What a total nightmare this waste of money project is.
The ONLY benefit is the warning of incidents ahead, however neigh essential considering the complete and utterly dangerous mess traffic gets into when the hard shoulder is totally blocked! In normal conditions a forewarning to help guide drivers would be beneficial at all times, obviously!
Considering that TRL595 tells us that gatso cameras have a 13% negative effect to road safety at motorway roadworks, how is this proposal mean to help ?
Stretching the current inadequate road facilities, is IMHO highly likely to back fire very badly when emergency services cannot get through!
Then what, extra opening in the central reservation ?
Not good.
To deliberately reduce traffic to far lower speed limits is already creating zombie-like drivers who are paying little attention and far less ready to respond to hazards. Anticipation of the surrounding traffic is massively reduced adding to the reduction in road safety as people are having to check their speedo's at every camera location or 'take an un-necessary risk' that may result in a total change to their lifestyle and livelihood.
I fully appreciate the necessity of temporary reductions in speed, when hazards like lane narrowing for certain roadworks are undertaken but considering it is to introduce all the gantries for cameras and traffic monitoring it is nothing but extremely worrying!
We know that there is a tabled motion to privatise the Highways Agency and that all major roads become Toll Roads !
It would therefore make sense that all these gantries are being introduced for this purpose, that would help to justify this massive investment!
Not only will this monitor the public like never before but prevent travel for all and make many take to the lesser quality roads increasing travel times and seeing a greater rise in road accidents!