Smart Motorways and ERA's

A-R-T-H-U-R

Utter insanity or a good way to reduce congestion?

52% of motorists polled didn't know anything about ERA's.

IMO The whole concept is a huge loss of life disaster waiting to happen, never mind the thousands of mini disasters (less than what, 6 dead at a time?) that will drip feed into the press.

(Agh - cant change category!)

Valiantphil

The motorways are so crowded nowadays that if someone pulls onto the hard shoulder to open a packet of crisps it causes a 2 mile tail back while other drivers slow down to stare.

So, breakdowns may as well stop in the inside lane.

SomervilleAddick

What has the pitchers Earned Run Average got to do with UK Motorway congestion.

Stig

What's an ERA?

A-R-T-H-U-R

Stig said:

What's an ERA?

A span of time?

A-R-T-H-U-R

and Emergency Refuge Areas
A (one car-ish) lay by every 1.5 miles

RedPanda

I hate not having a hard shoulder. My motorcycle cut out on the M2 a couple of years ago. Without a hard shoulder both my bike and I would have been stuck in the 'slow' lane. It doesn't matter what the vehicle is, it's an accident waiting to happen.

Jodaius

Removing hard shoulders seems a massive step backwards after decades of investment in improving road safety. A short sighted cost saving measure that unfortunately will cost lives.

On a related note, drivers that ignore red 'X's and use closed lanes should get 6 points and a hefty fine. There are enough cameras on our motorways that I can't believe this isn't better enforced. It surely wouldn't be hard.

Stig

A-R-T-H-U-R said:

and Emergency Refuge Areas
A (one car-ish) lay by every 1.5 miles

Whatever the pos and cons, it's a really crappy name. Every thickie in the county is going to think it's an Emergency Refuse Centre and use it for flytipping.

DRAddick

I think ERA's are a great idea. The extensive research shows that vehicles only ever breakdown or get blown tyres at these precise locations.

DaveMehmet

ERA means English Racing Automobiles to me. Prince Bira of Siam racing Remus, which still races at Goodwood every year.

ForeverAddickted

Seems you'll get fined now if you ignore the Red X to indicate a lane is closed on the Motorway

https://www.petrolprices.com/news/get-fined-ignoring-red-x-motorway/

Honestly dont understand that... Surely the red X is to tell you that your coming up to a lane closure and that there will be cones to force you over when you get to the incident

If you move over when your first warned (usually a mile or two before you get to the incident) then there is going to be an empty lane for no reason?

golfaddick

ForeverAddickted said:

Seems you'll get fined now if you ignore the Red X to indicate a lane is closed on the Motorway

https://www.petrolprices.com/news/get-fined-ignoring-red-x-motorway/

Honestly dont understand that... Surely the red X is to tell you that your coming up to a lane closure and that there will be cones to force you over when you get to the incident

If you move over when your first warned (usually a mile or two before you get to the incident) then there is going to be an empty lane for no reason?

So, you're the numpty that waits until the last minute before trying to change lane, thus making lane 2 drivers put on the anchors & hence the stream of break lights that causes all the tailbacks when nothing has happened.

maybe trying being a bit more thoughtful of why the BIG red X is there & move over when asked.......then the rest of us wont be sitting in tailbacks for no reason.

Exiled_Addick

These have been working fine on the M42 east of Birmingham - a very busy stretch of road - for well over a decade now. I used to drive that stretch of road probably 15 times a month and never saw any problems caused by the lack of hard shoulder, but it definitely helped ease congestion. 

Cars are so much more reliable these days - how often do you actually see someone stranded on the hard shoulder? And is it more likely than on a 2 lane A-Road where the speed limit could be 60 mph but visibility for following traffic will be much worse, and there will be no option to go around?

Brendan_O_Connell

Never heard of an ERA before this thread.  It's total insanity isn't it?   Who thought of this?  Surely there will be more RTC related deaths and injuries because of this.  It's crazy.  I'd rather be stuck in traffic for two hours than someone die to speed up my journey.

hoof_it_up_to_benty

Brendan_O_Connell said:

Never heard of an ERA before this thread.  It's total insanity isn't it?   Who thought of this?  Surely there will be more RTC related deaths and injuries because of this.  It's crazy.  I'd rather be stuck in traffic for two hours than someone die to speed up my journey.

I transport my daughter in her wheelchair so if I breakdown on a smart motorway it will be extremely dangerous. It's just a way of increasing capacity on the cheap.

Chippycafc

Got held up last week between junction 3-2 at the top of the M3 at the new smart motorway. ..cause was a broken down lorry in lane 1, which would have been the old hard shoulder.  Delay took 45 mins to get through for a broken down lorry ffs.

ForeverAddickted

golfaddick said:

ForeverAddickted said:

Seems you'll get fined now if you ignore the Red X to indicate a lane is closed on the Motorway

https://www.petrolprices.com/news/get-fined-ignoring-red-x-motorway/

Honestly dont understand that... Surely the red X is to tell you that your coming up to a lane closure and that there will be cones to force you over when you get to the incident

If you move over when your first warned (usually a mile or two before you get to the incident) then there is going to be an empty lane for no reason?

So, you're the numpty that waits until the last minute before trying to change lane, thus making lane 2 drivers put on the anchors & hence the stream of break lights that causes all the tailbacks when nothing has happened.

maybe trying being a bit more thoughtful of why the BIG red X is there & move over when asked.......then the rest of us wont be sitting in tailbacks for no reason.

Nope dont move over at the last minute but explain to me the sense of not using a lane whilst its open?

The bit that isnt open is obviously going to be coned off

Rizzo

Smart motorways do my head in. One of the purposes of the hard shoulder, apart from a place to move to if your vehicle is in difficulty, is to allow the emergency services to get through to an accident when the traffic is at a standstill. How the hell are they supposed to do that now?

