Smart Motorways

[SteveW]

Smart Motorways are getting a bit of a panning for being dangerous.
From where I'm sitting in my kitchen I can see the M6 (between Junc 18 & 19) its the Smart Section.
My land goes right down to the motorway and I've got a refuge area adjacent to my land.
The worst thing for me is the rubbish folk throw over my post and rail fence onto my land (car parts, bumpers, drinks containers, food wrappings etc....and the shits people take in the trees on my side of the fence!
Obviously because I've got a refuge area litter is much worse in my spot than when it was a hard shoulder.
Anyway enough of my stuff.....The motorway moves far better since it's Smart upgrade. Everyday when it was three lanes with a hard shoulder I'd have standing traffic 2,3,4 or more times a day.
I'd say they need to have more refuge areas (with waste bins!) and also where possible move the verge Armco barriers back away from Lane one.....These are still in the same position as they were in when the motorway had a hard shoulder....If they were moved back 2/3 meters there would be enough room to get your vehicle off the carriageway in an emergency when you can't get to a proper refuge area. At present the Armco is only a meter at most from Lane 1.
Well what do folk think about these Smart Motorways?

[PHILinFRANCE]

Just been back to the UK and there's feck all smart about any UK motorway ........ 50mph 90% of our run north !!!! feck me it 60mph on an A road

[SteveW]

Just been back to the UK and there's feck all smart about any UK motorway ........ 50mph 90% of our run north !!!! feck me it 60mph on an A road

You were lucky Phil.....50 mph 90% of the time.....before the M6 was smart you'd have spent hours at 0mph!

[johnnyboxer]

Smart Motorways are getting a bit of a panning for being dangerous.
From where I'm sitting in my kitchen I can see the M6 (between Junc 18 & 19) its the Smart Section.
My land goes right down to the motorway and I've got a refuge area adjacent to my land.
The worst thing for me is the rubbish folk throw over my post and rail fence onto my land (car parts, bumpers, drinks containers, food wrappings etc....and the shits people take in the trees on my side of the fence!
Obviously because I've got a refuge area litter is much worse in my spot than when it was a hard shoulder.
Anyway enough of my stuff.....The motorway moves far better since it's Smart upgrade. Everyday when it was three lanes with a hard shoulder I'd have standing traffic 2,3,4 or more times a day.
I'd say they need to have more refuge areas (with waste bins!) and also where possible move the verge Armco barriers back away from Lane one.....These are still in the same position as they were in when the motorway had a hard shoulder....If they were moved back 2/3 meters there would be enough room to get your vehicle off the carriageway in an emergency when you can't get to a proper refuge area. At present the Armco is only a meter at most from Lane 1.
Well what do folk think about these Smart Motorways?

What do I think ?

I would never buy/build a house on land that runs down to any motorway for starters for the reasons you state in your opening paragraphs

[Peirre]

If the litter and detritus from the refuge area is a problem contact highways England and complain, they may send out a clean up crew. As for the suggestion of installing litter bins in the refuges that will only encourage people to stop or stay longer than necessary and dump rubbish there

[SteveW]

Smart Motorways are getting a bit of a panning for being dangerous.
From where I'm sitting in my kitchen I can see the M6 (between Junc 18 & 19) its the Smart Section.
My land goes right down to the motorway and I've got a refuge area adjacent to my land.
The worst thing for me is the rubbish folk throw over my post and rail fence onto my land (car parts, bumpers, drinks containers, food wrappings etc....and the shits people take in the trees on my side of the fence!
Obviously because I've got a refuge area litter is much worse in my spot than when it was a hard shoulder.
Anyway enough of my stuff.....The motorway moves far better since it's Smart upgrade. Everyday when it was three lanes with a hard shoulder I'd have standing traffic 2,3,4 or more times a day.
I'd say they need to have more refuge areas (with waste bins!) and also where possible move the verge Armco barriers back away from Lane one.....These are still in the same position as they were in when the motorway had a hard shoulder....If they were moved back 2/3 meters there would be enough room to get your vehicle off the carriageway in an emergency when you can't get to a proper refuge area. At present the Armco is only a meter at most from Lane 1.
Well what do folk think about these Smart Motorways?

What do I think ?

I would never buy/build a house on land that runs down to any motorway for starters for the reasons you state in your opening paragraphs

Shit! Why didn't I think of that!

[SteveW]

If the litter and detritus from the refuge area is a problem contact highways England and complain, they may send out a clean up crew. As for the suggestion of installing litter bins in the refuges that will only encourage people to stop or stay longer than necessary and dump rubbish there

I did try contacting them......but they are very well insulated from general plebs like me.
I know I mentioned waste bins, but that was a bit lighthearted.
What's needed are warning signs concerning littering and a reminder that they are on camera (there is generally a matrix gantry with cameras overlooking refuge areas.
This isn't about my situation, I was interested in what folk think about the safety of smart Motorways.
The goverment used to produce "Public information films" They tackled road safety issues by inserting 30 second "adverts" in TV commercial breaks.
Surely given the general numbness of the population this should be resurrected with information about general safety precautions people should employ whilst travelling on "Smart" Motorways. Starting with...make sure you car has enough fuel, what to do if your vehicle starts to develop a fault and what the matrix signs mean.
It should be possible to reach 98% of the country's morbidly stupid simply buy inserting these adverts during any programmes containing Paddy McGuinness or Davina McCall

[daveuprite]

If the litter and detritus from the refuge area is a problem contact highways England and complain, they may send out a clean up crew. As for the suggestion of installing litter bins in the refuges that will only encourage people to stop or stay longer than necessary and dump rubbish there

I did try contacting them......but they are very well insulated from general plebs like me.
I know I mentioned waste bins, but that was a bit lighthearted.
What's needed are warning signs concerning littering and a reminder that they are on camera (there is generally a matrix gantry with cameras overlooking refuge areas.
This isn't about my situation, I was interested in what folk think about the safety of smart Motorways.
The goverment used to produce "Public information films" They tackled road safety issues by inserting 30 second "adverts" in TV commercial breaks.
Surely given the general numbness of the population this should be resurrected with information about general safety precautions people should employ whilst travelling on "Smart" Motorways. Starting with...make sure you car has enough fuel, what to do if your vehicle starts to develop a fault and what the matrix signs mean.
It should be possible to reach 98% of the country's morbidly stupid simply buy inserting these adverts during any programmes containing Paddy McGuinness or Davina McCall

Yeah what happened to 'public information films' ? I still look for the green cross man when I step on to the road.

As to the smart motorways, it looks like another case of the tories underinvesting in the infrastructure. Instead of properly widening the motorway to cope with the growing traffic, or investing properly in public transport to get people out of their cars, they just bugger about with the existing road to buy themselves a bit of time on the cheap.

[OnHellas]

Good try Dave, but the first Smart Motorway was the M42 introduced in 2006.
I think that you’ll find Tony Blair was, and had been Prime Minister for a fair while by then.


One of the big problems is still incorrect or out of date information on the gantries.
The main problem is of course the operators of the vehicles.

[daveuprite]

Good try Dave, but the first Smart Motorway was the M42 introduced in 2006.
I think that you’ll find Tony Blair was, and had been Prime Minister for a fair while by then.

I remember the M42 experiment and thought at the time that it was a problem waiting to happen (accidents etc). But the thing to do with bad ideas is ditch them, not expand them, is it not? The tories have had over 10 years to come up with better infrastructure plans and failed to do so. When someone is in charge of a cock-up for 10 years I tend to blame them, not their predecessor - don't you? Doesn't really matter, because 'the people' just voted for the incompetence, cuts and underinvestment to continue for another 5 years....