This was bound to happen.
And can see it happening more.
Simple answer is to install cameras and have them activated when lane closures are in place.
In fact the even simpler answer is for drivers to realise that a red x means something is going on so obey the signs. But as the people can’t manage themselves perhaps those that can’t should be given a financial reminder to obey signage.
If the hard shoulder was there they’d use it,nothing to do with the fact that there wasn’t one…if these morons see an empty lane and an opportunity to save themselves an inconvenience they’ll take it,hard shoulder or not.
xichrisxi:
If the hard shoulder was there they’d use it,nothing to do with the fact that there wasn’t one…if these morons see an empty lane and an opportunity to save themselves an inconvenience they’ll take it,hard shoulder or not.
Exactly, nothing wrong with those type motorways, but like everything else on road systems add f/whits to the equation both in cars AND trucks, and the whole situation is Donald Ducked. 
toonsy:
Simple answer is to install cameras and have them activated when lane closures are in place.In fact the even simpler answer is for drivers to realise that a red x means something is going on so obey the signs. But as the people can’t manage themselves perhaps those that can’t should be given a financial reminder to obey signage.
They need more than a financial reminder. It needs to be treated the same as drunk driving, ie an immediate ban for 12 months supported by camera evidence.
Going up the M1 north of northampton a few weeks ago, early morning, southbound accident, all 4 lanes rammed with traffic for about 4 or 5 miles, mostly lorries in the inside lane, which as no doubt red X’d anything up to 20 minutes after the crash and the road was completely blocked.
Somewhere in the queue was an amubulance and IIRC a fire engine trying desperately to get through, what a shambles and as Edd says, what did anyone expect?
Did they ignore the red X’s, no of course not and neither would the majority of people in the incident above, the X’s are too far apart and by the time they woke up at central control and switched the X’s on the road was all 4 lanes solid, this is what will happen more and more on our now ruined misnamed smart motorways.
This need not have happened, by all means 4 lanes running but with hard shoulder to the left of that (they have and had the room in most places not elevated), where bridges are situated the cost to widen that much would have been too much, but hard shoulder right up to the bridge both sides.
Then it would have been easy to make it a highway code practice that in the event of a stoppage that the inside lane would be left clear past the bridge to allow emergency vehicles through, most Brit lorry drivers would get this and comply, the few cars and other half wits who jammed that section up could easily be shifted soon as the first police responder came through, certainly an easier job than the unfit for purpose balls up we have now.
Exactly my point. People are in the lane legally. Crash happens. By time red x appears traffic has tailed back for.miles. Can’t then go anyware.
Highway Code practice?..
None of these brain dead lemmings will have read that since passing their test when ever that was.
Smart motorways only work when we have smart operators and that’s never gonna happen.
Sadly, scenes like this will become the norm because like mobile phone laws, lane control is almost un-enforcable.
Just hope it’s not yourself caught up in the nasty bit at the front.
If its totally blocked, i.e. absolutely nothing getting past. Then why don’t the emergency services access the accident from a junction further up from it, under police ■■■■■■ if needed ?
Just a thought.
pierrot 14:
If its totally blocked, i.e. absolutely nothing getting past. Then why don’t the emergency services access the accident from a junction further up from it, under police ■■■■■■ if needed ?
Just a thought.
Cos no one on the ground with suitable training in H&S ■■■■■■■■ in direct contact with the emergency service dispatchers until the first traffic copper arrives and seals off the road ahead, by which time the ambulances and fire engines are stuck in the tailback, even then it would probably need signing off by some higher up pip.
TBH i dunno what anyone expected would happen different to this when the hard shoulder is removed, any bloody fool with an ounce of common could have told them.
Many years ago I was motorcycling in Germany on a 2 lane autobahn. There was a crash ahead of us. The road got blocked. The German drivers in each lane pulled over as far as they could to the side of the road, clearing a path down the middle for the emergency vehicles.
Of course, being British, we filtered down the middle and got stopped by the Police 
Being British we were very polite and apologetic, and got let off for being, well, British. 
The rot started on our motorways when the M25 opened. For the first time we saw ‘London driving’ on motorways: ie get as close as you can to the vehicle in front and sod everyone else because no one is as important as you.
GasGas:
Many years ago I was motorcycling in Germany on a 2 lane autobahn. There was a crash ahead of us. The road got blocked. The German drivers in each lane pulled over as far as they could to the side of the road, clearing a path down the middle for the emergency vehicles.Of course, being British, we filtered down the middle and got stopped by the Police
Being British we were very polite and apologetic, and got let off for being, well, British.
The rot started on our motorways when the M25 opened. For the first time we saw ‘London driving’ on motorways: ie get as close as you can to the vehicle in front and sod everyone else because no one is as important as you.
