Petition to ban smart motorways

Hi, i have come across this petition to ban smart motorways for those who may be intrested.

change.org/p/scrap-dangerou … igned=true

Would be nice to also hear peoples views.

Thanks

My view is I’m against banning them.

If we’re going to ban them we should also then ban mile upon mile of dual carriageway roads that are also 70mph, don’t have a hard shoulder nor have refuge areas and are often less monitored with less gantry information. Think large swathes of the A1 or A14 as examples among may others.

Also are we talking “all lane running” or actual “smart motorways” because theres a difference which often gets forgotten.

What I’m in favour of is improving technology/infrastructure to reduce risks and increase awareness of issues/reduce speed of response.

Banning drivers that can’t use them properly might help the problem although look at the way they drive on ordinary motorways.
Learn the rules and stick to them including keeping a safe distance would prevent most motorway accidents.

These petitions are a waste of time the one below to get tony Blairs knighthood taken off him its currently at 1,116,499 and nothing has happened.

Tony Blair to have his “Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter” rescinded

1,116,499 have signed.
Let’s get to 1,500,000!

The Gov have now put a stop to all new construction of smart m-ways. Existing projects will be completed.
bbc.com/news/business-59956911

I don`t like the smart m-ways as they have been rolled out.
The initial trials had frequent lay-bys and proper monitoring. Then the roads built had fewer lay-bys and inferior monitoring.
Penny pinching and sub standard safety approved by ministers. Next to criminal.

@ Jake:
Yes, drivers should drive better. But they dont. Proper road engineering helps to compensate for that fact. Weve been around enough to know that there are good and bad road designs. I do agree driver should do better, but I don`t think that is an excuse to accept sub standard roads.

Nowt wrong with smart motorways if they are used properly, and with extra caution.
It’s when you add the inept, the incompetent, the bad driver,.and the ‘‘car driver with a Claas 1 licence’’ who thinks he s a trucker, nto the mix when the problem starts.
Also the cretins who can’t t use them prooerly and avoid the inside lane for whatever reason…cough Winseer. cough. :smiley: … driving his ''Instunent of death :smiley:
(Can’t believe that STILL.amuses me after all this time. :blush: :smiley: )

As somebody just said, why not add dual carriageway to the petition as they also do not have a hard shoulder.

Bin Man:
These petitions are a waste of time the one below to get tony Blairs knighthood taken off him its currently at 1,116,499 and nothing has happened.

Tony Blair to have his “Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter” rescinded

1,116,499 have signed.
Let’s get to 1,500,000!

That one is doomed to failure anyway as the “Garter” honour comes direct from the Queen herself and has nothing to do with Parliament. Even if Parliament was to speak to her about it, she’s as unhappy with Boris and his mates as the rest of us are, so she’s not going to give a ■■■■.

robroy:
As somebody just said, why not add dual carriageway to the petition as they also do not have a hard shoulder.

A1 dual carriageway Sandy Beds, busy? Under 25,000 vehicles daily in 2019.
M1 Beds,same year…Over 143,000…

roadtraffic.dft.gov.uk/manualcountpoints/81288
roadtraffic.dft.gov.uk/manualcountpoints/81549

Notice any difference?
6 times as much traffic, even with an extra lane it is a lot busier, and less easy to change lanes.

Ed Typo

Franglais:

robroy:
As somebody just said, why not add dual carriageway to the petition as they also do not have a hard shoulder.

A1 dual carriageway Sandy Beds, busy? Under 25,000 vehicles daily in 2019.
M1 Beds,same year…Over 143,000…

roadtraffic.dft.gov.uk/manualcountpoints/81288
roadtraffic.dft.gov.uk/manualcountpoints/81549

Notice any difference?
6 times as much traffic, even with an extra lane it is a lot busier, and less easy to change lanes.

Ed Typo

So a better quality of road going virtually in the same direction attracts more vehicles? :open_mouth:
Who’d have thought it eh?.
Ok so let’s just ban dual carriageway where there are no superior route alternatives going virtually parallel.
What’s your point exactly? :unamused:

Franglais:

robroy:
As somebody just said, why not add dual carriageway to the petition as they also do not have a hard shoulder.

A1 dual carriageway Sandy Beds, busy? Under 25,000 vehicles daily in 2019.
M1 Beds,same year…Over 143,000…

roadtraffic.dft.gov.uk/manualcountpoints/81288
roadtraffic.dft.gov.uk/manualcountpoints/81549

Notice any difference?
6 times as much traffic, even with an extra lane it is a lot busier, and less easy to change lanes.

Ed Typo

The majority of the M1 through Bedfordshire is now 4 lane so if we’re being pedantic double the capacity of the A1 at Sandy Bedfordshire

Mazzer2:

Franglais:

robroy:
As somebody just said, why not add dual carriageway to the petition as they also do not have a hard shoulder.

