Monday 28th April 2003

Hard Decision

Motorway hard shoulders to be used to ease congestion

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Alistair Darling's not made many friends amongst motorists whilst occupying his post as Transport Secretary.

His latest ruse to improve traffic flow on our clogged roads is to allow drivers to use the hard shoulder on certain motorways during rush hour.

A trial will start on the M42 next year and Darling wants further trials on the M5, M5 and M25.

The idea is that during peak periods at congested points on the motorway network, drivers would be allowed to use the hard shoulder as an extra lane to ease traffic flow.

Motoring organisations have reacted badly to the suggestion pointing out that the dangers outweight the benefits. Emergency service vehicles would be unable to negotiate traffic to reach incidents and the lack of refuge for broken down motorists would also present a hazard.

Encouraging people to use the hard shoulder will only encourage a lack of respect for the emergency lane which would also result in greater usage in non-authorised areas.

It's a worry when it's the Government that is suggesting dangerous use of our roads when they're the ones claiming that they're trying to make them safer.

[aww999]

I had to laugh when in the usual "reporter on a motorway bridge overlooking busy traffic" report that they showed on the news about this, there were two lanes of solid 50mph traffic in lane 2 and 3, and lane one was totally empty. Teach these FCUKWITS how to use the roads properly first, before giving em more lanes to abuse!!! "Overtaking on the inside made legal" would be a more inspiring headline...if americans can cope with it then surely we can!

[Captain Muppet]

I wonder how many more tyre blowouts will occur now that cars and trucks are driving over all the crap that ends up on the hard shoulder?

[Alex]

Surely this policy is an admission that more road space is needed? So the solution should be to build more motorways using the billions motorists pay to the government.

[pdV6]

One word: 'FCUKWIT'

What the hell happens at junctions??

If the motorway is literally full up & crawling in all lanes, then the only solution is to build more lanes.

Oh, and this really pi55es me off: if you're planning a trial to see how it works, what the fcuk's the point in scheduling further trials elsewhere before you even have the results of the first trial? Beggars belief.

[Jasper Gilder]

Alistair Darling does it again - has teh man ever been on a Motorway

3 Proposals

1 - Ditch the M4 bus Lane It's hardly ever used and emergency vehicles can still use the Hard Shoulder

2 - Train drivers to occupy the left hand lane whenever possible instead of sitting in th emiddle lane oblivious to all around them in a state of persistant numptyism

3 - Fit all HGV's with a speed limiter override which can be used for a maximum of two minutes in any hour.
This can easily be done with a link to the tachograph and as every HGV is limited to 52MPH (used to be 56)it takes them miles to overtake each other causing rolling roadblocks. This technology would over come this

[mikeylad]

are they going to have a hard shoulder for the hard shoulder?

what happens when our myopic drivers come across an obstruction on th ehard shoulder? surely they'll have to merge with lane one. it'll be like M6 birmingham juntions every few hundred yards!

[Superflid]

Is the scheme to be widened to include the use of bus lanes during heavy traffic.

[chickensoup]

It would not be a motorway without the hard shoulder; so these fcukwits would improve road transport by turning the Motorways into A roads.
Tarmac over the railway lines & drive down them! Or rather more obviously build more lanes. A car @ 70 mph leaves sod all pollution compared to 7mph in a jam

[trefor]

I (like many motorists I believe) am not going to drive on the hard shoulder in this way. Broken down cars, debris on the road, people trying to exit. No thanks. I think I've just joined the middle lane owners club ...

[colin m]

Alistair Darling does it again - has teh man ever been on a Motorway

3 Proposals



3 - Fit all HGV's with a speed limiter override which can be used for a maximum of two minutes in any hour.
This can easily be done with a link to the tachograph and as every HGV is limited to 52MPH (used to be 56)it takes them miles to overtake each other causing rolling roadblocks. This technology would over come this

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Don't those Palmer Audi (something or other) race cars have a boost button? Maybe our HGV driving boys and girls would love to have one of thoses fitted - only if they promised not to use them at traffic lights with no trailer attached!!

Cheers
Colin M.

[GregE240]

Well said Ted, sums it all up really.

Its a bit like saying "We've reduced road fatalities so you don't need to wear seatbelts anymore". I feel if it is implemented it will be quickly withdrawn when some HGV piles into the back of a stranded motorist.

[JohnL]

Crazy. A decent bit of lane discipline would increase motorway capacity by what, 20% for a guess?

That would take better driver education of course, which would - reduce accidents, saving lives, reducing load on the NHS, improving national productivity, reduce journey times, reduce pollution, etc etc etc.

[v8thunder]

OK Alastair, pick up a copy of the highway code and find out what a hard shoulder is used for. No it's not difficult. Right! If you need to stop or have broken down, you pull onto it so you DON'T HOLD THE FCUKING TRAFFIC UP. (That's congestion to you, Mr. Darling). Oh, and what exactly happens when we're fatigued and pose a danger to our fellow motorists by driving tired? We will have to carry on for longer, increasing the risk of accid.. oh, what's that? Speed is the only cause of accidents? Right. Silly me.

WHO WILL RID US OF THESE MORONS?

oh, and expect to pay yet higher road tax to cover the damage done to the hard shoulder by traffic it wasn't designed to take.

[gro]

Apart from the blantanly obvious reasons for not having a safety lane, I can't see how this could work. The whole road layout would have to be changed, the hard shoulder is not designed to be a running lane, there is no continuity at junctions for instance. The only reason this works in road works is because they can change the layout. The man is criminaly insane, this is nothing more than road widening on the cheap. This can only lead to a significant increase in accidents, but of course the published statistics will never support this.

[Don]

I am shocked and horrified that they are even contemplating this.

You can see what would come next too...a lower speed limit due to the dangers of drivers using the new "leftmost" lane ploughing into broken-down cars.

Did Darling and his cronies even discuss this with the Energency Services...can't believe they'd have anything to do with it.

Weapons-grade stupidity.

[grahambell]

Interesting to see that they're planning to test this idiotic scheme on the M42.

News today is of massive tail backs on M42 caused by accident when lorry hit some motorway structure or other during rush hour.

But will Alistair Darling take the hint?

[RichardR]

Maybe they could also take out the barriers from the central reservation and turn that into a shared lane, permitted use of which would be indicated by the cutting edge electronic signage currently employed on our fine motorways?

I'm sure if any of us were this incompetent at our jobs we'd have been sacked by now.

Hold on, I've just had a great idea.... I'm just off to see my boss now to explain how we can make the most of avialable floor space in the office by putting desks across the fire exits.

[Bonce]

What happens at the bridge pinch points where the hard shoulder vanishes? - some on the M25 and I think M4 as well.

And who else has seen a car or lorry drifting from lane 1 onto the hard shoulder due to lack of attention or conciousness? Without a hard shoulder there, all those vehicles would have hit solid objects or rolled down embankments!

Is Mr Darling related to the massively stupid army officer of the same name in Blackadder Goes Forth?

[roy c]

Why don't the DOT just nail Darling's empty head to the hard shoulder?

I'm sure that there would be lots of drivers willing to use the extra space (between his ears).

[Tuffty]

I currently work for the Ambulance service as a Paramedic at the proposed 'trial' area round the M42. Trying to get to an RTA on the motorway is always a knightmare, even with the hard shoulder. Don't make our work any harder or response times slower!