It's not only cheap but very lucrative! Submit an FOI for your regions speeding penalties & be prepared to be AMAZED This is Police & public bodies enforcing a revenue stream on the general population! And for all you "I don't speed so I'm ok" lot... on Monday night I had to drive 3 junctions of the M60 at 10pm @40mph... Hardly a soul on the road certainly FAR from congested! For the whole duration... Rang Highways England & they said "we'll look into it" I wish I'd speeded now because it needs a court case to end this theft!
The 'sunk cost fallacy' - In economics & business decision-making, a sunk cost is a cost that has already been incurred and cannot be recovered making reversal or rejection a further risk to credibility/reputation. The govt can't dump SMs as they've invested too much in them & would look stupid if they did. This is also true of purchases of expensive ill fitting clothes, attempts to prevent WW1, failed pleas for clemency in executions & of course brexit...
Yes! It’s insanely dangerous! People driving need a “safe place” to pull over in case they have to. It’s absolutely ludicrous and dangerous not to provide safe place for drivers to pull over!
With more and more eletric and soon " assistance driven " pseudo autonomous cars we will have even more broken down vehicles clogging uo main carriageway waiting for rescue. We need more driver / rider/ pedestrian education and smaller vehicles on road making traffic flow better, not electronic engineering , which is unreliable and malfunctioning ..
I was involved in an incident on the m62 last Saturday on a stretch of smart motorway . I was on the inside lane like everyone else sticking at or below 50mph (I have had no points on my licence since I can't remember when) The car in front of me did an emergency stop just in time to avoid a vehicle that had run out of petrol !, sadly, I was not so lucky and could not stop in time . There was a lorry immediately behind me which just missed my car . if the driver hadn't done this , a really major incident would have occurred . All because there was no hard shoulder. Someone needs to think again .
Not because of no hard shoulder. It was simply down to you driving too close to the vehicle in front or distractive driving caused the rear end collisions.
Billy Porter if there is a car infront of you, and they suddenly swerve, say whilst doing 70mph, then you are faced with a stationary vehicle, the distance to speed whilst approaching a stationary vehicle would t give you enough time to react.,
@@teem5642 That is why you should be able to stop in time. Even if the vehicle in front comes to an abrupt stop you should keep a sufficient distance. Unless somebody cuts in front, being unable to stop in time at any legit speed would be a fail in a driving test.
@@ezicarus8216 Your reply vexes me, the whole reason for multiple pileups is people driving bumper to bumper at high speeds allowing no distance to slow to a stop, should the need arise, rather than having to brake suddenly. And my attitude as you put it has kept me accident free and point free for 30 years plus of driving. And I never said hard shoulders weren't needed, I just think it's driving irresponsibly that is the cause of most accident's!
So stupid. Cars breaks down and you are screwed over. I've also been in traffic where emergency services are trying to get through and it's near impossible to do in a reasonable time
They're horrific. Not just the fact there is no hard shoulder, smart motorways cause a huge amount of driver fatigue that normal motorways don't cause, and the constantly changing speed limits and traps cause motorists to drive dangerously close to each other more so than when left to their own devices. They were designed without taking human behaviour into consideration, we will never be able to control vehicles like a computer would. So this type of road should be postponed until cars are fully automated.
I'm an HGV driver and I drove in Portugal, Spain, France and UK. For me, the most dangerous roads are the smart motorways in UK where trafic starts to stop for no reason at all. And whit no warning you catch cars parked in the hard shoulders whit mechanical problems.
Smart motorways promote the very worst forms of driving on a motorway just to combat people going fast, you get onto an active "smart" motorway and you will be greeted by increased lane hogging, ludicrously slow drivers, aggressive lane changes, drivers speeding up and slowing down for no reason.
simple answer is yes...take a drive along the M1 when it in "smart-mode" at night. sections which were previously fully-lit now only lit at junctions...another (austerity) cost-cutting measure. odd isn't it...that people been fined for (illegally) driving in the hard shoulder in the past when the motorway is congested/ground-to-a-halt...but now it "safe" because there a few extra cameras and the odd "refuge-lay-bys".
Are the cameras and lane closure signals operated by humans? Bound to be an error if human operated and an inevitable accident waiting to happen. Rail operators test and supervise their drivers and signalmen to very high standards and punish rule breakers severely. Same does not apply to most cars and drivers operating on motorways.
I've always felt worried driving on so called "smart motorways", eyes continuously dancing between the speedo and overhead gantries, wondering if you're speeding or lane has closed. All reduces your time and ability to spot real potential hazards.
Using the hard shoulder as an extra lane is just asking for trouble. The planners know the effect of what they call smart but keep on putting more variable speed sections in and in most cases traffic lights on entrances and exits. Do not be fooled these stretches of motorway are designed to stop traffic or at least slow it down to relive the pressure further down the road. They have done the same thing in small towns across the country build new roads to allow through traffic then close the old roads to force traffic to use the new roads that were only meant to relieve the pressure not to completely banish all traffic But if they had a good brain fart and got it right just once they would be out of a job for a few years,
M27 westbound closed for two days junction 5 -7 last week (lorry crash into gantry due to others bad driving), M3 Southbound closed for hours and hours this week (due to 6 car pile-up and A31 (very near M27, M3) closed due to incident with hours of tail backs (both M3 and A31 incidents at the same time/day, chaos!). Makes me wonder if hard shoulder existed, would these people still be alive today.
Remember how you were never allowed to drive in the hard shoulder because it was dangerous and full of hazards? So what makes it any safer now? Nothing "smart" about them
The group or individuals that approved this barmy dangerous scheme just to save a few pounds (to be blown up in middle east) should be charged for manslaughter for every death occuring on this deliberate action of allowing motorist on it to be sitting ducks for vehicles (trucks buses juggernaugbts who in fast lanes need emergency pull over into non existent "hard shoulder" )
As a driver for 20 yrs plus and experiencing several breakdowns on motorways, can recall at least two breakdown s where my car /van has stopped within 20 meters of developing a mechanical issue , these things are dangerous and put pple in real danger, they should be banned completely.
