Safe Speed Forums

My word, long time no post - so to speak.

I'm not entirely sure if this is going to be a rant or not, but the following tapping of keys = release of blood pressure, so bear with me.

As you all may (or may not know) the M6 both North and South-bound has recently been "upgraded" to "Managed Motorways". Of course, the words "upgraded", "managed", and "motorways" are meaningless in context as they are "usually badly managed". And yet.

And yet.

They do have the capacity to work, especially on the stretch of M-Way mentioned above. From J10A to J8, in both directions, refuges have been built to allow the Hard Shoulder to operate as L4. So in congested conditions we have a 4-lane M-Way. Four lanes are better than three in congested M-Way conditions - this is obvious (the debacle that is the M25 excepted).

But, why? WHY? When I pass J9 North of the M6 - and the matrix signs tell one to use the hard shoulder - is it that most of the traffic is bunching up and tripping over each other in the outer 3 lanes when I'm using the HS and have - I'd say - a half mile gap between my front bumper and the rear bumper of the car in front?

Are Normal Joe Drivers conditioned to not recognise the availability of a fourth lane?

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Simon

I am not sure about the M6, however there is a simalar situation on the M42. I belive it is because the hardshoulder usally becomes the exit lane for the next junction.

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Oct 11 Birmingham Half Marathon. I am running for the British Heart Foundation.
http://www.justgiving.com/Rob-Taylor

It feels totally contrary to use the hard shoulder if you have been driving for many years. Trucks don't move over into it. They sit in the usual lane. Also I'd worry about someone breaking down and not being able to reach a refuge. I just rather use another lane as it just feels so wrong to be on the hard shoulder.

I also think hard shoulder running could be quite dangerous if you live in an area where it is normal and travel into one where it isn't how many people will just start using the hard shoulder automatically when it is congested??

It's the same reason why drivers are often reluctant to use bus lanes outside their periods of operation - the signs may say one thing, but the markings subliminally convey a message that you should keep out.

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"Show me someone who says that they have never exceeded a speed limit, and I'll show you a liar, or a menace." (Austin Williams - Director, Transport Research Group)

Any views expressed in this post are personal opinions and may not represent the views of Safe Speed

Subliminal deference to road markings definitely occurs as you have learned this behaviour over many years.

My personal example is driving through smaller towns in the USA. There, they often have solid lines across the carriageway for various reasons. This is unlike the U.K, where these lines are unusual and always mean "stop". Consequently, I had great difficulty not reacting to these lines by automatically slamming on the brakes!

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Malcolm W.
The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not represent the views of Safespeed.

All the managed areas are heavily monitored by camera. If a vehicle breaks down, the hard shoulder is closed to traffic using the gantry signs. When the hard shoulder is not being used as a running lane, the signs on the gantry over the lane are illuminated to show that it's closed.

Are there many junctions with through junction hardshoudler running ?
The only one i know of is solihull (j5 m42) southbound (but not northbound for whatever reason), which is handy cos i go through there on a regular basis.
I did wonder if this was a first off or long term trial and others might be introduced later but doesn't seem to have been the case.

The only real issue is i've had to develope a 6th sense as to whether the hard shoulder will be open through the junction as you have to wait until the the matrix sign after the blue junction sign to find out. and looking ahead for this you cant read the text but i've learnt that if it's a lane diagram it's open, if it's text it says "use hard shoulder for junction only" This gives me personally enough warning to adjust speeds and merge back in, only feeling marginally guilty to pulling back in front of traffic i may have just undertaken. Can be tricky in heavy traffic but then it's usually that heavy because the hard shoulder is closed, still, worst case is i come off and back on at the junction.. which can be quicker in some traffic conditions

The only other note of caution is where the onslip merges, most traffic is aware & merge ok others dont expect you to be there on the hard shoulder already (someone even flashed their objection at me once), plus the descending slip & closeness of hard shoulder lane gives you and them less time to see the traffic you may be merging with. So I always make sure I have a gap in the next lane to escape into should it be necessary.

Can't help you with your query, my patch is the land that time forgot, we have no lighting, cameras or gantries. Just the old central wickets, the occasional overhead matrix and a few pictogram matrices.