Motorway Hard Shoulders

Topics relating to Advanced Driving in cars
sussex2
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Re: Motorway Hard Shoulders

Postby sussex2 » Wed Jul 13, 2016 5:34 am

Astraist wrote:
sussex2 wrote:I see absolutely nothing wrong in avoiding roads you do not feel comfortable travelling on. I feel sure we all have some road/roads in mind that we would prefer to miss.


Interesting point. What's even more interesting is what it is that makes us less comfortable travelling on said road compared to another. Is it just the state of the road itself? Or are there elements such as the profile of traffic (like, precentage of heavies) and it's volume?

Just to illustrate the point, at the southmost point of the Israel there is the resort town of Eilat. The main road leading to it is a single carriageway (although progressivelly being reworked into a dual-carriageway) that is as straight as a ruler, surrounded by the view of the desert, and has a good volume of traffic with lots of B-double lorries, which don't travel on other roads. So this road suffers from head-on collisions every now and than.

Other road choices are longer, more serpentine and entirely single-carriageway. There are more remote and a small part was in the past subjected to terrorist threats, being on the Sinai-border, but the volume of traffic is less and the road is more engaging, so many drivers choose that road and ultimately less collisions happen there.


It's the same as not wishing to drive at certain times of the day eg; I rarely drive at weekends and the reason is I don't like some of the types of traffic I am likely to meet.
Having spent many years having to drive where I didn't particularly want to I find being able to chose one of the pleasures of life :)

Triquet
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Location: Occupied North Berkshire

Re: Motorway Hard Shoulders

Postby Triquet » Wed Jul 13, 2016 7:01 am

:car: Today I need to drive Abingdon to Birkenhead which will normally take me through those dreary roadworks oop the M6. I think I'll go cross-country to Chester to avoid the 50 +/- 0.05 mph through the endless concrete canyon

martine
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Re: Motorway Hard Shoulders

Postby martine » Wed Jul 13, 2016 10:52 am

EasyShifter wrote:It should be illegal, with no exceptions at all, to keep a motorway open without a hard shoulder available for emergency use.
Or do you think differently?

The original scheme (on the M42) has been closely monitored before and after becoming a 'managed motorway'. The stats show improved flow, less phantom queues and no difference to safety - it was seen as a good example of how to implement it hence the increase in other motorways having hard-shoulder running.

Problem is...there are several flavours of hard-shoulder running - some 24-hour, some with less frequent safety refuges, some with less monitoring by CCTV.

It seems it can work really well and doesn't decrease safety but I wish they had stuck to the M42 design for all.
Martin - Bristol Advanced Motorists: IMI National Observer, Group Secretary, Masters (dist), DSA: ADI, Fleet, RoSPA (Dip)

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Horse
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Re: Motorway Hard Shoulders

Postby Horse » Wed Jul 13, 2016 11:03 am

martine wrote: Problem is...there are several flavours of hard-shoulder running - some 24-hour, some with less frequent safety refuges, some with less monitoring by CCTV.

It seems it can work really well and doesn't decrease safety but I wish they had stuck to the M42 design for all.


I'd guess that the 'switchable' h/s needs the overhead gantries to control traffic by-lane, whereas future SMART motorways will be fitted only with the MS4 VMS signs (eg on the M4 East of J13, for those who know it).
Your 'standard' is how you drive alone, not how you drive during a test.

sussex2
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Re: Motorway Hard Shoulders

Postby sussex2 » Wed Jul 13, 2016 11:43 am

Shouldn't there be some sort of standard procedure on these roads to allow for emergency vehicles. The vehicles that would ordinarily use the hard shoulder.
I know that in other countries there is a 'rule' written or unwritten that traffic will move to certain lanes in order to keep one free.

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Horse
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Re: Motorway Hard Shoulders

Postby Horse » Wed Jul 13, 2016 12:12 pm

I believe that specially-trained firemen will be working on SMART motorways

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Your 'standard' is how you drive alone, not how you drive during a test.

Astraist
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Re: Motorway Hard Shoulders

Postby Astraist » Thu Jul 14, 2016 6:55 am

sussex2 wrote:I know that in other countries there is a 'rule' written or unwritten that traffic will move to certain lanes in order to keep one free.


Yes, but it's mostly 'outboard lane traffic stick to the barrier and the rest stick right' (which to you would be left) so emergency vehicles end up driving on the outboard lane (sort of) mostly, rather than the hard shoulder.

sussex2
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Re: Motorway Hard Shoulders

Postby sussex2 » Thu Jul 14, 2016 9:39 am

Astraist wrote:
sussex2 wrote:I know that in other countries there is a 'rule' written or unwritten that traffic will move to certain lanes in order to keep one free.


Yes, but it's mostly 'outboard lane traffic stick to the barrier and the rest stick right' (which to you would be left) so emergency vehicles end up driving on the outboard lane (sort of) mostly, rather than the hard shoulder.


I drive more on the mainland than I do in the UK and so am familiar with this and other habits.
There are a few we could well learn in my opinion.


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