Smart Motorways

[ruggedscotty]

Well I had to use the M6 yesterday...

Drive to Redditch from Edinburgh..


Can say smart motorways are far from smart, and they introduce a risk. Lack of hard shoulder is a significant step back.

On the way down there was a bad accident down between 12 and 13 or there abouts -

4 lanes no shoulder, they closed lanes 1 and 2. they had the read crosses over the lanes, but yet we had several run down lanes 1 and 2 and try to squeeze in.



ok quite clear if you cant see that or dont understand it you should not be on the mtorway..





Now lane 1 and 2 was closed as they were recovering or prepping to do so



Now that was bad. approaching Newcastle U-Lymn lane 1 drops to the A500 and 2 3 and 4 run through and the M6 is hard shoulder and three lanes through past keele till the next A500 junction and goes back up to 4 lanes no shoulder. traffic going off stalled and two lanes solid on approach. taxi forcing in to lane 2 from 3 and half out in the main flow.

speeds relatively fast and a lot less room for error.

the lack of shoulder makes leaving a service station a bit too close to a live flow of traffic without the houlder buffer.


I saw a woman waiting beside her car in a refuge, she was busy reading a big fat book and absolutely no idea how dangerous it was to be so close to live traffic.

people seem not to have a clue on bhow to use these motorways at all.

[APontus]

Awful things that create danger and don't reduce congestion.

[Pica-Pica]

APontus said:

Awful things that create danger and don't reduce congestion.

All I saw was awful driving. If that had 3 lanes and a hard shoulder, and lane 1 was closed, would that be any different?

[ruggedscotty]

Pica-Pica said:

APontus said:

Awful things that create danger and don't reduce congestion.

All I saw was awful driving. If that had 3 lanes and a hard shoulder, and lane 1 was closed, would that be any different?

thats the point -

the standard of driving is that bad here to be making a backward step such as removing a hard shoulder from the motorway.

The accident with the two trucks originally - was it to do with the lack of a hard shoulder. I did hear something that it was but nothing has been confirmed. so if there had been a hard shoulder it may not have happened.

[APontus]

People are being killed because the government want a cheap way of increasing capacity.

[VTECMatt]

Was on the M5 section, broken down van, no warning. I noticed it but not obvious. M6 Sa,e day broken down car, no warning, crash, car crashed into it. I said it the first time I drove on one, lethal death traps. I’d hate to break down with my family in the car.