I don’t get to do much long distance motorway driving since I retired a few years back but yesterday I returned to Sussex from Yorkshire and until I encountered the M25 the lane discipline was surprisingly good, but the M25 was another story!! As soon as I joined the 25 from the M11 cars were shooting over to lane 3 and 4 and staying there at 69mph when I was sitting in lane 2 at 70 of course the temptation was to undertake but that’s not the way I drive! Sadly the lane 3 and 4 lane hoggers were causing havoc and slowing everyone down.
Later I was in lane 3 and moving just a little faster than lanes 1 and 2 until a guy jumped from lane 4 to lane 2 and proceeded to try to undertake me until he was alongside and flashed to move right and tried to move into the space I was in, I accelerated to let him move in behind me and all I got was waved fingers, flashing headlights and lots of noise from his air horns!
I should say that all the idiots I encountered were car drivers, and often black BMW’s or Mercs, the only issue I had with a truck was on the M11 2 lane section when one of our Spanish friends flashed to move into my lane when I was alongside him, a quick blast on the horn and he move back and gave me a wave when I was in from of him.
Roymondo:
Whilst bimbling North on the M1 earlier today I saw one of our EE cousins in (hard shoulder being used as) Lane 1 as we approached Luton. After J11, the hard shoulder reverted to being hard shoulder, but still he continued, apparently on the limiter, on what was now the hard shoulder. This concerned me a bit.This continued for 1/2 a mile or more, at which point he appeared to realise the error of his ways and lurched back into the real Lane 1. Job done.
Then we approached Toddington and on entering the 4 lane section, he moved to the left. Past J12 and again the hard shoulder reverted to being hard shoulder. Our hero continued to drive on it. He passed an overhead sign stating “Hard shoulder for emergencies only”. Still continued on the h/s. Another sign. He continued. I was getting a teeny bit concerned that if there was a breakdown or somesuch on the hard shoulder, he would plough straight into it (and/or swerve to the right, taking anyone in Lane 1 (i.e. me) with him). I tried repeated headlight flashes etc to maybe draw his attention and get him to think “why is this idiot flashing his headlights?” But to no avail.
So I called 999 as I couldn’t really think what else to do.
What would you have done?
Snitches get stitches.
It occurs to me that simply leaving the red X illuminated all the time (other than when the h/s is in use as a running lane of course!) would greatly reduce the chances of this sort of misunderstanding.
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Roymondo:
It occurs to me that simply leaving the red X illuminated all the time (other than when the h/s is in use as a running lane of course!) would greatly reduce the chances of this sort of misunderstanding.Sent from my CLT-L09 using Tapatalk
I’ve advocated that since smart motorways became a thing. A simple and relatively cheap solution imo.
Roymondo:
It occurs to me that simply leaving the red X illuminated all the time (other than when the h/s is in use as a running lane of course!) would greatly reduce the chances of this sort of misunderstanding.Sent from my CLT-L09 using Tapatalk
I have thought that too, I can only assume they don’t do it because you would get herberts who have broken down stopping in lane 1 because “I didn’t want to get points for going under a red x”.
In hindsight what they should of done is convert the hard shoulder into a running lane. As it’s already there.
Then lay some tarmac /concrete create another hard shoulder .
And have 4 lanes all running and still have a hard shoulder Instead of stupid refuge areas
edd1974:
In hindsight what they should of done is convert the hard shoulder into a running lane. As it’s already there.
Then lay some tarmac /concrete create another hard shoulder .
And have 4 lanes all running and still have a hard shoulder Instead of stupid refuge areas
Then there’s me getting criticized for habitually sitting in lane 2 and ignoring the coming and going “live land one hard shoulder”… 
edd1974:
In hindsight what they should of done is convert the hard shoulder into a running lane. As it’s already there.
Then lay some tarmac /concrete create another hard shoulder .
And have 4 lanes all running and still have a hard shoulder Instead of stupid refuge areas
Problem being they’d need to demolish and rebuild all those bridges, most of which are only wide enough to accommodate 6 lanes and two hard shoulders.
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Winseer:
Then there’s me getting criticized for habitually sitting in lane 2 and ignoring the coming and going “live land one hard shoulder”…
And rightly so !
robroy:
Winseer:
Then there’s me getting criticized for habitually sitting in lane 2 and ignoring the coming and going “live lane one hard shoulder”…And rightly so !
Tell that to the poor sod who’s just broken down in that live lane 1, just over the brow of a hill as you’re coming up fast, insistent upon using the live hard shoulder… 
Winseer:
robroy:
Winseer:
Then there’s me getting criticized for habitually sitting in lane 2 and ignoring the coming and going “live lane one hard shoulder”…And rightly so !
Tell that to the poor sod who’s just broken down in that live lane 1, just over the brow of a hill as you’re coming up fast, insistent upon using the live hard shoulder…
Good point. That’s why I absolutely refuse to drive on dual carriageways or even God forbid a single carriageway road.
