Hard-shoulders on more than 100 miles of Britain's motorways will be permanently opened to traffic under Government plans to reduce congestion.
Under the plans six motorways will be widened to four lanes, forcing motorists who break down to move their cars onto the grass verge or refuge areas.
The Highways Agency will also more than double the distance between the refuges, which are currently about 1,000 metres apart.
Work is scheduled to start next year with the new look motorways set to be introduced in eight locations including stretches of the M25, M1, M60, M62, M3 and M6.
Other changes will see the stripping out of the majority of overhead gantries which inform drivers of variable speed limits and also enforce them. In their place will be new signs, which only only cover the new nearside lane.
tinyurl.com/8yjdskp - Telegraph
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>>Other changes will see the stripping out of the majority of overhead gantries which inform drivers of variable speed limits and also enforce them. In their place will be new signs, which only only cover the new nearside lane.
I don't understand that paragraph.
Anyone counted the number of the things they're erecting on the M1 around Luton? They seem to be every few hundred yards metres.
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So a breakdown on the hard shoulder on a motorway and nowhere to hide.Is this such a good idea?
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The hard shoulders are opened to ease congestion on the M1 and M6 in the Midlands.
I found the extra signage - and temporary speed limits - confusing, but I suppose one would get used to it.
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One does. By and large it works.
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There are fewer accidents where there is no hard shoulder and fewer after they have been made live lanes, this is because
a) people have proper safe havens off to the side.
b) If someone does stop in lane 1, the lane becomes stationary as soon as someone stops, rather like any other traffic jam.
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>> Work is scheduled to start next year
Oh heck, I hope not. It's taking 3 years to build a few lay-bys and put up some signs between Luton and MK, and it took almost that long to do the M42 and M6 as well. I've had to drive through a set of long-term (>2 years) motorway roadworks somewhere almost every day I've worked in the last decade.
The works themselves don't bother me, nor do the lower speed limits within them. What bothers me is the way some motorists utterly go to pieces when faced with the cones and signs, making it more dangerous for the rest of us.
Last edited by: Dave_TDCi on Mon 19 Mar 12 at 21:11
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Hard shoulders opened to cut jams - bathtub tom
