Driving On The Hard Shoulder Of The Motorway !

[mikey4444]

I know that this BBC News clip is a bit old but how do we all feel about it ?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-22941175

Its seems ludicrous to me ! What if you have an breakdown, like a puncture ?
If you were stopped on the hard shoulder, trying to fix it, would you cause another accident, to the traffic driving on the hard shoulder behind you ?

[EcclesCake]

It's been running on the M4 for quite a while. Haven't seen any problems or reports of how it has affected traffic flow.

[Old_Geezer]

Thanks for the link to the video. I'm sure all my work colleagues are now very amused.

And yes it is a daft idea.

[Zacs-Master]

The M62 in West Yorks now has large sections with no hard shoulder. There are refuge bays at about 1 mile intervals tho.

[mikey4444]

My worry zacs would be if I had a puncture a couple of hundred meters after the previous refuge bay !

[SlackAlice]

Not impressed, just a cheap way to get higher traffic capacity.

[Zacs-Master]

You would be very unlucky for that to happen and at 60mph it would only take approx 40 seconds to reach the next one.

[Mamyalynne]

If I heard correctly then if a vehicle is stopped between refuge bays, then the signs would change to close that lane until the vehicle is removed.

[mikey4444]

OK...learnt a lot here but I would still be somewhat nervous about driving on the hard shoulder.

[Zacs-Master]

Mamya, lets hope they're a bit more on the ball than the operators of the matrix signs.

[Mamyalynne]

Well of course, the scheme is only good if it works.

[ToraToraTora]

Not feasable, another Knoo Laybore unworkable idea, like bus lanes on the M4!

[Old_Geezer]

Have they put the zebra crossing back yet ?

[Zacs-Master]

seems to have dramatically improved traffic flow on the M62 since it was completed around 3 months ago, so I think the 'feasibility' stage is long past.

[ToraToraTora]

OK, so what happens on the M62 when someone needs the hard shoulder for it's intended purpose when traffic is using it?

[Zacs-Master]

I've already said, they have refuge bays.

[mushroom25]

read all about it here
http://www.highways.gov.uk/our-road-network/managing-our-roads/improving-our-network/smart-motorways/

it's been in use on the M42 for 7 years now. yes of course it's a cheap 'n nasty way of getting more capacity - however there's a nil possibility of millions being spent on a widening scheme or relief road until it's been tried and shown to be a failure.

[ToraToraTora]

great because cars all know not to break down unless by a "refuge bay"! I know let's join all the refuge bays together and make a hard hard shoulder! hang on!

[Old_Geezer]

And there it is. Why finance a job properly if you can get away with a cheap workaround that only conveniences some, some of the time. Second rate wins the day.

[Zacs-Master]

So whats the difference to driving on a dual carriageway or even a 60mph single carriageway road? The lanes are not permanently hard shoulders, they only become so when traffic is heavy and then the speed limits are less than 70 (often 40 and 50).

[mushroom25]

it's not just cost, OG - there's environmental factors to consider too, particularly when those sections of motorway that need it most are not conveniently adjacent to space to grow into.