boomer

From http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm...atestheadlines

Just exactly how brain dead are the government? [img]images/smilies/mad.gif[/img]

Before you start opening up the hard shoulder, how about ensuring (i.e. education and effective policing) that drivers use lane 1 in the first place (or even lane 2 on the M25)!!!

Oh, and most congestion seems to occur around roadworks, which typically uses the hard shoulder anyway as part of the (heavily SPECed) contraflow - so no improvement there

mb

The Zohan

Agreed - Typical thoughtless reaction

P

Limeydriver

Why not allow overtaking on the inside? works great in the US for keeping the traffic moving. It would take some getting used to but would improve road capacity.

RAF1

iTrader: (5)

"it would take some getting used to......"

surely not - you see people doing it all the time anyway



Raf.

midget1500

so what happens when someone does break down (puncture etc) and uses the hard shoulder? do we get very nasty accidents??? i think this could cause a lot of road rage, etc.

scoobynutta555

Why the negative reaction? I read this in the paper and it was based on a study that was carried out in Holland and subsequently implemented there.

Its obviously for low speed situations, ie, when traffic is at a standstill/crawling. If you think about it, the traffic will move faster than it does at present, and therefore there will be less breakdowns in the first place.

At the moment whenever ive been in a jam theres been muppets blatting it down the hard shoulder anyway with their hazards on (dunno what difference that makes)

Im sure the *safety concious* government we have when it comes to road safety, any scheme which was found to increase bad incidents would never be implemented

Rachael

Surely that wont work?

I thought queues at roadworks etc, were casued by:
a) Cars slowing from 70 (or whatever) down to 50 (or whatever )
b) Traffic merging from two lanes into 1.

Now, if you open up the hard shoulder, aren't you just doubling the amount of traffic which has to merge?
Add to that, how many people will know that the h/s is open for use? Where do all the broken down verhicles go??

Queues may get shorter, but just as many cars will get stuck, and for just as long......effectively just making the car park wider!!

DaveD (posted under wrong name....again!)

[Edited by Rachael - 4/26/2003 7:20:34 PM]

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

Theres a Merc CLK driver round here running his own study, when it gets busy he used the hard shoulder, he must be a forward thinking man of the people, and these me thinking C**t as he sped by.

Leslie

I think it is a silly idea-clutching at straws again. Obviously a breakdown on the hard shoulder would defeat the object and dangerous. Also Rachael has mentioned the other obvious reasoning against it.

Les

47 NAT

I agree with the above about people using the first and second lanes...they always seem empty Whilst were on the subject on grand ideas, has the goverment said how successful the bus lane is on the M4?

In all fairness it might work in Holland, but over in Europe their driving and lane discipline is much better than the UK. Come to think of it everywhere in Europe is better....

Nath

Leslie

Better move to Euroland then

DavidBrown

Using the hard-shoulder ? Uh oh.

I predict a few nasty deaths.

47 NAT

Leslie, I think I'll pass on that one thank you

Nath

SL2

I thought the hard shoulder is the BMW lane.

ChrisB

Hmmm - so what happens with the hard shoulder is chocker too and a Fire Engine or Ambulance needs to get through to help somebody further up the jame or get to the cause of the jam?

Madness IMO.

Billbill

The "Hard Shoulder" isn't recommended for travel in the US of A.
This is the "Break Down" Lane. And... You must park AWAY from the Fog Line to give traffic clearance.
Idiot idea, and this from the safety conscious Brits.
Oh well, I percieve enlightenment at the end of the tunnel.

Leslie

Just joking Nath-I forgot the smilie!

Les