Big car pile ups are due to as I've previously mentioned driving too close to the vehicle in front or distractive driving. If you cannot stop in time it's mostly due to tailgating.
@@billyporter1389 Tailgating is a scourge of our motorways,it's true,but that doesn't make sacrificing the hard shoulder to create just another lane of traffic any less foolhardy. If someone breaks down because of a fault in their car or something they've got nowhere to go,and neither have the rescue services trying to attend to them.
They're an absolute abomination. As stated, they remove the safety of a hard shoulder and prevent emergency vehicles getting through. I refuse to drive on the hard shoulder/inside lane of them. But if I was to break down, I'd be just as stranded and in danger of being hit as everyone else is. They need to banned ASAP.
They say get out of the passenger side - ok with a bench seat or a van but have you tried climbing over the centre console and then attempting to remove your strapped-in young children - all in a panic knowing you might be hit at any moment
The fact that that question has to be asked is appalling. If they wanted an extra lane to help congestion, make one that can only be used at certain times or traffic levels like a bus lane. The Hard Shoulder should never be a live lane
This appears to me to be the moral equivalent of dispensing with ground or earth wires in an electrical installation. In my electronics courses involving some mains electrical work I was always told that the most important connections are the ground or earth connections, if something goes wrong they will pass electricity safely to earth and not through the body of a person causing their death or injury. In the past cowboy installers and workers would skip over installing earth connections because the stuff would work without them. Several people were killed by this carelessness and several workers were fired and barred from working in any responsible capacity in electrical work so that now you at least have a safer environment in these installations. What now needs to happen is an assignment of responsibilty and an elimination of smart motorways and a reintroduction of hard shoulders ASAP.
I’m a HGV driver and I travel on “smart motorways “ every day . Sooner or later there will be a major accident, ie a broken down mini bus full of people or a car with elderly people /kids who will not get out in time . The hard shoulder was there for a reason, that reason still exists, emergency vehicles struggle to reach accidents when all 4 lanes come to a standstill, also the red ❌ is routinely ignored , the delay’s, accidents, and road closures caused in the years it takes to construct these roads is a nightmare for people like me who have to use them regularly
When are our leaders going to stop hammering the motorists? There is more conjestion now than ever. No real improvements have come forward it's just take take take
My question is... who will be held accountable for these deaths, money spent... in general this mess? Everyone says they dont work, they are dangerous. Heck, even police say its worst for then to respond to incidents... But highways keep theyr heads stuck in the sand.
There are no such things as Smart Motorways. The Smart bit refers to some Civil Servant on Government minister being able to claim they've increased the capacity of an over crowded road. The other smart people are the directors of companies who made a nice profit out conning the afore mentioned officials into buying all the -- mostly ignored and often not working properly - computer controlled signage and of-course making sure they've got the maintenance contract for said questionable signage.
Smart Motoway Should be called World Most Dangerous Motorways, since Hard Sholder Lanes are gone on so many motorways. BRING THE HARD SHOLDER BACK BRING THE HARD SHOLDER BACK BRING THE HARD SHOLDER BACK
It will probably take the half wits another 3 to 4 years to bring back the hard shoulders. Idiots won't think to just permanently close the lane. And who pays for it....you! And anyone else reading this message and who is inconvenienced.......you....and who created the issue which is now going to cost you time and money? Where are they?
They are dangerous. You can break down in any lane what is just crazy. Now the safest place to stop is on the grass verge next to the motorway. They should bring back the old style motorway. The only way to bring back the hard shoulder is to put that red X on the left had lane. There you go. There's your hard shoulder back
I can't convey my anger enough about how the highways agency places more importance of a speedier journey than lives. It defies commensense , the people who work for such an agency should demand a rethink , because more lives are going to be lost , it makes me wonder how the hair brain who came up with this idea can sleep at night.
Nothing smart about this new motorway layout. I, for one, refuse to use the first lane of these sections. They are simply not safe. Whomever designed these and approved them should should be shot. Better still, put in a stricken vehicle and left in the first lane of a 'Smart' motorway.
I avoid smart motorways now as it is just not worth the risk. I drive an old car and I have broken down previously but a hard shoulder meant this wasn’t an issue. Removal of a hard shoulder suddenly increases the risk significantly.
Stopped vehicle detection needs to be developed. A technology driven approach is all well and good, but the newer “budget” smart motorways are lacking in safety features. As an absolute minimum we need more refuge areas and the people in the regional control center need to be on the ball with making sure the limits are signed correctly. I do like the new clearer message signs but they should do it as they used to originally, where the hard shoulder is opened only when ABSOLUTELY necessary for another lane and even then at a lower limit.
Apparently from what I heard there is a stopped vehicle detection system in place but what was said it takes 17 minutes to detect vehicle in live lane totally madness
Yes there are back because you're driving you're looking at the road all of a sudden you're looking up in the air at the signs as they're changing offering 4 months from one thing to another yes they are dangerous
I can’t see why a hard shoulder can’t be added to smart motorways. All it would have to do is stop when it gets to a bridge or obstacle that is in its way which is similar to early motorway design. This would allow for extra lanes and a hard shoulder.
The problem here is they are relying on humans to be perfect, which we will never be. Human error will always exist, no matter how "smart" the items in the world become.
I heard it from a retired police officer himself. That they earn huge amounts of money from speeding fines, and are trying to use technology to keep making more money from it.
Quotes from a fatal 'SMART MOTORWAY' accident inquest two years ago - Operators may occasionally look at CCTV images when they're not engaged in responding to other incidents, but there is no constant or routine monitoring," he said. "It's simply not part of the safety standard However, coroner David Urpeth said the lack of a hard shoulder contributed to their deaths . He told an inquest at Sheffield town hall: "I believe that smart motorways, as things currently stand, present an ongoing risk of future deaths." If you find yourself on one of these stretches of lunacy - DON'T DRIVE IN LANE ONE -EVER.
Smart motorway? Not. Getting rid of the hard shoulder is a very very bad idea. Highways England or whoever thought it was a good idea to do this should be held accountable for all these deaths that would not have happened had it not been for the smart motorway.