Its_Hamer_Time

ForeverAddickted said:

golfaddick said:

ForeverAddickted said:

Seems you'll get fined now if you ignore the Red X to indicate a lane is closed on the Motorway

https://www.petrolprices.com/news/get-fined-ignoring-red-x-motorway/

Honestly dont understand that... Surely the red X is to tell you that your coming up to a lane closure and that there will be cones to force you over when you get to the incident

If you move over when your first warned (usually a mile or two before you get to the incident) then there is going to be an empty lane for no reason?

So, you're the numpty that waits until the last minute before trying to change lane, thus making lane 2 drivers put on the anchors & hence the stream of break lights that causes all the tailbacks when nothing has happened.

maybe trying being a bit more thoughtful of why the BIG red X is there & move over when asked.......then the rest of us wont be sitting in tailbacks for no reason.

Nope dont move over at the last minute but explain to me the sense of not using a lane whilst its open?

The bit that isnt open is obviously going to be coned off

There may be an accident that has just happened, therefore the emergency room will close the lane electronically before it can be coned off. There could also be some debris that has got onto the lane. It isn't just for a typical coned off lane. 

moutuakilla

ForeverAddickted said:

golfaddick said:

ForeverAddickted said:

Seems you'll get fined now if you ignore the Red X to indicate a lane is closed on the Motorway

https://www.petrolprices.com/news/get-fined-ignoring-red-x-motorway/

Honestly dont understand that... Surely the red X is to tell you that your coming up to a lane closure and that there will be cones to force you over when you get to the incident

If you move over when your first warned (usually a mile or two before you get to the incident) then there is going to be an empty lane for no reason?

So, you're the numpty that waits until the last minute before trying to change lane, thus making lane 2 drivers put on the anchors & hence the stream of break lights that causes all the tailbacks when nothing has happened.

maybe trying being a bit more thoughtful of why the BIG red X is there & move over when asked.......then the rest of us wont be sitting in tailbacks for no reason.

Nope dont move over at the last minute but explain to me the sense of not using a lane whilst its open?

The bit that isnt open is obviously going to be coned off

Surely the lane can be closed before the police/highways turn up to put the cones out?

Rizzo

They can build all the smart motorways they want but until people drive a safe distance apart and in the correct lane, driving in this country is going to be ever more unpleasant.

Markg2004

I dont know what your all harping on about. I drive in the right hand 'fast' lane all the time, even when the motorway is quiet. If we all did that all the time then the loss of the hard shoulder is no loss at all...




That's a joke btw, hate lane hoggers, but before smart motorways may become a success driving habits need to change. Red crosses, speed limits, driving in the correct lane: these all add up.

Fines, points, educational courses are useful tools, but the bottom line is it is the death rate that talks unfortunately...and The Highways Agency dont help themselves alot of the time either.

JaShea99

ForeverAddickted said:

golfaddick said:

ForeverAddickted said:

Seems you'll get fined now if you ignore the Red X to indicate a lane is closed on the Motorway

https://www.petrolprices.com/news/get-fined-ignoring-red-x-motorway/

Honestly dont understand that... Surely the red X is to tell you that your coming up to a lane closure and that there will be cones to force you over when you get to the incident

If you move over when your first warned (usually a mile or two before you get to the incident) then there is going to be an empty lane for no reason?

So, you're the numpty that waits until the last minute before trying to change lane, thus making lane 2 drivers put on the anchors & hence the stream of break lights that causes all the tailbacks when nothing has happened.

maybe trying being a bit more thoughtful of why the BIG red X is there & move over when asked.......then the rest of us wont be sitting in tailbacks for no reason.

Nope dont move over at the last minute but explain to me the sense of not using a lane whilst its open?

The bit that isnt open is obviously going to be coned off

Because you know ‘your’ going to have to move over eventually and all the while you’re still in that lane you’re probably overtaking the ones who did have the sense to move over when first warned.

soapy_jones

It must be good.  A government sponsored think tank has spent millions of tax payers money to say it is...

superchrissypowell

What annoys me about so called smart motorways is when they put the speed down to 50. Everyone slams on the anchors and then 300 yards later it's back up to 70. For no reason at all. 

se7oaks

I've heard on the news in the last few months that some transport study group consider smart motorways to be inherently dangerous and that all future planning should stop. All I know is that they're a bloody nuisance while they're rolling them out. Junctions 4 to 7 of the M20 are a right pain on a daily basis. 

carly burn

https://www.thestar.co.uk/news/crime/police-probe-into-fatal-motorway-crash-near-meadowhall-continues-72025

This happened a couple of weeks ago. They're using the hard shoulder as a lane ( in prep for a smart motorway I think)
The car  broke down only for the lorry driver to crash straight into it shortly after.

Missed It

Back in the good old days, when people were actually smart, they decided the smart thing to do would be to have a hard shoulder on the new fangled motorways.

These days, people think they're smart if they can trick you into thinking something is smart by taking a bad idea and changing its name.

Carter

I've seen the aftermath of an accident where someone has broken down in the inside lane and didnt make it to the designated pull on spot. 

Given how tight local authorities are, rightly, on utility contractors getting their roadworks guarding right, often to the point of overkill. It is absolute insanity they now expect recovery workers to do what is already a really dangerous job with the aid of assumption that some of the ignorant pricks that use our motorways will move over and let them work because a gantry displays a red X. Also assuming I'd someone is stupid enough to run out of fuel that they would have the sense to pull in leaving enough space for a recovery vehicle to get in front of them. All this next to 70 plus mph vehicular traffic. 

Its cost cutting disguised as smart motorways. 

Rizzo

Panorama covered this last night. Absolutely terrifying!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000dtqv/panorama-britains-killer-motorways