A1 dual carriageway Sandy Beds, busy? Under 25,000 vehicles daily in 2019.
M1 Beds,same year…Over 143,000…

roadtraffic.dft.gov.uk/manualcountpoints/81288
roadtraffic.dft.gov.uk/manualcountpoints/81549

Notice any difference?
6 times as much traffic, even with an extra lane it is a lot busier, and less easy to change lanes.

Ed Typo

The majority of the M1 through Bedfordshire is now 4 lane so if we’re being pedantic double the capacity of the A1 at Sandy Bedfordshire

Fair enough. 2 extra lanes.
M1 is 2 times the size, with 6 times the traffic.

I think my comment “a lot busier” still covers it. :smiley:

Franglais:

Mazzer2:

Franglais:

robroy:
As somebody just said, why not add dual carriageway to the petition as they also do not have a hard shoulder.

A1 dual carriageway Sandy Beds, busy? Under 25,000 vehicles daily in 2019.
M1 Beds,same year…Over 143,000…

roadtraffic.dft.gov.uk/manualcountpoints/81288
roadtraffic.dft.gov.uk/manualcountpoints/81549

Notice any difference?
6 times as much traffic, even with an extra lane it is a lot busier, and less easy to change lanes.

Ed Typo

The majority of the M1 through Bedfordshire is now 4 lane so if we’re being pedantic double the capacity of the A1 at Sandy Bedfordshire

Fair enough. 2 extra lanes.
M1 is 2 times the size, with 6 times the traffic.

I think my comment “a lot busier” still covers it. :smiley:

Argh but did you factor in that there are no roundabouts slap in the middle of the M1 :smiley: :smiley:

They have good and bad points, personally i’m of the opinion that if unlit the inside lane should revert to hard shoulder status during the hours of darkness, the overhead gantries could manage the operation of this.
Yes there should be better driving skills but that isn’t going to happen anytime soon as the vehicles and the job if anything are dumbed down ever further.

Comparing motorways with dual carriageways has always been mistaken, on duals you have laybys, short junctions, junctions that cross the carriageway ditto footpaths, farm and business entrances even private house entrances, the likelihood of finding pedestrians cyclists horses and agricultural equipment.

I like them. I get to imagine that I’m a high ranking Politburo official wafting along in my Zil in my own private lane passing the slow moving proletariat as they struggle to grasp the concept.

Just like…

Old two Jags Prescott. :smiley:

Main thing is no one keeps a safe distance, your supposed to drive so you can stop safely if the vehicle in front stops and likewise the vehicle behind should keep that safe gap so if you come to 60mph to 0mph they shouldn’t be a collision but this isn’t the ideal world unfortunately.

I think hard shoulder should be for emergency only if speeds are above 50mph anything less you can have it as a running lane and the information display can help but 9 out of 10 times there misleading

Until they are hopefully banned, there should be a 50mph speed limit on them. It should also be optional (not mandatory) to use them, especially if there are at least 3 other lanes to use.

Maybe ban HGVs from using them, and let cars undertake on them.

Too many HGVs have run into broken down cars while on the 56mph limiter without even touching their brakes, resulting in instant death for the cars’ occupants.

jakethesnake:
Banning drivers that can’t use them properly might help the problem although look at the way they drive on ordinary motorways.
Learn the rules and stick to them including keeping a safe distance would prevent most motorway accidents.

yep, I agree with all that, however, my one bug bear with these is the short refuge areas.
You have a problem and pull into one, (assuming its empty of course) once your problem is sorted out, you have to indicate and then when space allows, you pull out into a live lane possibly at 44 tonne, no option to build your speed up and filter in as you would on a hard shoulder once your at adequate speed.

tc trans:

jakethesnake:
Banning drivers that can’t use them properly might help the problem although look at the way they drive on ordinary motorways.
Learn the rules and stick to them including keeping a safe distance would prevent most motorway accidents.

yep, I agree with all that, however, my one bug bear with these is the short refuge areas.
You have a problem and pull into one, (assuming its empty of course) once your problem is sorted out, you have to indicate and then when space allows, you pull out into a live lane possibly at 44 tonne, no option to build your speed up and filter in as you would on a hard shoulder once your at adequate speed.

See this is the problem people don’t understand how to make use of them.

If your in that refuge area there will be a phone, use it to contact Highways Agency and they will close a lane and drop the speed limit and I’ve even seen gantries with the warning saying “slow vehicle joining” or something like that.

I agree these sections are not perfect but my god people don’t half make a pigs ear out of them.

when i left work last thursday , there was an accident on the smart M6 at junc 3 northbound ,looked like an 18 tonne had rear ended a 44 tonne that was in the inside lane, about 6 firefighters digging a geezer out the cab of the 18 tonner, and yesterday same bit of motorway but southbound a van and car transporter , but this time i hear it was a fatal , what do you say , what is worrying on this stretch of so called ‘smart’ motorway is that there’s quite a bit of it northbound as you get near to junc 3 where if you breakdown , if you get out of your vehicle as they tell you to do , there isn’t anywhere safe to go , its a barrrier then about 2 feet followed by a wall/fence.