Yes why not ?
The railways should not IMO be there to turn a profit for the Richard Bransons of this world but to serve the community .
I always said instead of the potty projects like ‘the dome’ and many more that fell by the wayside we should have had the 'Millennium rail project ’ with old rural tracks reopened and very cheap fares.
The whole country would have benefited.
I’m beginning to wonder whether HS2 is seen by our MPs as a convenience for their travelling across the country to and from their constituencies.
They, of course, would not have to pay.
Similarly, big business owners, senior civil servants, etc, etc, would find HS2 very convenient and, again, would have their journeys paid for them.
Ordinary plebs, of course, would be unlikely to use it because I’m sure it will turn out to be even more expensive than our existing rail system.
On that basis, I can see the wagon trundling along way past the projected £100 billion unless, of course, it is cancelled.
I watched the programme recently about smart motorways . O M G im now scared of driving on the m27 as they are making that into one . What a horredous decision to take away our escape lane . Im seriously thinking of using the train to visit my friend .
The programme showed cars being smashed in to . A young family sat for 20 minutes in the broken down car waiting for help , cars swerving to miss them . Another hit whilst on the phone to 999 caller .
Awful , very worrying
Very Very worrying.
Oddly, you would think that anyone, with even the smallest amount of intelligence, would know that safety has been totally put at risk if there is no place to go if your car packs up.
Hopefully victims will start demanding legal response to their experiences.
Totally agree, Ted.
That’s what I asked earlier - what is the procedure now, if we have a breakdown on a ‘Smart’ motorway?
Does anyone know?
Advice is and always has been to get out of the car and go up the embankment or over a safety barrier.
Also to add a Women on NF LBC program today told the story of her husband who had a slight bump on the Motorway both drivers pulled over to exchange details and both killed when a lorry hit them
We are still supposed to do that, Galty? :shock:
Even if the hard shoulder is in use as a traffic lane at the time? :shock:
My worst nightmare when driving on a motorway is the car losing power and slowing down in any ‘live’ lane. How on earth can you get onto the hard shoulder before a collision can be avoided?
Even then the hard shoulder of any motorway always was considered more dangerous than the motorway itself. Figures before this recent news about ‘smart motorways’ showed just how dangerous:
There is some useful information on this link should the worst happen and you do have to use the hard shoulder in an emergency:
I think if I were to be injured due to the lack of a hard shoulder, I should certainly be pursuing the possibility of legal redress and compensation due to the lack of a safe place into which to escape, but to whom? The Highways Agency?
Somebody has to be held to account.
https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/driving-advice/traffic-jams-what-causes-them/
Excellent. Thank you for this.
I wish them the best of luck with their legal action, not only for themselves but also for all users of smart motorways.
Hopefully, it would take only one successful action, with a large payout and consequences for the proponents of smart motorways, to bring about the changes we are all asking for.
The families of those lost on SMs ought to get together and bring a class action against Highways England , it could cost them millions if the case was won and concentrate minds.
It would unquestionably fail even if it ever reached a court.
The “State of the Art” defence would be insurmountable (according to my dil who is a lawyer)
I’d sooner add hours to my journey time than risk life and limb on a smart motorway.
I think that public opinion might just sway that the other way.
After the number of people killed due to this poorly thought-out idea reaches a sufficiently high number, I think all the self-serving lawyers in the country will be overruled.
I think that within another five years (approaching the next GE), the number of deaths on smart motoways will have risen to such numbers that the next election could well be fought on this matter as much as any other.
Changes will then take place and inside lanes will be restored to hard shoulders. Just a pity that so many people have to die unnecessarily in the meantime.
Personally, I will avoid the innermost lane at all times and, in addition, keep a weather-eye out for people suddenly swerving out into the second lane when they see a disabled vehicle in what used to be the hard shoulder.
If all of us avoid the innermost lane, things would be a lot safer, and in so doing we would be effectively maintaining the innermost lane as an empty hard shoulder.
What if you had a puncture or, God forbid, a tyre blow out? At least with a puncture you can limp to the next “Safe area” lay-by, which could be up to 1½ miles down the road. With a blow out, you’d be stranded with just your “flashers” to try and keep you safe.
Simple. I’d pull in to the innermost lane (which used to be the hard shoulder) and hope that other motorists are following the suggestion I made above.
If I think I could ‘limp on’ to the next lay-by.
On the other hand, if it were for example a complete electrical failure, I’d pull in to the innermost lane (which used to be the hard shoulder), get everyone out behind the barrier, and keep well back from my car which would likely be hit by someone who is not paying attention (of which I’m sure there are many).