I drive a “smart motorway” 3 or 4 times a day every day. They are a sham. The m60 has live speed cameras all round it that are live to the speed that’s indicated. I’ve seen it 30 to 40 times last year were they slow the motorway down to 40 mph with no reason as there is no extra traffic just as you get to a camera and as soon as you pass it’s back to nation speed limit and I see 8 to 10 people a day flashed by them. Also there are as many traffic jams if not more than there has ever been. It’s nothing but an extra tax on motorists.
Jermaine Train Allen it’s not so easy. We have to find a way to combat the demand for extra capacity in a way that doesn’t compromise safety like all-lanes running does but also doesn’t take decades like traditional widening. Plus the new larger message signs are good anyway
WE THE DRIVERS ARE IN CONTROL - SIMPLE EITHER HAVE A DRIVE SLOW PROTEST ON ALL SMART MOTORWAYS UNTIL THE HARD SHOULDER IS REINSTATED OR BOYCOTT THEM ALTOGETHER
Having refuge areas 2 miles apart is absolutely ridiculous, I travel on motorways a lot and I am very concerned because any vehicle can breakdown for various reasons and suddenly you’re in a death trap. Scrap Smart Motorways NOW.
I've been driving over 30yrs and half of my mileage was on motorways. I have never came across that situation where lanes 1,2 and 3 were free and lots of drivers using lane 4. And even if I did I would undertake.
At first they told us the reason for speed cameras are because Speed kills. Now on smart motorways they say slow down all because you might end up in a traffic jam. Its an insult to the public that they can get away with giving you points and a fine, because you might end up in traffic if you ignore the signs!!
What evidence do these mps talk about? No hard shoulders is a major inconvenience and definitely unsafe. I can imagine emergency vehicles trying to negotiate in what used to be a hard shoulder but are now stuck in slow traffic. Pathetic and smart motorways just feel like a gimmick, just want to seem technical. And then talk about the ever changing speed limits. Drivers are now speed checking frequently, taking their eyes off the road or breaking suddenly
This really winds me up! These motorways need to be scrapped! People are dying just because there is no where to go when you break down! Families are being put in life threatening situations... we all need to speak up and get these scrapped
I never ever use the hard shoulder even if if says use it! My experience tells me to avoid it driving a truck most cars are reluctant to let you over so if it was a emergency you just have to pile into what ever is broke down or slam on the breaks and make a pile up. Been able to spot what ever is broken down is near impossible on a busy motorway with cars jumping into your breaking space you created it's only going to end badly. I have no problem in killing idiots but I have a problem killing a innocent sole that has broken down and has nowhere to go.
Absolute stupidity. Everyone must have a safe place to pull over to in an emergency. No one cares about having an extra lane to get to where they need to go
In Texas the roads authorities did that exact thing, expanding to 9 lanes each way to cope with increased traffic demand over time in car crazy USA. it did not work. THe crucial thing is that people have to slow down and stop, queueing for limited parking spaces even if these are built in an unlimited fashion as is what happens in the US. The stopped cars eventually reach out onto the highways and block progress for everyone. More volume of traffic use the expanded highways until they reach saturation point and the cycle of expansion with more added lanes continues. What city planners really have to do is introduce more and better public transport but the Americans love their cars and hate public transport. Extra lanes are not often possible in the UK because of urban build up and dense settlement patterns in most of the island, especially the South East and the conurbations around Birmingham, Manchester etc. In Ireland, one I am familiar with is the circular M50 around Dublin. Planning and reservation of lands and aquisition of land by CPO started in the 1960's. The M50 was not completed until the mid 1999's, some 30 years later. Another notoriously busy and contentious road is the southbound M11 which suffers severe tailbacks every evening due to a mix of N road ( like the UK A road) and substandard junctions spilling out onto the hard shoulders of the Motorway. This is in spite of the elimination of all traffic lights on the route and other measures to separate local traffic from through traffic.
If your vehicle brakes down on the smart motorway. Shocking but some individuals that have lost there lives stay in the there vehicles! You should just like your told when there is a hard shoulder retreat to a safe place away from the vehicle. It’s not always the fault of the smart motorway when it comes to this issue.
Well that’s why I ensure my car is fit & healthy so I don’t breakdown simple .. not cos I agree with the smart motorway, but cos i hate to be the one stranded , afraid , imagine if you broke down at night 😳 with kids and a dog . Where are you gonna run to for safety
Simple, no such thing as smart, no hard shoulder = no where to go. Leaving ANY stranded vehicle at risk of being rear ended at high speed. Not so smart are they? In 2020, on M1 northbound, south of Sheffield, 2am night time, beneath some over hanging trees, a broken down 50 seater coach, no lights at all, no hazard warning lights, extremely dark night, no motorway lighting, whatsoever, seen only at last moment, had to swerve to avoid it. It's colour was dark brown or black, which explains why it was virtually invisible. Called police once passed it, hopefully no one else hit it.
Smart motorways are only usable when the people using them are smart enough. Unfortunately there are far to many ignorant people who believe they are invincible, and couldn’t care less as long as they can skip lanes, push in, or just ignore simple instructions, by means of road signage, & observation
If a vehicle breaks down its chaos, a really dangerous situation developes immediately, and within minutes the traffic is backing up, turning a safety lane into a live lane is not smart.
Before people get carried away ..... Smart Motorways are not the only high speed roads without permanent hard shoulder. Dual carriageways have the same speed limits as motorways for most vehicles. Dual carriageways 'never' have any proper hard shoulder. There are just under 5000 miles of dual carriageways in this country, dwarfing these Smart Motorways by a long long way.
I know in Ireland it is compulsory for planning authorities to provide an alternative route to motorways for traffic, especially those not allowed on motorways such as bikes, motorbikes under 50cc and tractors etc. Does the same rules apply in the UK??
@mark pullen I never drive on the old hard shoulder area that's now been turned to an extra lane. I broke down on the hard shoulder a few years ago and that felt dangerous enough getting out of the vehicle. If I was Richard Head, I would be ashamed of myself for this not so bright idea and the people who have been killed unnecessarily.
