'Smart' Motorways.

I saw a broken down (or otherwise disabled) car in the still running lane of the M1 'smart' motorway on Sat.

---------- Post added 08-11-2016 at 18:48 ----------

Believe me you will not get a ticket for driving in the second lane on a (not so) Smart Motorway, particularly at night. And if you did you`ve got the perfect defence, the police themselves consider then unsafe !

That isn't a valid defence at all, as I'm sure you know.

Driving up the M1 today, northbound approaching Junc 35, there was not one, but two stranded vehicles. Admittedly the second one was in the hatched area just beyond the exit slip road, but the first must have been there for a few minutes because the occupants were in the field next to the motorway on their mobile phone. The "strandee" by Junc 35 also had a Highways Agency 4WD with it.

Despite the above there was no 50mph limit, i.e 70mph (plus) traffic and no hard shoulder with two vehicles stranded.

It really is a not so smart motorway, and, in fact, a not so smart idea.....

Driving up the M1 today, northbound approaching Junc 35, there was not one, but two stranded vehicles. Admittedly the second one was in the hatched area just beyond the exit slip road, but the first must have been there for a few minutes because the occupants were in the field next to the motorway on their mobile phone. The "strandee" by Junc 35 also had a Highways Agency 4WD with it.

Despite the above there was no 50mph limit, i.e 70mph (plus) traffic and no hard shoulder with two vehicles stranded.

It really is a not so smart motorway, and, in fact, a not so smart idea.....

The 50mph has been on again this morning when it was quiet not really busy at all, then this afternoon about 3pm the 50mph limit was on from Tinsley to J33 and beyond. I wonder if they will ever be turned off and let motorists drive at 70mph.

Just reading that they are fining over 1000 people a week on the new smart motorways for breaking the speed limit. Last year 52,516 people were fined compared to 2,023 on the same stretches in 2010-11, a nice little earner for the Government. I wonder what percentage over the speed limit the cameras are set to before they snap you for speeding.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-37888207

Who cares. Don't speed - its not tricky to keep that dial thingy under the speed limit thingy.

---------- Post added 27-03-2017 at 17:50 ----------

Driving up the M1 today, northbound approaching Junc 35, there was not one, but two stranded vehicles. Admittedly the second one was in the hatched area just beyond the exit slip road, but the first must have been there for a few minutes because the occupants were in the field next to the motorway on their mobile phone. The "strandee" by Junc 35 also had a Highways Agency 4WD with it.

Despite the above there was no 50mph limit, i.e 70mph (plus) traffic and no hard shoulder with two vehicles stranded.

It really is a not so smart motorway, and, in fact, a not so smart idea.....

I had on my last trip back here the distinct "pleasure" to encounter two dead cars in a weekend stuck in lane 1. Both had been there some considerable time and the HA were seemingly oblivious to how long they had been there. Queries as to why this happened when apparently it simply shouldn't have fallen so far on deaf ears.

Wonder if a FOIA request asking how long it takes to attend a stuck car like this would be answered....

Originally Posted by ihpb View Post

I have seen the left lane open during congestion on the M62 and was amazed that the speed limit was 60mph. Someone is going to die soon if they haven't already. Junction 24 and 25 on the M62 are ridiculous with traffic queuing on the motorway for a mile and lorries with a differential speed of 60mph from the left lane to where they thundered past in lane 2. If it is congested then it should be a max speed of 40mph in the left lane.

The Tinsley viaduct will remain two lanes because of pollution as far as I know

Smart idea to reduce the flow of traffic instead of getting it over the viaduct and away as quickly as possible.

Angel1.

Who cares. Don't speed - its not tricky to keep that dial thingy under the speed limit thingy.

 

---------- Post added 27-03-2017 at 17:50 ----------

 

 

I had on my last trip back here the distinct "pleasure" to encounter two dead cars in a weekend stuck in lane 1. Both had been there some considerable time and the HA were seemingly oblivious to how long they had been there. Queries as to why this happened when apparently it simply shouldn't have fallen so far on deaf ears.

 

Wonder if a FOIA request asking how long it takes to attend a stuck car like this would be answered....

From memory, from CCTV flooding the whole m/w, the HA originally claimed they would be able to respond (that includes changing the speed limit and posting a red X above a lane and "lane closed" notifications) within a 20-second to 1 minute 50 second time-frame.

From memory, from CCTV flooding the whole m/w, the HA originally claimed they would be able to respond (that includes changing the speed limit and posting a red X above a lane and "lane closed" notifications) within a 20-second to 1 minute 50 second time-frame.

The HA clearly have been smoking crack then if they still think that's the case.

From memory, from CCTV flooding the whole m/w, the HA originally claimed they would be able to respond (that includes changing the speed limit and posting a red X above a lane and "lane closed" notifications) within a 20-second to 1 minute 50 second time-frame.

That`s obviously pie in the sky. I don`t know how long the stranded car had been on the edge of the M1, but it was definitely longer than 2 minutes, both the occupants were out in the adjacent field (good job it wasn`t raining ! ) and in deep discussion on their phones.

These smart motorways are all well and good if you have smart drivers driving on them. Tonight there was an accident between J41 and J40 Southbound, as I got on at J41 there was a lane closed sign on for the outside lane and a message saying do not use closed lane and traffic was crawling along. As I approached the accident there were still cars and vans coming up in the closed lane and forcing their way in at the last moment. I wonder if the cameras will have picked them up and they will be prosecuted? This evening and this morning the motorway was not overly busy but on at 50mph again from J33 to the other side of the viaduct, will the signs ever be switched off?

These smart motorways are all well and good if you have smart drivers driving on them. Tonight there was an accident between J41 and J40 Southbound, as I got on at J41 there was a lane closed sign on for the outside lane and a message saying do not use closed lane and traffic was crawling along. As I approached the accident there were still cars and vans coming up in the closed lane and forcing their way in at the last moment. I wonder if the cameras will have picked them up and they will be prosecuted? This evening and this morning the motorway was not overly busy but on at 50mph again from J33 to the other side of the viaduct, will the signs ever be switched off?

Why? What have they done wrong?

Or do you not get how zip merging works?

The lane is not closed where the obstruction is. It's closed where the first red X is showing. It doesn't mean, keep using the lane until you see a reason not to.

Spot on Cyclone. This video says you'll get a penalty