34 replies to this topic

[Shooter63]

Got to totally agree smart motorways are useless, it's just a cheap way of making an extra lane , those speed restriction gantries are hopeless, one night driving around the m25 the restrictions were on to 40mph for the best part of 30 miles, bugger all accidents, breakdowns,or road works, just a plain joke.


Shooter

[robminibcy]

The biggest issue with motorways is still a very poor standard of lane control. Recently I came back from Cornwall fairly late at night and was admittedly in a rush to get back. But traffic was light and conditions were good and the amount of times I had to go all the way from lane one to lane 3 or 4 was beyond a joke. I even had one car flash me as I came past presumably because he wasn't happy with my speed but I'm sorry you shouldn't be doing 65 sat in lane 3 of a 4 lane motorway. Same story on the M1 yesterday (which is one of the new smart sections) were there was just car after car sat in lanes 2 and 3 for no reason at all. It's by far my biggest pet hate of driving and so easily avoidable if people just had proper training or actually used their brains slightly. Makes me so very tempted to get an old defender or similar, fit reinforced sills and start pushing the jukes/fake offroaders back to the inside lane they seem so against traveling in!

Oh and yes I agree, 80% of the time smart motorways are a daft idea where the limits change continuously so you spend your time watching the speed rather than the traffic conditions they are supposed to be controlling!

[unburntfuelinthemorning]

Yes, lane discipline from some is terrible.  Here's a recent classic:

 

 

Totally hilarious that they did that with the police following.

[r3k1355]

Got to totally agree smart motorways are useless, it's just a cheap way of making an extra lane 

 

Yea but when you drive down any motorway you realise quite how many bridges there are over the sodding thing, most if not all are wide enough to accommodate another lane (while keeping the hard shoulder)

 

Smart Motorways aren't just a cheap way of making another lane, it's usually the only way of making another lane.

Otherwise you're looking at costs into the many billions to do just one motorway in the country.

[r3k1355]

The biggest issue with motorways is still a very poor standard of lane control. Recently I came back from Cornwall fairly late at night and was admittedly in a rush to get back. But traffic was light and conditions were good and the amount of times I had to go all the way from lane one to lane 3 or 4 was beyond a joke. I even had one car flash me as I came past presumably because he wasn't happy with my speed but I'm sorry you shouldn't be doing 65 sat in lane 3 of a 4 lane motorway. Same story on the M1 yesterday 

 

It's not just the incredibly poor lane control but also the belief that those doing it are correct and everyone else are idiots and/or law breakers.

[unburntfuelinthemorning]

Another issue on all dual carriageways is that lorries are driving at or very close to 56 mph with their speedometers showing 56 mph.

 

So many car drivers drive with the speedo needle at 68 mph (because they don't want to speed) but are only actually doing something like 64 mph so with an 8 mph difference over the lorries it takes ages to pass them.

 

If car speedos were as acurate as the ones in lorries it would help.

 

You can always tell in an average speed check zone who is driving by the speedo and who is using GPS to monitor their speed.

 

60 mph average speed check zones are great because you get the lorries doing 56 mph and a lot of car drivers keeping the needle under 60 but only really doing 55 with a 44 tonne lorry in their boot.  It's all so well thought out.

Edited by unburntfuelinthemorning, 25 April 2019 - 12:08 PM.

[unburntfuelinthemorning]

Sometimes adding a fourth lane to a motorway makes little difference as the lorries use lanes 1, 2 and 3 to overtake each other so you end up with a constant stream of cars in lane 4 trying to get past them, some cars in lane 3 and very few in 2 and 1.

 

Restricting the lorries to lanes 1 and 2 could make a difference here, they can still overtake each other but without clogging up the motorway.