Interesting comment that about the M25 and selfish driving, and i can’t argue with that.
Going back many years before the M25 was dreamed of when the lorry drivers still showed some old Knights of the Road honour, if you were up country where driving by nearly everyone including cars was more polite (and competent in bad weather) and witnessed use of the lorry to intimidate or force or queue jump, you could almost guarantee the lorry was from the South East, or if the odd car driver was selfish/bullying chances are a southern registration plate featured, usually confirmed if the accent was heard.
Now its nationwide.
The bit that gets me about queueing on such roads, when its obvious that everything has stopped as far as the eye can see, is that people jam themselves right up to the back of the vehicle in front, instead of leaving a decent space in front…so if the emergency services do need to get by, then everyone has a bit of room to get over, but that would require some common sense or forethought 
GasGas:
Many years ago I was motorcycling in Germany on a 2 lane autobahn. There was a crash ahead of us. The road got blocked. The German drivers in each lane pulled over as far as they could to the side of the road, clearing a path down the middle for the emergency vehicles.
I was going to say the same except for the motorcycling bit, 
It’s standard practice in Germany and Austria and probably a few other European countries, there are even road signs reminding drivers to do it.
Thing is today everybody is always in such a ■■■■ rush.
On the whole very few car drivers give way to you anymore in case they lose all of 10 secs off their journey, agressive driving is the norm instead, and since the driving.job evolved into a rat race over the years, truck drivers who allow themselves to be pushed by d/heads on the phone, are just as bad if not worse.
I have had loads of people whinging at me in the past because I always leave escape room in traffic jams or crash queues . Some do seem to get very annoyed about gaps .
We do seem to have adopted most of the bad driving practices in this country . Is it any coincidence that as bus use has dropped , commuting has increased and driving standards have declined alarmingly.
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muckles:
GasGas:
Many years ago I was motorcycling in Germany on a 2 lane autobahn. There was a crash ahead of us. The road got blocked. The German drivers in each lane pulled over as far as they could to the side of the road, clearing a path down the middle for the emergency vehicles.I was going to say the same except for the motorcycling bit,
It’s standard practice in Germany and Austria and probably a few other European countries, there are even road signs reminding drivers to do it.
With drivers attitudes it wouldn’t work here, we can’t even keep a lane clear with a Red X displayed, the hard shoulder doesn’t work as like a couple of weeks ago, drivers either use it to get past the delay or travel the wrong way on it.
There was talk a couple of years ago of adopting the Rettungsgasse, but nothing became of it, over here it would just get used by BMW’s and Audi’s
The “Rettungsgasse”
German and Austrian traffic law requires drivers to form a Rettungsgasse (emergency vehicle lane) whenever traffic backs up on the autobahn due to an accident or some other emergency requiring ambulances, fire trucks, police, or any other emergency response. If there are only two lanes in each direction, drivers are required to move their vehicles to the far right and far left, creating a middle open lane for emergency vehicles. If there are more than two lanes then drivers in the right-side lanes stay far right, while drivers in the third or fourth left lane stay on the far left. The far right emergency parking lane should not be blocked unless signage or a police official indicates otherwise.
Juddian:
Going up the M1 north of northampton a few weeks ago, early morning, southbound accident, all 4 lanes rammed with traffic for about 4 or 5 miles, mostly lorries in the inside lane, which as no doubt red X’d anything up to 20 minutes after the crash and the road was completely blocked.
Somewhere in the queue was an amubulance and IIRC a fire engine trying desperately to get through, what a shambles and as Edd says, what did anyone expect?Did they ignore the red X’s, no of course not and neither would the majority of people in the incident above, the X’s are too far apart and by the time they woke up at central control and switched the X’s on the road was all 4 lanes solid, this is what will happen more and more on our now ruined misnamed smart motorways.
This need not have happened, by all means 4 lanes running but with hard shoulder to the left of that (they have and had the room in most places not elevated), where bridges are situated the cost to widen that much would have been too much, but hard shoulder right up to the bridge both sides.
Then it would have been easy to make it a highway code practice that in the event of a stoppage that the inside lane would be left clear past the bridge to allow emergency vehicles through, most Brit lorry drivers would get this and comply, the few cars and other half wits who jammed that section up could easily be shifted soon as the first police responder came through, certainly an easier job than the unfit for purpose balls up we have now.
I would have said this is what has happened I don’t believe that many people ignored signs. People seem to love a bit of the old ‘look everyone’s an idiot but me’ though.
Real story is the government failing to invest infrastructure. There’s more cars on the road so they’ve had more fuel and road tax duty to pay for it. Another area they’re negligent is allowing congestion to reach the point queues stretch off motorway sliproads and on to the carriageway. Of course ‘all the idiots should look where they’re going’.