The end of smart motorways....

[romany]

and?

read my post, one breakdown with a hard shoulder can be as deadly.

Here's a fact for you. More than 100 people are killed and or injured, guess where?

yep on the hard shoulder of the motorway.

Statistically it's the most dangerous place to be on the motorway.

as said, I would rather have a monitored motorway with the huge technology that goes in to it than a dead hard shoulder and be broken down on it.

sorry you have just shot yourself in the foot so to speak 100 killed or injured on hard shoulders and I assume that was without being used as live lanes so by law of averages as smart motorways there would be more deaths and more injury all technology takes time to operate , time you do not have on a motorway. Statistically motor ways are the safest roads to travel on the operative word being travel fortunately they become the worst to break down on but of course roads are expensive life is cheep as long as it's not yours

 

[haganap]

sorry you have just shot yourself in the foot so to speak 100 killed or injured on hard shoulders and I assume that was without being used as live lanes so by law of averages as smart motorways there would be more deaths and more injury all technology takes time to operate , time you do not have on a motorway. Statistically motor ways are the safest roads to travel on the operative word being travel fortunately they become the worst to break down on but of course roads are expensive life is cheep as long as it's not yours

I haven't shot my self in the foot, it's not a fight I am having despite you earlier condemning me and my passengers to death on your earlier post, merely a different opinion based on my driving experience of doing 30-40k per year on our motorways and seeing them brought in to operation extensively. As well as watching one built, become very friendly with the architect who designed the stretch near to me. SHE was able to give me a really good insight in to the world of driving in the 2020s and beyond.

I have just highlighted a bit in bold for you.

can I ask you what your knowledge is of the systems used. How do you actually think they work?

They are called "smart" motorways for a reason.

They are not "operated" as you put it. Do you think a man sit's there watching cameras all day waiting for something to happen?

There is a myriad of things that happen on smart motorways to ensure safety, things like the MIDAS or the REP system. This is all computerised and immediately detect and instruct the overhead carriage signs.
A controller who sits there watching cameras is only alerted after an event has actually occurred. We are not awaiting some fat bloke sat in a control room eating a bacon sandwich to put a light on for us.

you are of course entitled to your old fashion opinion and I respect that. People die every day on our roads from various entities. We take a risk every time we get behind the wheel of a car. As a cyclist and scooterist the risk I have gathers pace, but, make no mistake, if used correctly smart motorways are a far cheaper way of making use of what we have.

 

[jongood]

We actually need the opposite, that is less vehicles

Interesting. So how are you going to do that?

 

[busby]

and?

read my post, one breakdown with a hard shoulder can be as deadly.

Here's a fact for you. More than 100 people are killed and or injured, guess where?

yep on the hard shoulder of the motorway.

Statistically it's the most dangerous place to be on the motorway.

as said, I would rather have a monitored motorway with the huge technology that goes in to it than a dead hard shoulder and be broken down on it.

Many are road maintenance workers,and break down mechanics,,At least if you breakdown on the hard shoulder you have more chance to exit your vehicle and get to the safety of the grass verge or embankment..BUSBY.

 

[jongood]

I wonder what is going to happen to those that are still under construction? I must admit I won't miss the 20 mile stretches of narrow lanes under cameras.

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[2x2camper]

Interesting. So how are you going to do that?

Me. Well as a family we are doing less miles each year using alternative means to get where we want to be. Either walking, cycling or by train.

What are you doing?

 

[gus-lopez]

I also saw this story and could not believe that someone would stop on a motorway to exchange details whilst the motorway was live.

That's the mentality of the people you are sharing the road with,

Also remember of course that if you compared the amount of breakdowns to even 15 years ago to today the number has massively reduced due to how reliable cars now are compared to 10-20 or even 30 years ago.

I'd have to disagree with you there, Over the last few years travelling in the Uk around the south ,east to west I've been amazed by the amount of vehicles I see broken down whilst travelling . Compared to rarely seeing one years ago.

We actually need the opposite, that is less vehicles

& when I advocate culling people complain??



The UK's problem has always been lack of foresight/planning. The M25 should have been constructed with 6 lanes in either direction to operate as it does. The only way 3 lanes was ever going to work was as the expert who resigned proposed. Only an exit/entrance at the major junctions all the way around .Probably 12 at the most .All & any others exits only.That stops the school run , junctions hoppers.

As they say " there is never enough money to do the job correctly but there is always enough to put it right afterwards"
As to people driving who actually hate it ,it shouldn't be allowed.Also anyone driving company cars /reps,anyone who thinks it is a means of getting from A to B, anyone droppping off kids for school,etc; etc: Only those driving who think of the internal combustion engine & cars/vans/trucks as he greatest thing ever invented & who worship the ground they stand on should be driving.

