Smart motroway Lane Closure Penalty question
Discussion
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-48292980
The new law means drivers will be automatically fined for going through a Red X marked lane using the cameras overhead
I only driven on smart motorways very few times, so yet to come across a closed one. I do most of my motorway driving on m40 which is yet to face the wrath of smart motorway system.
so my question is will the gantry give advanced warning under a lane saying this 'lane will be closed ahead' and 'move over asap when safe' before seeing another gantry with Red X sign over the lane?
because if there is no prior gantry warning and the very first gantry to warn you goes straight to red x sign, it wouldn't give people enough time to move over to another lane. even if you see the sign from distance as you approach, how you supposed to move over if the lane you want to switch to has no gap for you merge in. this will mean people coming to a full stop before the gantry in order to avoid being picked up the automated camera on the other side of the gantry.
The new law means drivers will be automatically fined for going through a Red X marked lane using the cameras overhead
I only driven on smart motorways very few times, so yet to come across a closed one. I do most of my motorway driving on m40 which is yet to face the wrath of smart motorway system.
so my question is will the gantry give advanced warning under a lane saying this 'lane will be closed ahead' and 'move over asap when safe' before seeing another gantry with Red X sign over the lane?
because if there is no prior gantry warning and the very first gantry to warn you goes straight to red x sign, it wouldn't give people enough time to move over to another lane. even if you see the sign from distance as you approach, how you supposed to move over if the lane you want to switch to has no gap for you merge in. this will mean people coming to a full stop before the gantry in order to avoid being picked up the automated camera on the other side of the gantry.
See here, and the downloadable leaflet. The law has been touted for a while.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/how-to-drive-on-a-smar...
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/how-to-drive-on-a-smar...
QuickQuack said:
There’s usually a warning which says a lane is closed ahead. Frequently, if not always, the speed limit is reduced too. You can see the gantries from a very long distance in any case and would have time to move over. Either way, you get given ample opportunities.
That. And anticipating the ‘what if it changes just as I’m passing under it?’, there is a grace period. You’d have to be pretty unobservant / clueless to get caught by one.In my experience you never see a lane closure without a reduction in speed limit first, and arrows warning you to think about merging too. No idea if they ever use the very first gantry to close a lane but I've never seen it.
If you've not come across them before I can appreciate the trepidation but these have been around for at least 20 years (A316 heading away from London, before Sunbury) and I don't recall a lane closure causing an issue without media coverage reminding us what to do
If you've not come across them before I can appreciate the trepidation but these have been around for at least 20 years (A316 heading away from London, before Sunbury) and I don't recall a lane closure causing an issue without media coverage reminding us what to do
The only time I've seen a lane closure signal without warning is just after an accident a bit further ahead, woman on her phone managed to crash into the central reservation and roll her car across all 4 lanes of the M1. Everybody slowed to about 20mph and carried on, until the police picked the queue up and diverted everybody off at the next junction. I guess in this case the road closure was used to contain the situation a few miles before the hazard, to let the police close the oncoming junctions and get everybody off.
For general lane closures, I've always seen at least two gantries with the white arrows telling you to move lane, with the text boards saying LANE CLOSURE SLOW DOWN or similar. The red X is usually present for two gantries before the hazard itself too.
I won't lie in that it's a little annoying to be sat in a queue of traffic when you can see the next 3 miles of L1 are clear, but there's not much you can do about it. Stick some stand-up comedy on the radio and make the most of being stuck in traffic. I remember once a very kind sparky threw over a bottle of water because I told him to look up some Danny Bhoy to pass the time on the M25.
For general lane closures, I've always seen at least two gantries with the white arrows telling you to move lane, with the text boards saying LANE CLOSURE SLOW DOWN or similar. The red X is usually present for two gantries before the hazard itself too.
I won't lie in that it's a little annoying to be sat in a queue of traffic when you can see the next 3 miles of L1 are clear, but there's not much you can do about it. Stick some stand-up comedy on the radio and make the most of being stuck in traffic. I remember once a very kind sparky threw over a bottle of water because I told him to look up some Danny Bhoy to pass the time on the M25.
speedking31 said:
There is always the possibility of all lanes being red X'd, in which case a 'move over' arrow would be pointless.
Though the magnitude of an incident that required that would almost certainly mean that traffic was stopped anyway. On the one time this happened to me (motorway closed to let air ambulance land for incident on the opposite carriageway) the road was blocked off with various emergency and police vehicles. sim72 said:
Though the magnitude of an incident that required that would almost certainly mean that traffic was stopped anyway. On the one time this happened to me (motorway closed to let air ambulance land for incident on the opposite carriageway) the road was blocked off with various emergency and police vehicles.
There are now messages available, for the operators, to inform stopped traffic how long the closure might be for and what is happening. Don't know if they've been used in anger yet though.There will ALWAYS be a lead in message or speed drop (often both) before a stop or a lane closure and there is also a brief period of grace before enforcement starts on speed restrictions and lane closures on smart motorways
babelfish said:
Landshark said:
It’s also not a new law 
BBC said:
Under new Home Office legislation
Going through a Red X has aleays been in law but until new legislation, had to be witnessed by plod rather than detected by camera.
Would you also get a ticket if you also break down and stop in an X lane?
Or as in on the M3 say you have a puncture and are trying to limp to the refuge area?
I got a ticket for breaking down on a red route in London. Fortunately I had called the RAC out but if I had tried to fix my car myself I would have no proof I had broken down. Hazards on doesn’t count you need a letter from the breakdown company.
I know people flout this rule but I see innocent people getting done as well.
Or as in on the M3 say you have a puncture and are trying to limp to the refuge area?
I got a ticket for breaking down on a red route in London. Fortunately I had called the RAC out but if I had tried to fix my car myself I would have no proof I had broken down. Hazards on doesn’t count you need a letter from the breakdown company.
I know people flout this rule but I see innocent people getting done as well.
speedking31 said:
There is always the possibility of all lanes being red X'd, in which case a 'move over' arrow would be pointless.
I had one on the M62 at Huddersfiled which was uncertain - massive queue westbaound to the junction, just beyond that Lanes 1 and 3 had red X's but nothing on lane 2. Could see the incident ahead between the off and on slips but it was about half a mile away. Traffic news had said one lane was open but everyone was going off at the junction - no police or HA there, everyone was just going off, and it was a pain as it wasn't a straight back on. I was very tempted to drive on, but my missus was having none of it and you can imagine her reaction if I'd been in the wrong!
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