What are smart motorways?
Discussion
I mean, seriously? The only difference I have noticed between smart motorways that require the motorway to be shut and 50mph limits strictly enforced for ~10 year period is that they can "smartly" limit the speed and put limit-changing cameras at every gantry?
So all that inconvienience and all those speeding fines add up so that the goverment can fine more people for speeding?
Seriously has anyone noticed any traffic advantage? Every time I go up north, I get stuck in traffic in the same places before there were Smart motorways only now you get 20 miles of 50mph limits 2 seperate times (M6, M5) including at night closing the whole road totally (got detoured through Cannock the other day).
Smart...
So all that inconvienience and all those speeding fines add up so that the goverment can fine more people for speeding?
Seriously has anyone noticed any traffic advantage? Every time I go up north, I get stuck in traffic in the same places before there were Smart motorways only now you get 20 miles of 50mph limits 2 seperate times (M6, M5) including at night closing the whole road totally (got detoured through Cannock the other day).
Smart...
Smart motorways are generally motorways which have the hard shoulder converted to a live lane to make 4 lanes or more. It is meant to increase capacity within the existing footprint of the motorway. There is normally limited modification to embankments and bridges. Refuges are provided for breakdown, increased cameras to monitor and more speed sensors.
Reality? Traffic once permanently in L2 now travels in L3. Once a junction arrives people who used to barge from L2 to the exit now barge from L3 to the exit.
Reality? Traffic once permanently in L2 now travels in L3. Once a junction arrives people who used to barge from L2 to the exit now barge from L3 to the exit.
vikingaero said:
Smart motorways are generally motorways which have the hard shoulder converted to a live lane to make 4 lanes or more. It is meant to increase capacity within the existing footprint of the motorway. There is normally limited modification to embankments and bridges. Refuges are provided for breakdown, increased cameras to monitor and more speed sensors.
Reality? Traffic once permanently in L2 now travels in L3. Once a junction arrives people who used to barge from L2 to the exit now barge from L3 to the exit.
Yes and one minor breakdown closes two lanes , Yes they are penny pinching fReality? Traffic once permanently in L2 now travels in L3. Once a junction arrives people who used to barge from L2 to the exit now barge from L3 to the exit.
kwittery 
I'm not sure about smart motorways, all they need to do is make 4 middle lanes and people will be happy seeing as that's where most sit all the time.
If the motorways are that smart why can't they make the limits in 5mph increments as well ? It seems when a smart motorway is created we have to have 2 years of average speed cameras for 20 miles then we have a variable speed limit forever. Why don't they do smaller sections so 5 miles of roadworks, after all they only seem to be working on 1 mile sections at a time.
If the motorways are that smart why can't they make the limits in 5mph increments as well ? It seems when a smart motorway is created we have to have 2 years of average speed cameras for 20 miles then we have a variable speed limit forever. Why don't they do smaller sections so 5 miles of roadworks, after all they only seem to be working on 1 mile sections at a time.
Smart m'ways are where the hard should between junctions - not through them - is used as a live lane with camera operators controlling the speed limits and open/closing lanes as necessary
The idea is to keep local traffic doing a one junction hop out of the main lanes and to allow those exiting and joining to have more time for merging into and out of the main lanes
The idea is to keep local traffic doing a one junction hop out of the main lanes and to allow those exiting and joining to have more time for merging into and out of the main lanes
Rawwr said:
They're an excellent idea in theory but until they can remotely manage speed limiters in peoples' cars, they'll never work because everyone seems in such a hurry to get to the next traffic jam. They'll then complaining about evil speed cameras and endless traffic jams.
Until the emergency services need to get through....It's basically a panicked response to the huge gap in road network investment which has started to choke the country.
Essentially parliament took their eye off the ball when money was good and now during austerity we don't have the cash to do a proper job.
Edited by skyrover on Sunday 28th August 08:54
R0G said:
Smart m'ways are where the hard should between junctions - not through them - is used as a live lane with camera operators controlling the speed limits and open/closing lanes as necessary
Although monitored by, and assume can be over ridden by, a human being I thought they were fully automated? I really would s
t my pants a bit if I broke down in lane one with no hard shoulder or refuge within reach. Has it happened to anyone on here? Did your bum squeak a bit? dave_s13 said:
Although monitored by, and assume can be over ridden by, a human being I thought they were fully automated?
I really would st my pants a bit if I broke down in lane one with no hard shoulder or refuge within reach. Has it happened to anyone on here? Did your bum squeak a bit?
Yes. I had the full "double bad experience".I really would s
t my pants a bit if I broke down in lane one with no hard shoulder or refuge within reach. Has it happened to anyone on here? Did your bum squeak a bit? Driving past Brum on the way home from Manchester, the OSF tyre let go. Thankfully the traffic was dense, not going that fast and I just steered it gently to the hard shoulder and let it come to a halt. The hard shoulder was currently closed, so the red Xs were showing.
Ok, stop car, lights off, hazards on, wallet, phone, get up the embankment and call the AA. Only there wasn't an embankment, I was on a mahoosive elevated section with a 60 foot drop to the ground below. So at this point I was relying on some half asleep driver realising the hard shoulder was closed and not ploughing into me. The best I could do was walk 200 yards down the motorway, on the basis that is someone took out the car, they might stop before hitting me.
The only positive in the whole thing was that I was so high up the AA priority list, they arrived in 15 minutes. As the driver said, if it was between you and a pregnant disabled women with a car full of children and kittens, we'd still have come to you first. I had apparently managed to pick the most dangerous spot on the motorway network to break down. The AA bloke was scathing about smart motorways, and claimed to have attended a fatal the week before where someone was trying to change wheel and got taken out.
vikingaero said:
Smart motorways are generally motorways which have the hard shoulder converted to a live lane to make 4 lanes or more. It is meant to increase capacity within the existing footprint of the motorway. There is normally limited modification to embankments and bridges. Refuges are provided for breakdown, increased cameras to monitor and more speed sensors.
Reality? Traffic once permanently in L2 now travels in L3. Once a junction arrives people who used to barge from L2 to the exit now barge from L3 to the exit.
Correct. Four lanes, so you get three lanes of HGVs instead of the usual two. Reality? Traffic once permanently in L2 now travels in L3. Once a junction arrives people who used to barge from L2 to the exit now barge from L3 to the exit.
They're a patch. A sticking plaster. No government has increased main Mway capacity for what, 20 years? Because roads are bad, mmmmkay. But now things have reached braking point, and some academic convinced them that a techy-techy solution will solve the problem without building more.
I remain convinced that they are relying on the self-driving car coming along and making it all better (since they will be able to drive nose-to-tail at speed), before the whole thing grinds to a halt. Another fundamental lack of strategic thinking which started in the Blair years and has since become the norm. See also energy policy, water supply, etc.
I remain convinced that they are relying on the self-driving car coming along and making it all better (since they will be able to drive nose-to-tail at speed), before the whole thing grinds to a halt. Another fundamental lack of strategic thinking which started in the Blair years and has since become the norm. See also energy policy, water supply, etc.
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