 

[jongood]

Me. Well as a family we are doing less miles each year using alternative means to get where we want to be. Either walking, cycling or by train.

What are you doing?

I do my bit as well by walking cycling and using motorcycles. But by my reckoning we need to get at least a couple of million cars off the road to even make a dent in the current congestion levels.

Lets be honest - it aint going to happen so the the only answer is to build more roads.

 

[2x2camper]

I do my bit as well by walking cycling and using motorcycles. But by my reckoning we need to get at least a couple of million cars off the road to even make a dent in the current congestion levels.

Lets be honest - it aint going to happen so the the only answer is to build more roads.

If you build more roads we will just get more vehicles. That's how we have got to where we are now.

Let's face it though this is a motorists forum most people on here can't get their head round other ways to get around.

 

[Mrsambulancekidd]

Smart motorways are only good if used by smart drivers

And those who's vehicles have a teleport button so that they can get out of the way if they breakdown.

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[jongood]

If you build more roads we will just get more vehicles. That's how we have got to where we are now.

Let's face it though this is a motorists forum most people on here can't get their head round other ways to get around.

Ok back to original question. How can it be solved?

 

[2x2camper]

Ok back to original question. How can it be solved?

We need to get people using other forms of transport other than they personal vehicle, especially for short journeys. They recon that 20% of car journey are under 1km.
For those sort of journeys we should be making the a car the least attractive way if making the journey. Exceptions will have to be make for certain people with disabilities.

 

[romany]

I haven't shot my self in the foot, it's not a fight I am having despite you earlier condemning me and my passengers to death on your earlier post, merely a different opinion based on my driving experience of doing 30-40k per year on our motorways and seeing them brought in to operation extensively. As well as watching one built, become very friendly with the architect who designed the stretch near to me. SHE was able to give me a really good insight in to the world of driving in the 2020s and beyond.

I have just highlighted a bit in bold for you.

can I ask you what your knowledge is of the systems used. How do you actually think they work?

They are called "smart" motorways for a reason.

They are not "operated" as you put it. Do you think a man sit's there watching cameras all day waiting for something to happen?

There is a myriad of things that happen on smart motorways to ensure safety, things like the MIDAS or the REP system. This is all computerised and immediately detect and instruct the overhead carriage signs.
A controller who sits there watching cameras is only alerted after an event has actually occurred. We are not awaiting some fat bloke sat in a control room eating a bacon sandwich to put a light on for us.

you are of course entitled to your old fashion opinion and I respect that. People die every day on our roads from various entities. We take a risk every time we get behind the wheel of a car. As a cyclist and scooterist the risk I have gathers pace, but, make no mistake, if used correctly smart motorways are a far cheaper way of making use of what we have.

As an aprentic e I had the dubious work of cutting people out of accidents on the M4, M40, and the A34. And I know putting life's before money is an old fashioned idea I,m glad I'm old fashioned

 

[SpeedyDux]

We need to get people using other forms of transport other than they personal vehicle, especially for short journeys. They recon that 20% of car journey are under 1km.
For those sort of journeys we should be making the a car the least attractive way if making the journey. Exceptions will have to be make for certain people with disabilities.

It looks like Parliament will do as you wish. See the recommendation #3:

"In the long-term, widespread personal vehicle ownership therefore does not appear to be compatible with significant decarbonisation. The Government should not aim to achieve emissions reductions simply by replacing existing vehicles with lower-emissions versions."

Broken Link Removed

By 2050 (or maybe sooner) expect nearly empty motorways with few cars except of course for VIPs when their helicopters are unavailable. MHs or caravans would be banned altogether, obviously.

 

[LesW]

We need to get people using other forms of transport other than they personal vehicle,

I live in a small village, cars are pretty much a necessity, the elderly without cars do rely on the bus service..

Unfortunately the local council have put a stop to it! So there are calls for volunteeers to use their own cars to ferry the older folk about.. that's good progress.. NOT!

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[jongood]

We need to get people using other forms of transport other than they personal vehicle, especially for short journeys. They recon that 20% of car journey are under 1km.
For those sort of journeys we should be making the a car the least attractive way if making the journey. Exceptions will have to be make for certain people with disabilities.

I don't see how this is relevant to Motorways, none of those journeys would be under 1 km . Unless you live in London or Birmingham the trains are pretty useless and extensions to the train network are even less popular than new roads, take forever to achieve and cost a fortune.

