who decided on the use of these, where are they so we can avoid them, and more importantly who is the moron, or morons who decided to allow the use of these most dangerous of roads.
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