Roymondo:
Whilst bimbling North on the M1 earlier today I saw one of our EE cousins in (hard shoulder being used as) Lane 1 as we approached Luton. After J11, the hard shoulder reverted to being hard shoulder, but still he continued, apparently on the limiter, on what was now the hard shoulder. This concerned me a bit.This continued for 1/2 a mile or more, at which point he appeared to realise the error of his ways and lurched back into the real Lane 1. Job done.
Then we approached Toddington and on entering the 4 lane section, he moved to the left. Past J12 and again the hard shoulder reverted to being hard shoulder. Our hero continued to drive on it. He passed an overhead sign stating “Hard shoulder for emergencies only”. Still continued on the h/s. Another sign. He continued. I was getting a teeny bit concerned that if there was a breakdown or somesuch on the hard shoulder, he would plough straight into it (and/or swerve to the right, taking anyone in Lane 1 (i.e. me) with him). I tried repeated headlight flashes etc to maybe draw his attention and get him to think “why is this idiot flashing his headlights?” But to no avail.
So I called 999 as I couldn’t really think what else to do.
What would you have done?
NOT THAT!!!
the maoster:
Winseer:
robroy:
Winseer:
Then there’s me getting criticized for habitually sitting in lane 2 and ignoring the coming and going “live lane one hard shoulder”…And rightly so !
Tell that to the poor sod who’s just broken down in that live lane 1, just over the brow of a hill as you’re coming up fast, insistent upon using the live hard shoulder…
Good point. That’s why I absolutely refuse to drive on dual carriageways or even God forbid a single carriageway road.
Don’t take the mickey. Doesn’t matter what lane you’re in, it’s very hard to see over those m-way hump-back bridges.
.
As you and others have said a permanently lit red-X on shoulder unless it’s a running lane.
Reading written instructions in a foreign language, maybe with a different alphabet isn’t easy. On a busy m-way it’s crazy.
the maoster:
Winseer:
robroy:
Winseer:
Then there’s me getting criticized for habitually sitting in lane 2 and ignoring the coming and going “live lane one hard shoulder”…And rightly so !
Tell that to the poor sod who’s just broken down in that live lane 1, just over the brow of a hill as you’re coming up fast, insistent upon using the live hard shoulder…
Good point. That’s why I absolutely refuse to drive on dual carriageways or even God forbid a single carriageway road.
the maoster:
Winseer:
robroy:
Winseer:
Then there’s me getting criticized for habitually sitting in lane 2 and ignoring the coming and going “live lane one hard shoulder”…And rightly so !
Tell that to the poor sod who’s just broken down in that live lane 1, just over the brow of a hill as you’re coming up fast, insistent upon using the live hard shoulder…
Good point. That’s why I absolutely refuse to drive on dual carriageways or even God forbid a single carriageway road.
Don’t wind him up about smart motorway driving mate, or he’ll be coming back at you with his famous ‘‘I drive an instrument of death’’ crack again. 
Roymondo:
So I called 999 as I couldn’t really think what else to do.
It’s working then; the establishment must be laughing their socks off as the plebs report the plebs. Reduce the police even more from beat bobbies to cars, cars to unmarked and even sat in front of a computer. Gives them more time to search social media for important stuff like naughty words and wacist comments the police heirarchy need solved. Never mind, you’ll get a crime number for the burglary or assault.
Got to get the priorities right eh!
I complained to the authorities once because I saw a woman broke down on the hard shoulder in Birmingham but there was no warning and the hard shoulder had a green arrow, they told me they are monitored but in about one in twenty times, they don’t notice, so the poor guy or girl, just have to take their chances that the truck driver will notice the broken down vehicle in time, a wholly unsatisfactory situation, don’t you think
Ok so I’m on m6 south between 10 and 9 Walsall area a few years ago .hard shoulder lane was running as live lane .
Matey was getting BACK INTO this stationary car which was in left lane ex hard shoulder (no hazard lights on ) no red X. Over lane .
I had seen stationary car and matey
and moved to second lane , in my near side mirror was virgin media van who obviously hadn’t seen stationary car and was for certain about to rear end at 60 ish mph said car with matey getting in , I instinctively moved /swerved to third lane (luckily nothing to my right thank god ) . Virgin media van swerves at last second takes my now vacant position in second lane ,narrowly missing stationary car and matey getting in …
Virgin media van flashes his hazards as he merrily goes on his way , probably having just soiled his pants … I was pretty shook up myself I literally had no time to check my right hand mirror just lucky no one was to my right when I sverved right so virgin van could avoid matey
Just why would you get into a stranded car on the drivers side in a live lane ,unbelievably stupidity ! 
What would you have done?
[/quote]
Nothing !! 
The whole motorway network is one big cluster [zb] of appalling lane discipline, and poor driving style.
It needs policed by the POLICE.
I would be too busy driving defensively and evasively avoiding this guy, to bother my arse about whether he was breaking the law or not, rather than appointing myself as some traffic supervisor reporting misdemeanours by other road users
Anyway there are usually cameras on hard shoulders in a lot of places like that, so the Police were probably aware anyhow.[/quot
e]
Whether it’s a member of the public or an officer
What difference does it make, so long as the driver gets reported?