BBC R4 “You and Yours” at 12-15 today.
Widow of a victim, Highways England, and Transport Select Committee.
Worth a listen.
Just listened to it on Iplayer, it would appear that when they did the trial on the M42, they had plenty of refuges, and no doubt more monitoring, but once the trial was finished and they were allowed to roll it out nationwide that was forgotten in the name of cost saving, with refuges going from 1 every 500 to 800m to one up to every mile to 1.5 miles, I believe a mile is about 1600m so more than double the distance, a miles is a bloody long way to get to in a vehicles that is losing power.
The second thing is a total lack of education of drivers; we have various media outlets that could be used by the government to inform people, ok the message won’t sink in for everybody, but many it would be something that they weren’t aware of and didn’t even exist when they passed their test and would have some impact for little cost.
The incident they highlighted seemed to be no more than 2 people swapping details after a small collision, it’s unlikely that any signs or other warnings were operating in the 6 minutes they were there, but really they needed to be aware and move to a far safer area.
Distinct tension between Select Committee and Highways too?
One wants the job “done right” the other needs it done to a budget.
Irrelevant which party is ruling, money always matters.
I have sympathy for the driver killed. And the hgv driver should be punished accordingly.
But to be there 6 mins exchange insurance details. At the road side.
Seriously. Get yourself over the barrier out harms way 1st. Am.sure some people don’t have a brain at times
Franglais:
Distinct tension between Select Committee and Highways too?
One wants the job “done right” the other needs it done to a budget.
Irrelevant which party is ruling, money always matters.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
my grandad told me about the same argument in belfast when they were building the titanic… 
The idiots have basically put a 60 mph speed limit on the hard shoulder.
This is what happens when you replace Motorway cops with wannabes.