Im not even a driver and even I can see the lack of logic in using the hard shoulder as a live lane. Its generally in heavy traffic that accidents occur, which is when the hard shoulder is needed most for safety. What if a driver or passenger was having a heart attack, or a mother was giving birth and there were serious life or death complications. In both cases both people would die, as emergency services couldn't get to them in time. Lives are more important than getting from A to B faster. Stupidity is rife these days.
A year ago just such an incident involving a taxi driver having a heart attack on a dual carriageway was featured on Irish national radio. Luckily the taxi driver was saved by a passing motorist who happened to be a trained emergency responder who kept him alive long enough to get paramedics to rush him to hospital for emergency treatment. Hard shoulders are absolutely essential in my opinion and should not be used for any other purpose.
They should implement a 50 mph zone for the smart motorway sections as they are only short sections of the motorway, They are hideously expensive sections of road that the majority of people have not been trained to drive on! I am shocked at how many deaths have occured on the sections of newly upgraded smart motorway. Great roads, poor implementation!
This would be sensible. Also sensible would be enforced 3 second separation of vehicles using chevron marking as happens on some bridges and tunnels already. On temporary speed limits I always keep in the left lane because test pilots come up my rear tailgating and bullying people to go faster. SOme road works restricions also include no overtaking or lane changing rules to alleviate jockeying for position that takes place in such zones.
People know you're meant to get out and away from your car when you break down right? Like, get out from the passenger side door and stand off the motorway.
Iv always said it from the time they started doing them, what a stupid dangerous idea, who ever commissioned it, needs to be sued. how can they never forsee the dangers of the so called smart motorways? are they that thick?
Honestly, whoever is getting paid via public funds to come up with these idea's should pimp slap themselves in the face until they are unconscious, or smarter, whichever one comes first.
These motorways were specifically designed NOT for any safety reasons at all as they love to claim or even to assist with the flow of traffic, They were designed to criminalise and fine huge numbers of motorists and for no other reason. They were designed to generate huge sums of cash which they do wherever they are in place any all these deaths are seen as nothing more than collateral damage I think the term is and are the same additional revenue generators as their Safety cameras are Explain to me if speed = death and destruction as they claim why are the sites where these cameras bring in BILLIONS not scenes of complete and utter carnage and death and prove to be ACCIDENT FREE despite convicting hundreds of thousands of motorists and not a single accident ?
Germans have better training and driver education, better cars and better road maintenance and strict laws governing motorway access from other road users. Also there are only a limited subset of Autobahnen which have unlimited speed limits. Also a very strict drive right and pass left rule which gets rid of middle lane hoggers and right lane hoggers on their roads. Many urban autobahnen have speed limits reduced in rain or fog and many restrictions during peak periods and heavy traffic during events, holidays and times of heavy traffic. It is not a free for all.
We must get rid of the smart motorways across the uk people are being killed due to no hard shoulder with a hard shoulder to access throughout your journey if you need too your more safer then being in the first lane as we all know lorry’s use the first lane a lorry going in too the rear of a car is going to instantly kill everyone in the car and if other lorry’s then go in too the back of that crash it’s a multiple vehicle fatality incident that the police fire and ambulance service have to clean up and all those who are involved and have too witness that then live with that trauma in there memory for the rest of the live it’s time too get out country sorted and safe as we can’t keep helping every other country with out sorting out selfs out first it’s time Britain
Typical UK policy
Cheap alternative but extremely dangerous when you breakdown
Not true. It is safer than standard hard shoulders. This is a statistical fact, not just some meaningless feelings.
Statistics can be manipulated to say pretty much anything
Especially on roads like the A42 when the laybys are used for non breakdowns
@@acceleratedsloth Have you read Janice Turner - 'Smart Motorways were a tragic misjudgement' in The Times (15 Jan 2022)? If not then please do.
@@acceleratedsloth Please provide sources, because I'd love to know what fantasy land your "statistics" come from.
Yes is very very very dangerous ! The speed limit is keep changing each mile even is empty road and drivers afraid speedy and suddenly brake
Not true. It is safer than standard hard shoulders. This is a statistical fact, not just some meaningless feelings.
they are such a bad idea. just a cheep way of adding more lanes and somehow they manege to spend 3 years upgrading them
It's not only cheap but very lucrative! Submit an FOI for your regions speeding penalties & be prepared to be AMAZED
This is Police & public bodies enforcing a revenue stream on the general population!
And for all you "I don't speed so I'm ok" lot... on Monday night I had to drive 3 junctions of the M60 at 10pm @40mph...
Hardly a soul on the road certainly FAR from congested! For the whole duration...
Rang Highways England & they said "we'll look into it" I wish I'd speeded now because it needs a court case to end this theft!
@@danshields9980 highly aggreee
The 'sunk cost fallacy' - In economics & business decision-making, a sunk cost is a cost that has already been incurred and cannot be recovered making reversal or rejection a further risk to credibility/reputation. The govt can't dump SMs as they've invested too much in them & would look stupid if they did. This is also true of purchases of expensive ill fitting clothes, attempts to prevent WW1, failed pleas for clemency in executions & of course brexit...
Not true. It is safer than standard hard shoulders. This is a statistical fact, not just some meaningless feelings.
@@acceleratedsloth Smart Motorways. A contradiction in terms. A bit like brexit planning.
Yes! It’s insanely dangerous! People driving need a “safe place” to pull over in case they have to. It’s absolutely ludicrous and dangerous not to provide safe place for drivers to pull over!
Not true. It is safer than standard hard shoulders. This is a statistical fact, not just some meaningless feelings.
Well you were wrong about that
With more and more eletric and soon " assistance driven " pseudo autonomous cars we will have even more broken down vehicles clogging uo main carriageway waiting for rescue. We need more driver / rider/ pedestrian education and smaller vehicles on road making traffic flow better, not electronic engineering , which is unreliable and malfunctioning ..
I was involved in an incident on the m62 last Saturday on a stretch of smart motorway .
