Refusing to drive on hard shoulder (smart motorway)

[Pistonheader101]

Hi all,

If you refuse to keep left and drive on the hard shoulder of a smart motorway, are you a middle lane hogger? can you be penalised by the police by not driving on the smart motorway hard shoulder?

[ZX10R NIN]

People refuse to keep left each & everyday so you'll be fine unless you're in front of me & flash me as I undertake you

[av185]

ZX10R NIN said:

so you'll be fine

Reminds me of the sign we saw in Greece saying

PARK HERE YOU'LL BE FINE

[Camelot1971]

Pistonheader101 said:

Hi all,

If you refuse to keep left and drive on the hard shoulder of a smart motorway, are you a middle lane hogger? can you be penalised by the police by not driving on the smart motorway hard shoulder?

yes, and yes. HTH

[colin_p]

Torn on this.

I hate MLM's but...

I really don't think the so-called smart motorways are safe enough.

[TR4man]

I love using the old hard shoulder From J8 on the commute down the M6 into Birmingham. Whizz past people in the outer lanes who refuse to follow the instructions “Congestion Use Hard Shoulder”.

Looking forward to the smart motorway being completed from J15 when my commute will be even quicker.

[donkmeister]

Pistonheader101 said:

Hi all,

If you refuse to keep left and drive on the hard shoulder of a smart motorway, are you a middle lane hogger? can you be penalised by the police by not driving on the smart motorway hard shoulder?

Well... Yes. Because it's not the hard shoulder then. But feel free to carry on in the middle lanes as we driving gods use it to pass the MLMers.
You can also be penalised for driving in a non-running lane.

[GroundZero]

How does crossing a solid white line play out in all of this? (Is there any conflict between smart motorway and the highway code or TSRGD?)

Highways code mentions crossing of a solid white line (in the case of double whites in the centre of the road) is prohibited with a few caveats for special circumstances.
But does this also apply to all solid white lines presented on your side of the road, including the nearside?

[watchnut]

When the nearside lane of a smart motorway becomes a "running" lane....I will never use it, too dangerous. that Panorama program alone shows why we shouldn't.

You may not have an "escape" should you be driving along side a vehicle in lane 2 , the vehicle in front serves out of lane one as there is a stationary vehicle in front of it, you may not be able to do the same. If god forbid the persons from that car were between you and that vehicle they are toast. I know we should be observing the 2" and 4" rules, but maybe the car behind you is not......

These "smart" motorways are normally at least 4 lanes wide so driving in lane 2 is hardly blocking the road

Maybe if the "smart" motorway is running the limit should be reduced to 50 max and enforceable so that accidents are less likely to be really bad, after all if the road is that busy, should folk be driving as fast as 70+ anyway?

[Bweber]

In several countries, they get round this by setting a lower speed limit for lane 1 when the hard shoulder converts into a live lane. If you want to exceed that limit, you are obliged to move into lane 2. The differential can be large; 50 - 80 kph. That makes sense, because it means that lane 1is used only when the level of congestion brings the general flow down towards that lane’s speed limit.

[V8fan]

Several countries have lower speed limits if it is raining too. It's clearly signposted and seems to make sense, if it was observed, and enforced.....

[journeymanpro]

Personally, if there is not a proper hard shoulder then I will not use Lane 1.

[Wooda80]

journeymanpro said:

Personally, if there is not a proper hard shoulder then I will not use Lane 1.

Did I pass you (on the left) earlier today on the dual carriageway with no hard shoulder?

ETA - The problem with all these new motorway lanes is that they keep adding the new lane on the left. Everyone knows people don't like to drive in the left hand lane. If they built the new lane on the right instead then it would be fine.

Edited by Wooda80 on Tuesday 28th April 21:28

[ianrb]

journeymanpro said:

Personally, if there is not a proper hard shoulder then I will not use Lane 1.

Hope I don't encounter you on the bits of the M90 which have 2 lanes and emergency lay bys.

[Pica-Pica]

Perhaps we should have a thread category called ‘Retarded Driving’

[Glenn63]

If you don’t keep left unless overtaking then I automatically think poor driver with lack of knowledge and/or experience. Those saying ‘it’s not safe’, unless your driving with your eyes closed or far to close to the car in front it’s no different to driving in any other lane. Dual carriageway don’t have hard shoulders so do you drive in lane 2 the whole time?

[Nampahc Niloc]

Or is it any different to being in the right hand lane with cars to your left. There is often not much run off on the central reservation. Quite often less than there is on the verge.

Or the middle lane with cars on both sides?

[WJNB]

TR4man said:

I love using the old hard shoulder From J8 on the commute down the M6 into Birmingham. Whizz past people in the outer lanes who refuse to follow the instructions “Congestion Use Hard Shoulder”.

Looking forward to the smart motorway being completed from J15 when my commute will be even quicker.

Your smugness will catch up with you the day your vehicle breaks down or has a puncture at night in pouring rain or during the rush hour & you find yourself parked on the 'old hard shoulder'. Fleeing to behind the barrier you'll wait until say an HGV crashes & smashes to smithereens your precious car. My how you'll love Smart Motorways then.

[colin_p]

Glenn63 said:

If you don’t keep left unless overtaking then I automatically think poor driver with lack of knowledge and/or experience. Those saying ‘it’s not safe’, unless your driving with your eyes closed or far to close to the car in front it’s no different to driving in any other lane. Dual carriageway don’t have hard shoulders so do you drive in lane 2 the whole time?

It is unlikely to be yourself that causes the accident, that 44 ton HGV that piles into the back of you just as you lift off and plan to overtake the broken down car in front. Being in lane one in heavy traffic is extremely dangerous on smart motorway, especially the ones that have barriers to the left.

A dual carriageway is far less likely to be as hypnotisingly sleep inducingly boring as a so called managed smart motorway with a pointless 40mph limit imposed upon it for mile after mile after mile for seemingly no reason at all.

Totally agree with the keep left unless overtaking for normal good old fashioned safe motorways though.

WJNB said:

TR4man said:

I love using the old hard shoulder From J8 on the commute down the M6 into Birmingham. Whizz past people in the outer lanes who refuse to follow the instructions “Congestion Use Hard Shoulder”.

Looking forward to the smart motorway being completed from J15 when my commute will be even quicker.

Your smugness will catch up with you the day your vehicle breaks down or has a puncture at night in pouring rain or during the rush hour & you find yourself parked on the 'old hard shoulder'. Fleeing to behind the barrier you'll wait until say an HGV crashes & smashes to smithereens your precious car. My how you'll love Smart Motorways then.

That is only if you have time get out and climb over the barrier in that howling gale and rain before that HGV wipes you out. Bad luck if you are a disabled driver and cannot get out, let alone climb over the barrier.