 

[WESTY66]

haganap the only small fly in your ointment would be a car that has broken down has lost drive or power and is coasting towards the hard shoulder, and he makes it to the hard shoulder which is now a live lane with 44 tonners barrelling towards his back end, they can’t get out into lane two (which used to be lane one) cos the traffic is bad and bang, the result, is catastrophic. At least in the old days the hard shoulder was free of traffic enabling the stricken vehicle coasting into it and the occupants getting out of the vehicle without being rammed from behind, because it seems that’s when the accidents occur, BEFORE any overhead gantry signs are changed to red.
But I do take the point there is no hard shoulders on most dual carriageways?‍

 

[gus-lopez]

Let's face it though this is a motorists forum most people on here can't get their head round other ways to get around.

Like what? How do I attend 6,7,8 different places a day using public transport ?
Don't even suggest a bike they should be banned + in this country it is bloody freezing.
Public transport doesn't exist in most rural areas. Where we used to live in Devon you could get a bus on Market day & Saturday................................in to Somerset. Still the same. People in rural areas don't need A vehicle they need 2. For when the first doesn't start.
Whilst politicians & the police still have the use of vehicles then none of the population should be disadvantaged by giving up theirs.

By 2050 (or maybe sooner) expect nearly empty motorways with few cars except of course for VIPs when their helicopters are unavailable. MHs or caravans would be banned altogether, obviously.

So why would you work ?
( as far as I'm concerned as above,politicians ,police, should be the first giving up vehicle use before the peasants who they work for.)

 

[2x2camper]

Well given the answers the the response to my post I was right. People will come up with any excuse not to change their habits. We cannot continue as we are at the moment.

 

[LesW]

Well given the answers the the response to my post I was right. People will come up with any excuse not to change their habits. We cannot continue as we are at the moment.

What would you like to see happen?

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[WESTY66]

What would you like to see happen?

I’d like to see overtaking/undertaking in any lane, works great in America? Also turning left on a red if clear and safe to do so. Lastly I would like to see over 7.5T banned in the outside lane of a TWO lane motorway/major A road between 6am-10pm works great in germany?

 

[gus-lopez]

Well given the answers the the response to my post I was right. People will come up with any excuse not to change their habits. We cannot continue as we are at the moment.

It isn't a 'habit' .It is a vocation, a lifetimes enjoyment, the reason I worked, the reason for living. I'd give up the house, family, everything before I would ever stop driving.

 

[2x2camper]

What would you like to see happen?

Think I have already said I would like less use of vehicles

 

[LesW]

Think I have already said I would like less use of vehicles

I would agree with that, but as long as public transport is as expensive and unreliable as it is, things are not going to improve.

I read recently that London Transport is the most expensive in the world per capita..

 

[EX51SSS]

I’d like to see overtaking/undertaking in any lane, works great in America? Also turning left on a red if clear and safe to do so. Lastly I would like to see over 7.5T banned in the outside lane of a TWO lane motorway/major A road between 6am-10pm works great in germany?

Do you'd like a massive queue of wagons in Lane one?

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[EX51SSS]

It isn't a 'habit' .It is a vocation, a lifetimes enjoyment, the reason I worked, the reason for living. I'd give up the house, family, everything before I would ever stop driving.

Absolutely correct. Hgv and psv are VOCATIONAL licences

 

[jongood]

I’d like to see overtaking/undertaking in any lane, works great in America? Also turning left on a red if clear and safe to do so. Lastly I would like to see over 7.5T banned in the outside lane of a TWO lane motorway/major A road between 6am-10pm works great in germany?

Have you seen the posts on here where people complain the lorries won't move over to make space for them to come on?

Incidentally there is talk of Lorry Platooning

‘Self-driving’ Lorries to be Trialled on UK Roads

Self-driving lorries will hit UK roads by the end of next year, the Department for Transport (DfT) and Highways England have announced.

digit.fyi

Where 3 lorries travel in close convoy controlled by the the front one. That could get really interesting when Audi man barges his way onto the motorway.

 

[jongood]

Think I have already said I would like less use of vehicles

Nice ideology. But how do you see it working in practice?

 

[WESTY66]

Do you'd like a massive queue of wagons in Lane one?

Why not, works fine in Germany and the outer lane is free flowing!! What’s not to like?

 

[EX51SSS]

Why not, works fine in Germany and the outer lane is free flowing!! What’s not to like?

It might do but there's more traffic and less motorways. Personally I'd prefer to see no cars on any motorway then delivering would be a lot less stressful

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