I was on the inside lane like everyone else sticking at or below 50mph
(I have had no points on my licence since I can't remember when)
The car in front of me did an emergency stop just in time to avoid a vehicle that had run out of petrol !,
sadly, I was not so lucky and could not stop in time . There was a lorry immediately behind me which just missed my car .
if the driver hadn't done this , a really major incident would have occurred .
All because there was no hard shoulder.
Someone needs to think again .
Not because of no hard shoulder. It was simply down to you driving too close to the vehicle in front or distractive driving caused the rear end collisions.
Billy Porter if there is a car infront of you, and they suddenly swerve, say whilst doing 70mph, then you are faced with a stationary vehicle, the distance to speed whilst approaching a stationary vehicle would t give you enough time to react.,
@@teem5642 That is why you should be able to stop in time. Even if the vehicle in front comes to an abrupt stop you should keep a sufficient distance. Unless somebody cuts in front, being unable to stop in time at any legit speed would be a fail in a driving test.
Only a fool breaks the two second rule. Works for me every time.
@@ezicarus8216 Your reply vexes me, the whole reason for multiple pileups is people driving bumper to bumper at high speeds allowing no distance to slow to a stop, should the need arise, rather than having to brake suddenly. And my attitude as you put it has kept me accident free and point free for 30 years plus of driving. And I never said hard shoulders weren't needed, I just think it's driving irresponsibly that is the cause of most accident's!
So stupid. Cars breaks down and you are screwed over. I've also been in traffic where emergency services are trying to get through and it's near impossible to do in a reasonable time
Not true. It is safer than standard hard shoulders. This is a statistical fact, not just some meaningless feelings.
@@acceleratedsloth how on earth is that remotely true? How is not having a dedicated lane safer than having one?
"As safe as a normal motorway", but not better, what's point then.
To increase the capacity but obviously the safety is the price.
They're horrific. Not just the fact there is no hard shoulder, smart motorways cause a huge amount of driver fatigue that normal motorways don't cause, and the constantly changing speed limits and traps cause motorists to drive dangerously close to each other more so than when left to their own devices. They were designed without taking human behaviour into consideration, we will never be able to control vehicles like a computer would. So this type of road should be postponed until cars are fully automated.
Well said.
the video could just be 2 seconds long and some guy just says ’yes’, and that’s that
Turning the motorway hard shoulder into a lane used for traffic is simply madness.
It's just because we've got motorways that were never built to take millions of cars and the government doesn't know what to do.
I'm an HGV driver and I drove in Portugal, Spain, France and UK. For me, the most dangerous roads are the smart motorways in UK where trafic starts to stop for no reason at all. And whit no warning you catch cars parked in the hard shoulders whit mechanical problems.
Smart motorways promote the very worst forms of driving on a motorway just to combat people going fast, you get onto an active "smart" motorway and you will be greeted by increased lane hogging, ludicrously slow drivers, aggressive lane changes, drivers speeding up and slowing down for no reason.
Not true. It is safer than standard hard shoulders. This is a statistical fact, not just some meaningless feelings.
simple answer is yes...take a drive along the M1 when it in "smart-mode" at night. sections which were previously fully-lit now only lit at junctions...another (austerity) cost-cutting measure. odd isn't it...that people been fined for (illegally) driving in the hard shoulder in the past when the motorway is congested/ground-to-a-halt...but now it "safe" because there a few extra cameras and the odd "refuge-lay-bys".
Valid point.
Are the cameras and lane closure signals operated by humans? Bound to be an error if human operated and an inevitable accident waiting to happen. Rail operators test and supervise their drivers and signalmen to very high standards and punish rule breakers severely. Same does not apply to most cars and drivers operating on motorways.
Smart motorways are a great risk
Do not drive on them
I've always felt worried driving on so called "smart motorways", eyes continuously dancing between the speedo and overhead gantries, wondering if you're speeding or lane has closed. All reduces your time and ability to spot real potential hazards.
Using the hard shoulder as an extra lane is just asking for trouble. The planners know the effect of what they call smart but keep on putting more variable speed sections in and in most cases traffic lights on entrances and exits. Do not be fooled these stretches of motorway are designed to stop traffic or at least slow it down to relive the pressure further down the road. They have done the same thing in small towns across the country build new roads to allow through traffic then close the old roads to force traffic to use the new roads that were only meant to relieve the pressure not to completely banish all traffic But if they had a good brain fart and got it right just once they would be out of a job for a few years,
M27 westbound closed for two days junction 5 -7 last week (lorry crash into gantry due to others bad driving), M3 Southbound closed for hours and hours this week (due to 6 car pile-up and A31 (very near M27, M3) closed due to incident with hours of tail backs (both M3 and A31 incidents at the same time/day, chaos!). Makes me wonder if hard shoulder existed, would these people still be alive today.
Remember how you were never allowed to drive in the hard shoulder because it was dangerous and full of hazards? So what makes it any safer now? Nothing "smart" about them
Smart Motorways aren't dangerous unless you use them with other cars, want to go anywhere on them or break down unexpectedly.
All we can do is take the authorities to court.The AA wont turn up anymore to help on a smart /stupid motorway that says it all.
I heard that on the radio, i never knew the AA wouldn't come out on a smart motorway.
The group or individuals that approved this barmy dangerous scheme just to save a few pounds (to be blown up in middle east) should be charged for manslaughter for every death occuring on this deliberate action of allowing motorist on it to be sitting ducks for vehicles (trucks buses juggernaugbts who in fast lanes need emergency pull over into non existent "hard shoulder" )
As a driver for 20 yrs plus and experiencing several breakdowns on motorways, can recall at least two breakdown s where my car /van has stopped within 20 meters of developing a mechanical issue , these things are dangerous and put pple in real danger, they should be banned completely.
Always said from the start these are dangerous one day and it will happen there is going to be a big big pileup
Big car pile ups are due to as I've previously mentioned driving too close to the vehicle in front or distractive driving. If you cannot stop in time it's mostly due to tailgating.
@@billyporter1389 Tailgating is a scourge of our motorways,it's true,but that doesn't make sacrificing the hard shoulder to create just another lane of traffic any less foolhardy. If someone breaks down because of a fault in their car or something they've got nowhere to go,and neither have the rescue services trying to attend to them.
