Smart motorways.

[Plantaholic]

Pleased to hear that Oma.

[Daisy]

I read they are going to suspend the smart motorways for a period of time to re-evaluate the safety aspects . They should never return so dangerous

Oma - that would be good - and the sensible thing to do. I wonder if they're going to cancel the existing smart motorways and reinstate the hard shoulder, or just stop work on any new ones.

[Gemini]

When we watched the Panorama programme, I remarked to OH that surely even a slower speed limit in that lane would help? More chance to avoid or slow down if you see something ahead at 40mph instead of 70.

[Daisy]

Gem - yes, I'd thought that as well, but nobody mentioned it. It seems like the obvious thing to do.

[Sunshine]

Try not to worry too much Lizzie. There are currently only 200 miles of smart motorways in the UK. They are meant to be safer than regular motorways with the new technology. Although many people question this. The main difference you will probably notice is the lack of the hard shoulder, but the hard shoulder is not exactly a safe place to be anyway. Just make sure your car is in good condition and don’t run out of fuel. Good Luck.

[Lizzie48]

Thanks Sunshine, I won't worry too much, in fact, we have one very close to here, the A13 from Rotterdam to Den Haag, at the busiest times they open the hard shoulder to it works out the same.

[Daisy]

Lizzies - this week I've been up to North Staffordshire (from the New Forest), which is mostly motorway driving, with a smart motorway section on the M42 and a shorter section on the M6 - this is currently being extended.

Coming back today we were on the M6 smart section when there was a lane closure. The signs were very clear - it signalled a 'stranded vehicle' and 'lane closed' then there was an X over the lane/hard shoulder. Closer to the breakdown there were traffic police coning off the lane, and their car was parked in the closed lane with lights flashing etc. Everything slowed down and it was all fine. I know that's how they should be, but the signage was really clear.

The M42 southbound was "interesting". The hard shoulder seems to open and close almost randomly. It opens for traffic before some, but not all junctions, just for vehicles taking that junction. But we couldn't work out why some stretches were hard shoulder and some were running lanes. The signs were clear enough, but there didn't seem to be any logic. This was on the very busy section around Birmingham. The safest place seemed to be the outside lane!

[Lizzie48]

The help seemed to be well organised for the break down, the busy section on the M42 seems a different story! As you say, the safest would be the outside lane!

[Daisy]

Lizzie - I was quite relieved to see how well the M6 breakdown was dealt with. We were stationary only for about 5 minutes, and given the volume of traffic that wasn't bad.

Much worse was a lane closure on the A34. We don't know what had happened as we were going in the other direction. Whatever it was had obviously only just happened but there was a 5 mile tail back within minutes and a fire engine was struggling to get through. We always say the A34 is the most boring road in the country (this stretch links the M3 and the M42) but if there's ever any money for improving roads this should be one of them.

[Lizzie48]

It does seem to be so busy on all the roads. We have different speed limits on motorways, from March they will all be brought back to 100km, 62mph, that isn't bad in this area, it is so busy you hardly ever get to the 100km, but, on roads out of the busy area it is 130km, 80mph, at the moment, those roads are not as busy, when I went away the other week, from and to Utrecht from where I was staying is 130km and that now goes back to 100km. I seem to think I read that during the night the speed limits will be higher but not so sure about that. I will have to get more information before March, not much of a night driver though!!!

[Daisy]

I've often wondered why speed limits generally don't change with the time of day. Where I live there is a blanket 40 mph speed limit on all unfenced roads, but at night 40 is far too fast to be able to stop if livestock are on the road. But during daylight, on a clear road with good views on both sides 40 seems unnecessarily slow.

It's interesting to hear that your roads are as busy and congested as ours.

[Lizzie48]

Roads are very busy here, DS2 studied a while in Bath, took the car, he went to visit my mother once in Yorkshire, his studying friends warned him of the busy roads round Manchester, when he returned he informed them that all our roads are like that! That was years ago.

[Daisy]

Lizzie -it sounds as though my mental picture of flat, open roads devoid of traffic and edged by fields of tulips lives only in my imagination.

[Lizzie48]

Daisy, had to laugh at that!!!! The first time my younger brother visited here, he expected tulips and windmills as he stepped off the boat!!!!

[Daisy]

Hahaha, Lizzie. I'm glad I'm not alone!