Smart Motorways

[Richard Simpson Mark II]

"The more things change, the more they stay the same"

The Victorians have a bad rep because of their repressed sexual attitudes...but when it came to pretty much everything from social reform to civil engineering, they put us to shame. Prince Albert's Great Exhibition, in which the best of the world's technologies was gathered, was a sight to be seen.
In an interesting illustration of old and (then) new tech, the 80 mph GWR railway locomotive Lord of the Isles was hauled into the exhibition hall by horses.

[petecam]

Back in Victorian times, they build the Grand Central Railway...which went from Liverpool via Birmingham and London, to the site of the Channel Tunnel, that they also started to build, but didn't finish (conflict in Europe between theFrench and Prussians).

Do you mean "The Great Central Railway" ? This ran from London Marylebone to Sheffield and Manchester and was a victim of the Beaching cuts in the 1960s. I think it was proposed to travel to the south but that was never constructed. The section from Marylebone to Sheffield was built to a more generous loading gauge to accept continental rolling stock. The smaller British loading gauge is still a problem today, all locomotives and rolling stock has to be built smaller rather than buying what’s available to everyone else, it also means that anything built in the UK does not have an export market. For example the original Eurostar trains on HS1 are custom built but based on the French TGV, it would have been much cheaper and easier just to buy standard TGV units. .

[Peirre]

With a little pressure on the highways agency it might be possible to get them to construct a “sound barrier” adjacent to your property boundary. These sound barriers are the latest thing being installed along the motorway network near any residential properties, and I’m told they’re very effective. This would have the effect of reducing the detritus being blown on your land

[SteveW]

With a little pressure on the highways agency it might be possible to get them to construct a “sound barrier” adjacent to your property boundary. These sound barriers are the latest thing being installed along the motorway network near any residential properties, and I’m told they’re very effective. This would have the effect of reducing the detritus being blown on your land

I've seen them, a property further down, that's a lot closer to the motorway has one. I'm currently waiting for someone from the Highways Agency to get back to me regarding a visit to inspect the situation. I'm going to press for an acoustic fence.
......Another point with a Smart Motorway.....Beacause they haven't moved the Armco Barriers back, if you are stranded between refuge areas, your passenger door will be hard up against the barrier, this will prevent you exiting your vehicle via the passenger door and you'll have to exit through the driver's door....into the traffic flow.

[Richard Simpson Mark II]

Park nose into the barrier, but without sticking the back of the vehicle into the next lane: that way when your car gets hit it will go off the road, and you have room to get the door open.

[Richard Simpson Mark II]

Back in Victorian times, they build the Grand Central Railway...which went from Liverpool via Birmingham and London, to the site of the Channel Tunnel, that they also started to build, but didn't finish (conflict in Europe between theFrench and Prussians).

Do you mean "The Great Central Railway" ? This ran from London Marylebone to Sheffield and Manchester and was a victim of the Beaching cuts in the 1960s. I think it was proposed to travel to the south but that was never constructed. The section from Marylebone to Sheffield was built to a more generous loading gauge to accept continental rolling stock. The smaller British loading gauge is still a problem today, all locomotives and rolling stock has to be built smaller rather than buying what’s available to everyone else, it also means that anything built in the UK does not have an export market. For example the original Eurostar trains on HS1 are custom built but based on the French TGV, it would have been much cheaper and easier just to buy standard TGV units. .

That's the one...the proposal was Liverpool to the tunnel. The Victorians built the middle bit.

The decision by Parliament to kowtow to the coal owners are bugger the railways up with the coal gauge was one of the worst transport decisions ever made by Parliament...and almost every transport decision made by Parliament has been poor.

[SteveW]

Park nose into the barrier, but without sticking the back of the vehicle into the next lane: that way when your car gets hit it will go off the road, and you have room to get the door open.

I don't think that's possible Richard, on a smart motorway the gap between the edge of Lane one and the barrier is less than a meter. (It's still the original Armco from when the hard shoulder was in place)
Parking nose to the barrier in such a way to allow the passenger door to be opened would cause the back end to project out dangerously and the Armco would prevent the car going off the road in an impact.
I'm sure moving the Armco back where possible would make Smart Motorways safer.

[daveuprite]

I'm sure moving the Armco back where possible would make Smart Motorways safer.

Yeah, by about one lane. You could call it something like 'hard shoulder'.