They're an absolute abomination. As stated, they remove the safety of a hard shoulder and prevent emergency vehicles getting through. I refuse to drive on the hard shoulder/inside lane of them. But if I was to break down, I'd be just as stranded and in danger of being hit as everyone else is. They need to banned ASAP.
They say get out of the passenger side - ok with a bench seat or a van but have you tried climbing over the centre console and then attempting to remove your strapped-in young children - all in a panic knowing you might be hit at any moment
The fact that that question has to be asked is appalling. If they wanted an extra lane to help congestion, make one that can only be used at certain times or traffic levels like a bus lane. The Hard Shoulder should never be a live lane
This appears to me to be the moral equivalent of dispensing with ground or earth wires in an electrical installation. In my electronics courses involving some mains electrical work I was always told that the most important connections are the ground or earth connections, if something goes wrong they will pass electricity safely to earth and not through the body of a person causing their death or injury.
In the past cowboy installers and workers would skip over installing earth connections because the stuff would work without them.
Several people were killed by this carelessness and several workers were fired and barred from working in any responsible capacity in electrical work so that now you at least have a safer environment in these installations.
What now needs to happen is an assignment of responsibilty and an elimination of smart motorways and a reintroduction of hard shoulders ASAP.
I’m a HGV driver and I travel on “smart motorways “ every day . Sooner or later there will be a major accident, ie a broken down mini bus full of people or a car with elderly people /kids who will not get out in time . The hard shoulder was there for a reason, that reason still exists, emergency vehicles struggle to reach accidents when all 4 lanes come to a standstill, also the red ❌ is routinely ignored , the delay’s, accidents, and road closures caused in the years it takes to construct these roads is a nightmare for people like me who have to use them regularly
When are our leaders going to stop hammering the motorists?
There is more conjestion now than ever. No real improvements have come forward it's just take take take
My question is... who will be held accountable for these deaths, money spent... in general this mess?
Everyone says they dont work, they are dangerous. Heck, even police say its worst for then to respond to incidents...
But highways keep theyr heads stuck in the sand.
M6 going north from Birmingham is a nightmare & so dangerous it's unbelievable .& back from Manchester.
There are no such things as Smart Motorways. The Smart bit refers to some Civil Servant on Government minister being able to claim they've increased the capacity of an over crowded road. The other smart people are the directors of companies who made a nice profit out conning the afore mentioned officials into buying all the -- mostly ignored and often not working properly - computer controlled signage and of-course making sure they've got the maintenance contract for said questionable signage.
Smart Motoway Should be called World Most Dangerous Motorways, since Hard Sholder Lanes are gone on so many motorways.
BRING THE HARD SHOLDER BACK
BRING THE HARD SHOLDER BACK
BRING THE HARD SHOLDER BACK
It will probably take the half wits another 3 to 4 years to bring back the hard shoulders. Idiots won't think to just permanently close the lane. And who pays for it....you! And anyone else reading this message and who is inconvenienced.......you....and who created the issue which is now going to cost you time and money? Where are they?
Not true. It is safer than standard hard shoulders. This is a statistical fact, not just some meaningless feelings.
Yes u never know when you're car will break down wtf stop this nonsense now 😭😭😭
They are dangerous. You can break down in any lane what is just crazy. Now the safest place to stop is on the grass verge next to the motorway. They should bring back the old style motorway.
The only way to bring back the hard shoulder is to put that red X on the left had lane. There you go. There's your hard shoulder back
You can bet your life that greased palms got these oh so dangerous roads the go ahead...
I'm afraid it's all about saving money. Accidents are just a by-product.
I can't convey my anger enough about how the highways agency places more importance of a speedier journey than lives.
It defies commensense , the people who work for such an agency should demand a rethink , because more lives are going to be lost , it makes me wonder how the hair brain who came up with this idea can sleep at night.
There's nothing smart about these dumb motorways, they must be banned
Smart motorways should be scrapped we need to get a petition started too many lives at risk
Nothing smart about this new motorway layout. I, for one, refuse to use the first lane of these sections. They are simply not safe. Whomever designed these and approved them should should be shot. Better still, put in a stricken vehicle and left in the first lane of a 'Smart' motorway.
Yes it is. It scares me driving the A40 between Cheltenham and Gloucester as that doesn't have any hard shoulders
New A14 is getting smart lmao.
It's not going to be classed as a smart motorway.
@@Andrewjg_89 may not be named as a smart motorway but the same principal with no hard shoulder.
I avoid smart motorways now as it is just not worth the risk. I drive an old car and I have broken down previously but a hard shoulder meant this wasn’t an issue. Removal of a hard shoulder suddenly increases the risk significantly.
Stopped vehicle detection needs to be developed. A technology driven approach is all well and good, but the newer “budget” smart motorways are lacking in safety features. As an absolute minimum we need more refuge areas and the people in the regional control center need to be on the ball with making sure the limits are signed correctly. I do like the new clearer message signs but they should do it as they used to originally, where the hard shoulder is opened only when ABSOLUTELY necessary for another lane and even then at a lower limit.
Apparently from what I heard there is a stopped vehicle detection system in place but what was said it takes 17 minutes to detect vehicle in live lane totally madness
Yes there are back because you're driving you're looking at the road all of a sudden you're looking up in the air at the signs as they're changing offering 4 months from one thing to another yes they are dangerous
I can’t see why a hard shoulder can’t be added to smart motorways. All it would have to do is stop when it gets to a bridge or obstacle that is in its way which is similar to early motorway design. This would allow for extra lanes and a hard shoulder.
Because they don’t want to spend to much money doing it, but will happily put you taxes up.
The problem here is they are relying on humans to be perfect, which we will never be. Human error will always exist, no matter how "smart" the items in the world become.
Always has been a criminally dangerous idea. Whoever came up with this idea should be jailed.
It’s just a way of keeping motorway staff working we didn’t need it at all.
Very dangerous yes, but think of all the money they'll make when they catch you going 1 mph over the speed limit
It's all just a money making exercise hiding under the guise of safety.
