Smart M/Ways ?

[observer]

In it's endeavour to increase the capacity of our motorways, it seems an increase to four lanes, using the current hard shoulder, is being considered.   This doesn't appear to be very "smart", as it will block emergency vehicles from getting to the scene of any accident.   

[asperity]

They've been doing this for years.

[Evil Sid]

obs if you google smart motorways and look on the rac site it gives you a list of the various motorways that are being used and to what extent. there are three types at present. all lane running, controlled and dynamic hard shoulder running.

[Davy51]

I wonder how long it took the appropriately well paid civil servant to come up with those descriptions ?

It seems a very bad idea to me & a recipe for chaos & disaster on any given motorway.

[observer]

Seems the trick will be to close lanes in the event of a lane blockage caused by breakdown or accident, by displaying the overhead "red X" signs. In order to clear the original affected lane, one presumes the adjacent lane would need closing too, in order to take the line of existing traffic away and allow access by emergency vehicles.  Be interesting to see what happens in thick fog though !    Special lay-bys will be provided every 1.5miles, but what if you can't get to one ?   Well, push the vehicle onto the grass curb, if there are no barriers and switch on your hazard lights.  All this being done while vehicles are flying past (or into) you at over 50mph.  Afraid it all sounds a not very smart, cheapskate idea imo.

[Davy51]

The smart idea has been in operation for many years on the A38 Aston Expressway into/out of Birmingham. Lane closure crosses have been used for years to control rush hour traffic flow with directional flow changed on lanes to suit the time of day.

[observer]

I neglected to add: if an accident involves vehicles being slewed across all carriageways, then following cars have nowhere to go, to provide a clear way for emergency services. 

[asperity]

There is always the opposite carriageway that can be used by the emergency services coming from the opposite direction!!

[observer]

Not necessarily,  if in a serious multiple accident, vehicles have mounted the central reservation and involved the opposite carriageway, or rubber necking causes a shunt. 

[asperity]

12 hours ago, observer said:

Not necessarily,  if in a serious multiple accident, vehicles have mounted the central reservation and involved the opposite carriageway, or rubber necking causes a shunt. 

I've heard of grabbing at straws Obs but really? Perhaps you forgot that simultaneously two Jumbo Jets had collided above the motorway and made the whole area for miles around inaccesible - and all because some ill educated civil servant hadn't thought about that possibility when he stupidly drew up his smart motorway plan. What an idiot huh?

[observer]

Obviously you've never seen a serious pile up on a M/Way;  the stupidity and carnage has to be seen to be believed.      

[asperity]

And yet the emergency services manage to get there somehow.

[observer]

... along the hard shoulder !      The M/Way Police will usually be first on the scene, their primary objective being to keep non-affected vehicles moving safely past the incident, by conning off lanes and directing traffic; and to provide access to Fire & Ambulance vehicles.  If a spare lane exists (hard shoulder), this provides them with more scope to carry out their task.   Yes, I'm sure they will still manage the added difficulties (it's what they do), but for Gov to add to those difficulties, by adopting cheapskate options for relieving congestion won't make their task any easier.  The evidence over years, is that as more space is created on our road system, it fills up almost immediately, so the problem is simply too many and too much reliance on road vehicles.   So perhaps the debate needs to be about the future of people movement, even our rail systems are overloaded.   

[Davy51]

You can guarantee that  even a 12 lane carriage way would still have at least one clown intending to get off the motorway 300 yards up the road.