Could superways work?

[revvingit]

Could this system work, keeping current motorways to link between major towns and other minor points with the junctions but building superways between major cities with no junctions to aid commuting between them and take long distance travellers of the motorways, as well as having a unlimited (truly unlimited) speed limit and four lanes either side of a central reservation. They'd be built underground or on elevated bridges and built as straight as possible.

So you could have a super-way from London-Birmingham/Birmingham-Manchester/Manchester-Edingburgh/Edingburgh-London.


Would surely reduce congestion on the motorways and enable goods vehicles/long distance traffic to etc to get around far quicker.

[AAGR]

OK, but I think you would be surprised to read the statistics showing just what a small percentage of drivers want to use the entire length of a supposed 'superway'.

No, I can't prove this right now - does anyone else out there have such figures to hand ?

[revvingit]

AAGR said:

OK, but I think you would be surprised to read the statistics showing just what a small percentage of drivers want to use the entire length of a supposed 'superway'.

No, I can't prove this right now - does anyone else out there have such figures to hand ?

Maybe they could then have less frequent junctions than motorways, but still enough to encourage use.

Would be interesting to see the figures though.

[Some Gump]

Nope. not only would several muppets reduce your 4 lanes to 2 by being either MLM or MLM+1, but any acccidents become totally crippling on long junctions with no get around.

[anonymous-user]

Lol and 20 mile long 50 mph average speed cameras with cones but no actual roadworks occuring.

[ChrisC-Berks]

Some Gump said:

Nope. not only would several muppets reduce your 4 lanes to 2 by being either MLM or MLM+1, but any acccidents become totally crippling on long junctions with no get around.

This is a big reason in why these wouldn't work. You'd have an accident 10miles from the next junction and suddenly everyone is locked on a road for maybe 70miles or more. Emergency services would struggle to join and you'd have to work out ways of getting emergency traffic on/off the road.

I know the tailbacks on the M4 down by swindon whenever there is an accident as there is nowhere on/off and you're just stuck for miles.

[Puggit]

But along with superways we could introduce technology where vehicles tag on to one another, ie by a 3m gap. Tech already exists. Then the front vehicle is stuck on cruise control and uses lane guidance. Accident reduction...

[Vipers]

Puggit said:

But along with superways we could introduce technology where vehicles tag on to one another, ie by a 3m gap. Tech already exists. Then the front vehicle is stuck on cruise control and uses lane guidance. Accident reduction...

How do other vehicles join the convoy?

[Puggit]

Vipers said:

How do other vehicles join the convoy?

By asking the car politely https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oV3nINN2ELQ

[Zetec-S]

What if you need a wee?

[Vipers]

Puggit said:

Vipers said:

How do other vehicles join the convoy?

By asking the car politely https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oV3nINN2ELQ

I think the video is very misleading, not good showing the driver playing on a tablet, and relying on technology to take care of the vehicle, I think they are still in charge of a vehicle and cant be if they arnt paying attention. It says later on in the vid, it looks at the drivers eyes to see if they have not fallen asleep, surely looking down will trigger actions to wake you up.

With a road train, what happens if the lead vehicle pulls out to overtake and pulls in again, do all the vehicles behind it. In my humble opinion.

Personally I think its a waste of time.