I heard it from a retired police officer himself. That they earn huge amounts of money from speeding fines, and are trying to use technology to keep making more money from it.
@@wetlettuce4768fuck it just dont pay…..
Quotes from a fatal 'SMART MOTORWAY' accident inquest two years ago -
Operators may occasionally look at CCTV images when they're not engaged in responding to other incidents, but there is no constant or routine monitoring," he said. "It's simply not part of the safety standard
However, coroner David Urpeth said the lack of a hard shoulder contributed to their deaths
.
He told an inquest at Sheffield town hall: "I believe that smart motorways, as things currently stand, present an ongoing risk of future deaths."
If you find yourself on one of these stretches of lunacy - DON'T DRIVE IN LANE ONE -EVER.
Smart motorway? Not. Getting rid of the hard shoulder is a very very bad idea. Highways England or whoever thought it was a good idea to do this should be held accountable for all these deaths that would not have happened had it not been for the smart motorway.
I drive a “smart motorway” 3 or 4 times a day every day. They are a sham. The m60 has live speed cameras all round it that are live to the speed that’s indicated. I’ve seen it 30 to 40 times last year were they slow the motorway down to 40 mph with no reason as there is no extra traffic just as you get to a camera and as soon as you pass it’s back to nation speed limit and I see 8 to 10 people a day flashed by them. Also there are as many traffic jams if not more than there has ever been.
It’s nothing but an extra tax on motorists.
Basically... don't build any more smart motorways.
Jermaine Train Allen it’s not so easy. We have to find a way to combat the demand for extra capacity in a way that doesn’t compromise safety like all-lanes running does but also doesn’t take decades like traditional widening. Plus the new larger message signs are good anyway
And, as anyone who ever uses those self-service checkout machines knows, computerised gadgets *never* break down...
WE THE DRIVERS ARE IN CONTROL - SIMPLE EITHER HAVE A DRIVE SLOW PROTEST ON ALL SMART MOTORWAYS UNTIL THE HARD SHOULDER IS REINSTATED OR BOYCOTT THEM ALTOGETHER
Having refuge areas 2 miles apart is absolutely ridiculous, I travel on motorways a lot and I am very concerned because any vehicle can breakdown for various reasons and suddenly you’re in a death trap. Scrap Smart Motorways NOW.
I use the M3 everyday and a lot of drivers uses the right lane well bellow the speed limit with 3 lanes on the left completely free. 🐢🚗🚕🚓🚑🚒
I've been driving over 30yrs and half of my mileage was on motorways. I have never came across that situation where lanes 1,2 and 3 were free and lots of drivers using lane 4. And even if I did I would undertake.
At first they told us the reason for speed cameras are because Speed kills.
Now on smart motorways they say slow down all because you might end up in a traffic jam.
Its an insult to the public that they can get away with giving you points and a fine, because you might end up in traffic if you ignore the signs!!
What evidence do these mps talk about? No hard shoulders is a major inconvenience and definitely unsafe. I can imagine emergency vehicles trying to negotiate in what used to be a hard shoulder but are now stuck in slow traffic. Pathetic and smart motorways just feel like a gimmick, just want to seem technical. And then talk about the ever changing speed limits. Drivers are now speed checking frequently, taking their eyes off the road or breaking suddenly
I'd like to see where they got there evidence from that said they are just as safe as conventional motorways.
This really winds me up! These motorways need to be scrapped! People are dying just because there is no where to go when you break down! Families are being put in life threatening situations... we all need to speak up and get these scrapped
That's Real Britain for you! You need to ask the Germans for help, they seem to run things smart.
Is fire hot? Is water wet?
I still think that smart motorways is dangerous.
I'm not in the UK and this whole concept took me some time to understand. I just thought it couldn't be that stupid and I was missing something.
I never ever use the hard shoulder even if if says use it! My experience tells me to avoid it driving a truck most cars are reluctant to let you over so if it was a emergency you just have to pile into what ever is broke down or slam on the breaks and make a pile up. Been able to spot what ever is broken down is near impossible on a busy motorway with cars jumping into your breaking space you created it's only going to end badly. I have no problem in killing idiots but I have a problem killing a innocent sole that has broken down and has nowhere to go.
Absolute stupidity. Everyone must have a safe place to pull over to in an emergency. No one cares about having an extra lane to get to where they need to go
I don’t understand Why they just don’t make 2 more lanes into the farmland on each side? One extra for flow and one strictly as a hard shoulder?
In Texas the roads authorities did that exact thing, expanding to 9 lanes each way to cope with increased traffic demand over time in car crazy USA. it did not work. THe crucial thing is that people have to slow down and stop, queueing for limited parking spaces even if these are built in an unlimited fashion as is what happens in the US.
The stopped cars eventually reach out onto the highways and block progress for everyone. More volume of traffic use the expanded highways until they reach saturation point and the cycle of expansion with more added lanes continues.
What city planners really have to do is introduce more and better public transport but the Americans love their cars and hate public transport.
Extra lanes are not often possible in the UK because of urban build up and dense settlement patterns in most of the island, especially the South East and the conurbations around Birmingham, Manchester etc.
In Ireland, one I am familiar with is the circular M50 around Dublin. Planning and reservation of lands and aquisition of land by CPO started in the 1960's. The M50 was not completed until the mid 1999's, some 30 years later.
Another notoriously busy and contentious road is the southbound M11 which suffers severe tailbacks every evening due to a mix of N road ( like the UK A road) and substandard junctions spilling out onto the hard shoulders of the Motorway.
This is in spite of the elimination of all traffic lights on the route and other measures to separate local traffic from through traffic.
I’m scared that it will be bus of school children next
If your vehicle brakes down on the smart motorway. Shocking but some individuals that have lost there lives stay in the there vehicles! You should just like your told when there is a hard shoulder retreat to a safe place away from the vehicle. It’s not always the fault of the smart motorway when it comes to this issue.
Well that’s why I ensure my car is fit & healthy so I don’t breakdown simple .. not cos I agree with the smart motorway, but cos i hate to be the one stranded , afraid , imagine if you broke down at night 😳 with kids and a dog . Where are you gonna run to for safety
yes
Simple, no such thing as smart, no hard shoulder = no where to go.
