Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Tony H]

Hi all just watched a feature on the local news about smart motorways that use what used to be the hard shoulder as an additional lane. How are the emergency services supposed to attend the scene of an accident etc if all lanes are clogged with traffic? 

[TheBoy]

The same way they do with dual carriageways.

TBH, Smart Motorways work quite well day to day, but still clog if there are any incidents.

I think M42 was the first, and even now, its still far better than it was before they did it.

[Nick W]

Hi all just watched a feature on the local news about smart motorways that use what used to be the hard shoulder as an additional lane. How are the emergency services supposed to attend the scene of an accident etc if all lanes are clogged with traffic? 

Levitation? Teleportation? Magic?


You've asked the wrong question, but don't worry I'll ask(and answer it) for you:


Interviewer:  Minister, you must be really pleased that you've added another working lane to the M25 for the total cost of £27.68


Minister: Aw shucks, it was nothing really.

[Crazycarzowner]

I have been told, however its still all up in the air and still not been approved. If I told ya, you wouldn't believe it!!!

[omegod]

The amount of shite/debris on the hard shoulder concerns me. I had to pull off the M57 the other day and it was like driving through a load of bloody shrapnel

[hotel21]

Don't know about current motorway construction standards but was told a few hundred years ago by a motorway construction engineer chappy that the hard shoulder sub base cannot endure ongoing lane one type cars and lorries use for continued periods.

I do know that the hard shoulder on a couple of m routes up my way had to be dug up and reconstructed to become useable motorway.

[STEMO]

Don't know about current motorway construction standards but was told a few hundred years ago by a motorway construction engineer chappy that the hard shoulder sub base cannot endure ongoing lane one type cars and lorries use for continued periods.

I do know that the hard shoulder on a couple of m routes up my way had to be dug up and reconstructed to become useable motorway.

A lot of construction work was needed on the M1 and M62 before they were opened as 'smart'. It wasn't just a case of putting the gantries and associated paraphernalia up.

[frostbite]

Hi all just watched a feature on the local news about smart motorways that use what used to be the hard shoulder as an additional lane. How are the emergency services supposed to attend the scene of an accident etc if all lanes are clogged with traffic? 

On the m1 they just put a big red X to close the lane off when there is an incident or no congestion

[Tony H]

Don't know about current motorway construction standards but was told a few hundred years ago by a motorway construction engineer chappy that the hard shoulder sub base cannot endure ongoing lane one type cars and lorries use for continued periods.

I do know that the hard shoulder on a couple of m routes up my way had to be dug up and reconstructed to become useable motorway.

Good point Broocie

[VXL V6]

Hi all just watched a feature on the local news about smart motorways that use what used to be the hard shoulder as an additional lane. How are the emergency services supposed to attend the scene of an accident etc if all lanes are clogged with traffic? 

On the m1 they just put a big red X to close the lane off when there is an incident or no congestion

Which unfortunately, if you use the M42 on a regular basis, you'll find that half the drivers are too busy texting / twittering / facebooking on their mobiles to take a blind bit of notice of what the gantry signs are telling them.... one day there will be a huge accident caused by these (*&(*&*(^*^s. The other trick they do is race up lane 0 (well the hard shoulder for want of a proper description) when it says something along the lines of 'Exit 5 traffic only' then force there way back onto Lane 1 with about 3 metres of road left causing the traffic in that lane to shove the anchors on followed by a two or three car pile up.

The motorway might be smart but half the drivers should go back to infants school as there obviously a long way off being capable of driving a motor vehicle.

[STEMO]

Hi all just watched a feature on the local news about smart motorways that use what used to be the hard shoulder as an additional lane. How are the emergency services supposed to attend the scene of an accident etc if all lanes are clogged with traffic? 

On the m1 they just put a big red X to close the lane off when there is an incident or no congestion

Which unfortunately, if you use the M42 on a regular basis, you'll find that half the drivers are too busy texting / twittering / facebooking on their mobiles to take a blind bit of notice of what the gantry signs are telling them.... one day there will be a huge accident caused by these (*&(*&*(^*^s. The other trick they do is race up lane 0 (well the hard shoulder for want of a proper description) when it says something along the lines of 'Exit 5 traffic only' then force there way back onto Lane 1 with about 3 metres of road left causing the traffic in that lane to shove the anchors on followed by a two or three car pile up.

The motorway might be smart but half the drivers should go back to infants school as there obviously a long way off being capable of driving a motor vehicle.

Every inch of every motorway should have cameras, and imbeciles should feel the full weight of the law. For instance, if you act like a tw*t on the motorway, you should be banned from the motorway for a while, with all those cameras enforcing it.

[frostbite]

The m25 has those cameras that capture all 4 lanes but are not all turned on anymore for some reason

[05omegav6]

Presumably because the cameras enforce sweet Fanny Adams

[Broomies Mate]

Educate the British in the same way the German's are.  When there is stand-still traffic, the traffic parts.  For arguments sake, a 3 lane motorway (Autobahn), lane two and three go to their opposite extremities.  In effect, creating a passage for emergency vehicles to pass.

S'not rocket science.

[zirk]

It doesn't work, well not around here on the M25 section anyway, The System rely's on the Average Joe Public abiding by the rules when a Lane is closed by Overhead Displays, which they dont, they just Queue at the last minuet when they are forced to get into another Lane.

In serious Accidents, Lives are at risk, the 'Golden Hour' to save someones life goes out the window, meaning it becomes a Fatal, which will close the Motorway anyway.

Ask any Emergency Service Personal that has to deal with it on a day to day basis around here and they will say its potentially costing Lives vs Traffic Flow.