Smart motorways axed

Introduce Smart Motorways at the same time as the "Go Left" (to the the tune of Go West) advertising campaign .......

Go where? Into the slow lane and have someone back end you slightly slower than lane 4?? You have nowhere to fooking go with a "smart" motorway!!!

Obviously a few Tory doners involved in Highways construction made a few (million) quid, then time to shrug shoulders and move on to the next scam.
 
Was there any figures showing an increase in deaths or crashes caused by the stretches of smart motorway over those before the conversion?
 
Zoophonic said:
Conflicting. Evidence still suggests they are safer than conventional motorways

www.autoexpress.co.uk

Smart motorway ban: campaigners want hard shoulders reinstated | Auto Express

As government axes plans for new smart motorways, it’s urged to go further and scrap existing all-lane running schemes
www.autoexpress.co.uk www.autoexpress.co.uk
Click to expand...

I’ve read bits and pieces stating this but nothing really concrete…

the argument that there’s no hard shoulder to pull on to is a bit lame as there isn’t on many A roads too..

it would need to be decided on proper evidence for me to say they’re a bad idea, they’re obviously a cheaper way of providing an extra lane to ease congestion but some people just don’t know how to drive on motorways regardless of them being smart or not….

lane hogging and pulling off slip roads straight Into the middle or outside lane are what seems to me to be the most unsafe..
 
Lemmy_kilmister said:
At last!
news.sky.com

New smart motorways to be banned after safety concerns - find out which ones have been scrapped

Fourteen planned smart motorways - including 11 that are already paused and three earmarked for construction - will be removed from government road-building plans, Downing Street confirms.
news.sky.com news.sky.com
Click to expand...
Probably "cost" is the primary consideration.
If only the government invested the same £££ per mile in the railways as it does the roads each year......
 
Without seeing the detailed stats it feels to me like one of those topics where people are expecting perfection so any death is the fault of the smart motorway but ignoring any death that happens on a regular motorway so it's not a fair comparison. Same thing is happening with automated driving.

Motorways are dangerous places to break down on, whatever the type of motorway. If people would drive properly, move away from a large with a red cross immediately etc then there would be fewer deaths.
 
Nano said:
Without seeing the detailed stats it feels to me like one of those topics where people are expecting perfection so any death is the fault of the smart motorway but ignoring any death that happens on a regular motorway so it's not a fair comparison. Same thing is happening with automated driving.

Motorways are dangerous places to break down on, whatever the type of motorway. If people would drive properly, move away from a large with a red cross immediately etc then there would be fewer deaths.
Click to expand...
Suggest you look at the stats then. Near misses on the M25 skyrocketed compared with the same bit of rad as traditional motorways. The new "smart" motorways are inherantly dangerous. Some of the cameras were not working proprly - not just for a few hours or even a day or two but for nearly a year.

People should not die for the sake of minor breakdown.

It's ridiculous that it has taken this long to bin them.

www.bbc.co.uk

38 killed on smart motorways in last five years

Panorama reveals for the first time how many have died on roads that no longer have a hard shoulder.
www.bbc.co.uk
 
Yes Introduced by Labour government but cost cutting by Tory government. Moving the run off areas and gantry spacing!!!
 
MolteniArcore said:
Not too many A roads where 3 lanes of traffic are tonking along, some at 90+ mph with all 3 lanes full up.
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As I'm not a fan of an motorsports I never get a chance to understand just how fast 90+ mph looks like as when you are also travelling at 70 you can't fully appreciate it.

When you are broken down on the hard shoulder of the motorway, by god you realise how fast 90 is, it's scary af, now imagine you're not on the hard shoulder but in an actual live lane, would be terrifying.
 
Steer said:
Suggest you look at the stats then. Near misses on the M25 skyrocketed compared with the same bit of rad as traditional motorways. The new "smart" motorways are inherantly dangerous. Some of the cameras were not working proprly - not just for a few hours or even a day or two but for nearly a year.

People should not die for the sake of minor breakdown.

It's ridiculous that it has taken this long to bin them.

www.bbc.co.uk

38 killed on smart motorways in last five years

Panorama reveals for the first time how many have died on roads that no longer have a hard shoulder.
www.bbc.co.uk
Click to expand...
As well as 38 deaths ; 1485 near misses in a year on the same motorway that had 72 near misses; damning statistics for these death trap roads!
 
Ex Footy Legs said:
As well as 38 deaths ; 1485 near misses in a year on the same motorway that had 72 near misses; damning statistics for these death trap roads!
Click to expand...
I always find the warning signs woefully inaccurate - Reports of Obstacle In Road - having already passed the section of tyre, before the warning sign, the next 10 miles are reduced speed limit.
So, so often the warning signs are wrong and cause rather solve a problem. So when it comes to a matter of major safety concern can they be depended upon.
 
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Horrible things. I absolutely hate driving on them for fear of breaking down or a puncture.

My mate broke down on one before Xmas. His coolant pipe popped off on an 19 plate golf. Rather than sitting at peak time in the first Lane he drove on a 100 or so yards to get off at a slip road. He basically 'cooked' the engine and wrote it off. Yes his fault. Yet he had kids in the car. He would have just pulled onto the hard shoulder had it had one.

I cannot believe how they ever thought they were a good idea. They have spent millions on upgrading them. I don't see how they are any better.

Also don't get me started on middle lane hoggers who now sit in the 3rd Lane doing 60. Absolutely pointless making a 4 Lane motorway as no fecker uses the first 2.

Whilst good news. It don't help driving on the many already built.
 
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