Leaving ANY stranded vehicle at risk of being rear ended at high speed.
Not so smart are they?
In 2020, on M1 northbound, south of Sheffield, 2am night time, beneath some over hanging trees, a broken down 50 seater coach, no lights at all, no hazard warning lights, extremely dark night, no motorway lighting, whatsoever, seen only at last moment, had to swerve to avoid it.
It's colour was dark brown or black, which explains why it was virtually invisible.
Called police once passed it, hopefully no one else hit it.
YES.
Dumb motorways
A simple solution to the 'smart motorway' problem - DON'T EVER DRIVE IN LANE ONE
Smart motorways are only usable when the people using them are smart enough. Unfortunately there are far to many ignorant people who believe they are invincible, and couldn’t care less as long as they can skip lanes, push in, or just ignore simple instructions, by means of road signage, & observation
Hard shoulders are not safe. People still die on the hard shoulder. The problem is and always will be the people using the roads.
A lot safer than being broken down in a live running lane.
If a vehicle breaks down its chaos, a really dangerous situation developes immediately, and within minutes the traffic is backing up, turning a safety lane into a live lane is not smart.
Before people get carried away ..... Smart Motorways are not the only high speed roads without permanent hard shoulder. Dual carriageways have the same speed limits as motorways for most vehicles. Dual carriageways 'never' have any proper hard shoulder. There are just under 5000 miles of dual carriageways in this country, dwarfing these Smart Motorways by a long long way.
People that think for themselves will abandon smart motorways in favour of A roads. This then defeats the object of widening motorways.
I know in Ireland it is compulsory for planning authorities to provide an alternative route to motorways for traffic, especially those not allowed on motorways such as bikes, motorbikes under 50cc and tractors etc.
Does the same rules apply in the UK??
I would like to know the name of the person who thought up smart motorways. It wasn't a smart idea.
@mark pullen I never drive on the old hard shoulder area that's now been turned to an extra lane. I broke down on the hard shoulder a few years ago and that felt dangerous enough getting out of the vehicle.
If I was Richard Head, I would be ashamed of myself for this not so bright idea and the people who have been killed unnecessarily.
Answer is yes all this just to save few minutes of your journey time.
Im not even a driver and even I can see the lack of logic in using the hard shoulder as a live lane. Its generally in heavy traffic that accidents occur, which is when the hard shoulder is needed most for safety. What if a driver or passenger was having a heart attack, or a mother was giving birth and there were serious life or death complications. In both cases both people would die, as emergency services couldn't get to them in time. Lives are more important than getting from A to B faster. Stupidity is rife these days.
A year ago just such an incident involving a taxi driver having a heart attack on a dual carriageway was featured on Irish national radio. Luckily the taxi driver was saved by a passing motorist who happened to be a trained emergency responder who kept him alive long enough to get paramedics to rush him to hospital for emergency treatment. Hard shoulders are absolutely essential in my opinion and should not be used for any other purpose.
Short answer: Yes.
YES!
Waste of time, waste of money.
Smart accidents !
They should implement a 50 mph zone for the smart motorway sections as they are only short sections of the motorway,
They are hideously expensive sections of road that the majority of people have not been trained to drive on!
I am shocked at how many deaths have occured on the sections of newly upgraded smart motorway.
Great roads, poor implementation!
This would be sensible. Also sensible would be enforced 3 second separation of vehicles using chevron marking as happens on some bridges and tunnels already. On temporary speed limits I always keep in the left lane because test pilots come up my rear tailgating and bullying people to go faster. SOme road works restricions also include no overtaking or lane changing rules to alleviate jockeying for position that takes place in such zones.
People know you're meant to get out and away from your car when you break down right? Like, get out from the passenger side door and stand off the motorway.
Iv always said it from the time they started doing them, what a stupid dangerous idea, who ever commissioned it, needs to be sued. how can they never forsee the dangers of the so called smart motorways? are they that thick?
Honestly, whoever is getting paid via public funds to come up with these idea's should pimp slap themselves in the face until they are unconscious, or smarter, whichever one comes first.
yes. the end.
These motorways were specifically designed NOT for any safety reasons at all as they love to claim or even to assist with the flow of traffic, They were designed to criminalise and fine huge numbers of motorists and for no other reason. They were designed to generate huge sums of cash which they do wherever they are in place any all these deaths are seen as nothing more than collateral damage I think the term is and are the same additional revenue generators as their Safety cameras are
Explain to me if speed = death and destruction as they claim why are the sites where these cameras bring in BILLIONS not scenes of complete and utter carnage and death and prove to be ACCIDENT FREE despite convicting hundreds of thousands of motorists and not a single accident ?
People who think smart motorways are dangerous are clowns. End of.
Only as smart as the people controlling them. Which, seeing as it's highways UK, means they're a total waste of time and money
It is safer to have no speed limits on motorways than to have a smart motorway, Germany have proven that.
Germans have better training and driver education, better cars and better road maintenance and strict laws governing motorway access from other road users. Also there are only a limited subset of Autobahnen which have unlimited speed limits. Also a very strict drive right and pass left rule which gets rid of middle lane hoggers and right lane hoggers on their roads.
Many urban autobahnen have speed limits reduced in rain or fog and many restrictions during peak periods and heavy traffic during events, holidays and times of heavy traffic. It is not a free for all.
We must get rid of the smart motorways across the uk people are being killed due to no hard shoulder with a hard shoulder to access throughout your journey if you need too your more safer then being in the first lane as we all know lorry’s use the first lane a lorry going in too the rear of a car is going to instantly kill everyone in the car and if other lorry’s then go in too the back of that crash it’s a multiple vehicle fatality incident that the police fire and ambulance service have to clean up and all those who are involved and have too witness that then live with that trauma in there memory for the rest of the live it’s time too get out country sorted and safe as we can’t keep helping every other country with out sorting out selfs out first it’s time Britain
Suggestion for new smart motorway sign - "ABANDON HOPE ALL YE WHO ENTER HERE"
Yes.. Obviously they are
That's like asking if the BBC is corrupt