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[zirk]

Well having spent 4 Hours parked up on the M25 on Friday night between Potters Bar and Waltham Cross, I can honestly say this 4 Lanes and no Hard Shoulder malarkey doesn't work, but surely everyone knew that before they planned it, didn't they!.

We must have seen a least 5 Ambulances a couple of Traffic Cars trying there best to get to the issue quite a few miles ahead of us, I reckon the average speed of their progress was at best less then walking pace.

Just feel sorry for anyone needing life threatening assistance under this stupid system. 

 

[biggriffin]

People who earn more money than us, and have been to university,have letters after there name,and work for the government know better than those of us at the sharp end

[Lazydocker]

Whilst I agree that it is a stupid idea, emergency services would still make decent progress if drivers actually paid attention to what was going on outside of their own world! I frequently find myself pulling over even though cars all around me are sitting still because I have spotted the blue lights coming up behind. I've even had a few bellends trying to push into the gap!!

[zirk]

They tried to shut the inside lane using the Overhead Warning signs, but with everyone parked up, broken down or on the friggin Facebox, that didn't work, so they came up with a Plan B, lets close the outside lane instead using the warning signs, how they expect a 15 mile lane of bumper to bumper vehicles to suddenly disappear, I dont know 

[Varche]

I wonder how long it will be before someone realises the answer to motorway congestion is to build a second one on top. First class users only and accident free drivers etc. Riff Raff on the bottom deck.

Some advantages.

You could restore the hard shoulder.

Use less grit on bottom deck

In heavy rain bottom deck safer.

In the event of a stoppage rescuers/responders could arrive on top deck quickly and be "dropped" to lower deck.

In the 1980's we nearly had to spend the night on the M6 on the outskirts of Birmingham (maybe a thousand others did )just because of a bit of snow. No emergency vehicles or army sent to help them either.
 

[zirk]

In the event of a stoppage rescuers/responders could arrive on top deck quickly and be "dropped" to lower deck.

Yes Varche, but I was kinda thinking about Ambulance, Police and Fire Trucks rather than them Thunderbirds Rescue Mob.

[chrisgixer]

I thought the idea of a smart motorway was to shut lane 1 so it can be used as a hard shoulder for emergency vehicles. Or is it not smart, yet?

[zirk]

I thought the idea of a smart motorway was to shut lane 1 so it can be used as a hard shoulder for emergency vehicles. Or is it not smart, yet?

So how are they supposed to shut a lane when when its full of parked up traffic.

[chrisgixer]

I thought the idea of a smart motorway was to shut lane 1 so it can be used as a hard shoulder for emergency vehicles. Or is it not smart, yet?

So how are they supposed to shut a lane when when its full of parked up traffic.

Well, a little man in an office full of moitors sees the incident, puts a Red Cross on the matrix sign on lane 1 BEFORE the traffic piles back. The smart bit being said spod in office. Hence the flaw in the plan. Or, it's isn't actually a smart motor way yet, so not monitored in such a manor.

Is it a "smart motorway" on that section?

[zirk]

I thought the idea of a smart motorway was to shut lane 1 so it can be used as a hard shoulder for emergency vehicles. Or is it not smart, yet?

So how are they supposed to shut a lane when when its full of parked up traffic.

Well, a little man in an office full of moitors sees the incident, puts a Red Cross on the matrix sign on lane 1 BEFORE the traffic piles back. The smart bit being said spod in office. Hence the flaw in the plan. Or, it's isn't actually a smart motor way yet, so not monitored in such a manor.

Is it a "smart motorway" on that section?

Can never ever work Chris, 4 Lanes travelling at 70 mph, next min serious crash, all 4 lanes go from 70 mph to zero in seconds with everyone piling on the brakes behind it, so 70 to 0 now going backwards in all 4 lanes, the Man in the office can flash his warning lights till his hearts content, its too late, never going to work for serious incidents without some form of serious Traffic Enforcement Management in place.

Small one lane breakdowns, minor incidents, yes, maybe. but how many of them need a life threatening Rescue Service.

People are going to end up potentially dying or dead by the time the Services get to the scene, all for the sake of a missing empty hard shoulder

[Crazycarzowner]

I can honestly say this 4 Lanes and no Hard Shoulder malarkey doesn't work, but surely everyone knew that before they planned it, didn't they!

  Not that I take any pleasure in saying it but - We said it wouldn't work ages ago, but no, no one listens to us!!! There's the 'Golden Hour' for anyone who needs life saving treatment & trying to fight ya way through 3 oh wait a minute 3 lanes & a hard shoulder full of traffic cuts that time drastically, especially if you're driving a bloody big Ambo!!! 

[zirk]

I can honestly say this 4 Lanes and no Hard Shoulder malarkey doesn't work, but surely everyone knew that before they planned it, didn't they!

  Not that I take any pleasure in saying it but - We said it wouldn't work ages ago, but no, no one listens to us!!! There's the 'Golden Hour' for anyone who needs life saving treatment & trying to fight ya way through 3 oh wait a minute 3 lanes & a hard shoulder full of traffic cuts that time drastically, especially if you're driving a bloody big Ambo!!! 

Couldn't agree more J, never believed it would work myself, but it was bloody frustrating watching quiet a few Ambulance trying fight there way through parked up cars, trucks and HGV's, there lack of progress was unbelievable. 

[chrisgixer]

I thought the idea of a smart motorway was to shut lane 1 so it can be used as a hard shoulder for emergency vehicles. Or is it not smart, yet?

So how are they supposed to shut a lane when when its full of parked up traffic.

Yes, but that IS the idea. Isn't it?

I didn't say it worked.

Again, is that section designated smart? Or not?

[zirk]

I thought the idea of a smart motorway was to shut lane 1 so it can be used as a hard shoulder for emergency vehicles. Or is it not smart, yet?

So how are they supposed to shut a lane when when its full of parked up traffic.

Yes, but that IS the idea. Isn't it?

I didn't say it worked.

Again, is that section designated smart? Or not?

Yep, in fact fairly sure its all smart now from Heathrow clockwise  around to the Dartford Congestion Charging Con.

[VXL V6]

I thought the idea of a smart motorway was to shut lane 1 so it can be used as a hard shoulder for emergency vehicles. Or is it not smart, yet?

So how are they supposed to shut a lane when when its full of parked up traffic.

Well, a little man in an office full of moitors sees the incident, puts a Red Cross on the matrix sign on lane 1 BEFORE the traffic piles back. The smart bit being said spod in office. Hence the flaw in the plan. Or, it's isn't actually a smart motor way yet, so not monitored in such a manor.

Is it a "smart motorway" on that section?

They reckon an incident (they're not accidents or crash's now are they?) on the M6 at peak time will cause the traffic to back up at the rate of a mile a minute. Mind you, the M6 is mostly stationary around J10 anyway.

If you watch the constant row of cars going up the hard shoulder (sorry Lane 0) of the M42 with the red X above it you do wonder if those drivers should just simply be shot (I bet they wouldn't try driving in an X lane on the Aston Expressway which clearly indicates they do know what a red X means), or the other trick is to go racing past everyone when they open up Lane 0 (See I'm getting the hang of it) for exit at the next junction and then with 10cm to go before getting off at the junction they then shove there way back on to Lane 1..... I wonder how many would need to be shot before the current breed of 'superior' drivers started acting with slightly more intelligence...