[unburntfuelinthemorning]

 

Got to totally agree smart motorways are useless, it's just a cheap way of making an extra lane 

 

Yea but when you drive down any motorway you realise quite how many bridges there are over the sodding thing, most if not all are wide enough to accommodate another lane (while keeping the hard shoulder)

 

Smart Motorways aren't just a cheap way of making another lane, it's usually the only way of making another lane.

Otherwise you're looking at costs into the many billions to do just one motorway in the country.

 

You could have a hard shoulder in between the bridges.  At least then 90% of the road would still have one then.

 

Motorways were never meant to be cheap.

 

We're the ninth richest country in the world.  Shouldn't be a problem.  Where's all our money going?

Edited by unburntfuelinthemorning, 25 April 2019 - 12:20 PM.

[jonlad]

Sometimes adding a fourth lane to a motorway makes little difference as the lorries use lanes 1, 2 and 3 to overtake each other so you end up with a constant stream of cars in lane 4 trying to get past them

 

THIS!!!   I think you are spot on!

 

They've recently opened a smart section of motorway that I use every weekday on the way to work and back. I was hopeful that it'd make a difference to the traffic, but not so, there are just 3 lanes of trucks overtaking each other.

 

I used it at the weekend for a change and the trucks from lanes 2 and 3 were replaced with the aforementioned lane hoggers.

 

Frustration!

[Wiggy]

Most motorways were originally built to be widened, with either longer bridges or large verges in the middle. Trouble is that this widening has already taken place.

Widening existing routes isn't really the answer anymore. Route redundancy via different roads is needed.

The A329(M) for example, is the tiny bit of the originally planned route to cut the West side off the M25. Motorway is a dirty word now, and it's really hard politically, socially and environmentally to build new ones.

[mab01uk]

The biggest issue with motorways is still a very poor standard of lane control.

 

Usually nice to drive on French motorways where lane discipline is much better than in UK even on their two lane motorways, most drivers pull over as soon as there is space to do so after overtaking. Their worst habit however is driving too close to the vehicle in front and tailgating.......

Motorway tolls in France (no road tax) also means the money is spent on maintaining the Autoroutes and providing good service areas for motorists to stop at regular intervals!

Edited by mab01uk, 25 April 2019 - 06:57 PM.

[r3k1355]

 

 

They've recently opened a smart section of motorway that I use every weekday on the way to work and back. I was hopeful that it'd make a difference to the traffic, but not so, there are just 3 lanes of trucks overtaking each other.

 

 

 

 

Give them a good honk as you pass, they've no good reason for having a HGV in the third lane of a motorway.

[rich_959]

 

The biggest issue with motorways is still a very poor standard of lane control.

 

Usually nice to drive on French motorways where lane discipline is much better than in UK even on their two lane motorways, most drivers pull over as soon as there is space to do so after overtaking. Their worst habit however is driving too close to the vehicle in front and tailgating.......

Motorway tolls in France (no road tax) also means the money is spent on maintaining the Autoroutes and providing good service areas for motorists to stop at regular intervals!

 

 

+1 for this. I'm just back from around 1300 miles of driving to the south of France and back. Very enjoyable drive. Lane discipline good and not too busy due to most local folk doing their best to avoid the tolls. Tailgating is an issue sometimes while you're passing slower than the person behind likes but that's manageable. 

 

Only trouble is I had two speeding fines to pay when I got back (only 45 euros each, not the end of the world) but I guess that means it's true, they've finally started chasing them up. Previous trips I've flashed cameras (only just over the 110 or 130kph limits I must add) and never received anything. 

[r3k1355]

Thats been the case for a while now, you don't have to pay, but if you take the same car out on the continent again you might have an uncomfortable conversation with a copper.

[unburntfuelinthemorning]

A BBC story on the subject:

 

https://www.bbc.co.u...ngland-48783615

 

The man in charge of the East Midlands for Highways England says the hard shoulder was not a "hospitable" place to be and smart motorways were "as safe, if not safer" without them.

 

The AA, the police and anyone with an ounce of common sense disagrees but what do they know eh!