Longcol Posted January 27, 2020 Share Posted January 27, 2020 24 minutes ago, DT Ralge said: A simple google reveals we have 2200 miles of which 200 are “smart”. So over the 5 years in question 200/38 = 5.26 miles of “Smart” per death. As opposed to 2000/450 = 4.85 miles of traditional m/w’s per death. What’s driving the “smart motorways aren’t that smart” agenda? Drivers’ realisation of their own failings? Are we comparing like with like? Most victims on "smart motorways" were struck by other drivers after they broke down in speeding traffic and could not find a safe place to stop. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/01/27/smart-motorways-scandal-highways-agency-facing-police-probe/ How many of the 450 deaths on "traditional" motorways were due to lack of a safe place to stop? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pettytom Posted January 27, 2020 Share Posted January 27, 2020 7 minutes ago, Longcol said: Are we comparing like with like? Most victims on "smart motorways" were struck by other drivers after they broke down in speeding traffic and could not find a safe place to stop. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/01/27/smart-motorways-scandal-highways-agency-facing-police-probe/ How many of the 450 deaths on "traditional" motorways were due to lack of a safe place to stop? In a way, all of them were. There isn’t much more unsafe about a place than getting killed there. However, given a choice of the hard shoulder and hopping over the barrier, compared to sitting in lane one , praying. I know which option I’d take. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinfoilhat Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 Just now, Pettytom said: In a way, all of them were. There isn’t much more unsafe about a place than getting killed there. However, given a choice of the hard shoulder and hopping over the barrier, compared to sitting in lane one , praying. I know which option I’d take. I’m out of the passenger side and up that embankment quicker than a greased weasel. Interesting I noticed an old couple halfway up an embankment near 29a when their car broke down. Looked behind me (I was a passenger) and the sign wasn’t on advising of a broken down vehicle. How long does it take? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longcol Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 4 minutes ago, tinfoilhat said: I’m out of the passenger side and up that embankment quicker than a greased weasel. Interesting I noticed an old couple halfway up an embankment near 29a when their car broke down. Looked behind me (I was a passenger) and the sign wasn’t on advising of a broken down vehicle. How long does it take? "Research by the AA suggests it takes an average of 17 minutes for highway authorities to spot a stopped vehicle" https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/jan/26/uks-smart-motorways-to-be-reviewed-after-increase-in-near-misses Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longcol Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 17 minutes ago, Pettytom said: In a way, all of them were. There isn’t much more unsafe about a place than getting killed there. However, given a choice of the hard shoulder and hopping over the barrier, compared to sitting in lane one , praying. I know which option I’d take. What - no deaths involving collisions between moving vehicles? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinfoilhat Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 18 minutes ago, Longcol said: "Research by the AA suggests it takes an average of 17 minutes for highway authorities to spot a stopped vehicle" https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/jan/26/uks-smart-motorways-to-be-reviewed-after-increase-in-near-misses That's way too long. Don't get me wrong, quite possibly my closest of close shaves was on a hard shoulder but it should not take 17 minutes to close a lane off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longcol Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 15 minutes ago, tinfoilhat said: That's way too long. Don't get me wrong, quite possibly my closest of close shaves was on a hard shoulder but it should not take 17 minutes to close a lane off. Quite agree - but I would assume the Highways Agency has - like the vast majority of the public sector - had its funding slashed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DT Ralge Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 6 hours ago, tinfoilhat said: That's way too long. Don't get me wrong, quite possibly my closest of close shaves was on a hard shoulder but it should not take 17 minutes to close a lane off. 17 minutes is awful when compared to the boast made by HA/HE to be able to respond within a 20 second to 2 minute window because of the MIDAS technology. Typically, they talked about the newest laser tech on the M25 that isn’t in most of these m/w’s but failed to mention (and educate anyone about) MIDAS. If we knew about MIDAS, we might be able to make good use of it in some events. 5 hours ago, Longcol said: Quite agree - but I would assume the Highways Agency has - like the vast majority of the public sector - had its funding slashed. The Ilkeston control centre the covers M1 north to J30, A38 to an unknown point, A42 to the M42 and M1 south to the A14 has a day shift of 4! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Westie1889 Posted January 29, 2020 Share Posted January 29, 2020 I think one the dangers of smart motorways is that people ignore the lane closure signs until the absolute last minute, in bad weather or at night this can lead to collisions. At least with a hard shoulder people know they should never drive in that lane. I also doubt the benefits of the smart system in terms of speeding up journeys. I commute from Sheffield to Watford, 6 years ago when I started pre-smart motorways it took 2.5-3 hours in the morning. Post-smart motorways it’s now 3.5-4 hours and the more stretches of the M1 they convert they longer it gets. A huge white elephant in my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alchresearch Posted January 29, 2020 Share Posted January 29, 2020 3 hours ago, Westie1889 said: I think one the dangers of smart motorways is that people ignore the lane closure signs until the absolute last minute, in bad weather or at night this can lead to collisions. Not just ignoring them, but actively going into them to undertake queues of traffic to merge back in further up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now