‘For every 10 minutes spent on the hard shoulder your life expectancy reduces by 30%’. Taking the statistic literally by removing the hard shoulder then here is no statistic for survival.

Another contribution from someone that knows how dangerous a smart motorways is:

I have worked in the recovery industry for over 12 years. No road is safe, particularly when there is no refuge area.

The ‘Hard Shoulder’ is an essential part of any motorway. During my induction training a statistic was quoted: ‘For every 10 minutes spent on the hard shoulder your life expectancy reduces by 30%’. Taking the statistic literally by removing the hard shoulder then here is no statistic for survival.

I would liken a motorway with a hard shoulder to facing a loaded gun. So long as the trigger is not pulled then there is an element of safety. On a ‘Smart Motorway’ the trigger of the loaded gun is potentially being squeezed the very moment your vehicle has a fault. However, bullets are generally relatively small high velocity projectiles. Vehicles on a motorway maybe travelling at a reduced speed but with far greater mass. I would not like to take my chances against a speeding bullet! Much less my chances against 1.5 tonnes to 44 tonnes of a moving vehicle.

Putting total faith in human nature and reaction times is perilous at best! Our eye is not always on the ball. We err by default. Not every driver will adhere to the rules of motorway driving.

On numerous occasions I have passed or been passed by vehicles continuing along closed lanes.
The implementation of a ‘Red Cross’ prohibiting use of a lane or lanes is absolutely no guarantee of 100% driver compliance. From what I have observed from over thirty years of driving there is very little ‘Inappropriate Use’ of the hard shoulder. I would suggest the majority of motorway users are law abiding and respectful. In the same way drink driving is unacceptable, however there is always a number of drivers that will buck the system.

Hard shoulders are as safe as they can be. Allowing for the ‘Chaos Factor’ that is human nature and all its failings! Remove the hard shoulder and remove all elements of safety.
Just a few weeks into 2020. A wonderful age of technical advancement. An age of progress and achievement. An age of enlightenment and understanding. An age of political correctness, tolerance, compassion and empathy. And not least ‘Health and Safety’!

So why is it that every life now has a price? Just a passing glance at the motorway construction workers should reassure us of how important ‘Health and Safety’ is. Reduced and average speed limits. Lots of flashing beacons. Hi-Vis ppe. Barriers, warning signs. Height restrictions, width and weight, advice on safe working loads. What measures are in place for the average motorist? Whilst these ‘Smart Motorways’ are under construction there are no ‘ERA’s’ (Emergency refuge areas). There is no safe haven!

The companies recruited to provide free recovery during these ‘Motorway Upgrades’ use a fend off vehicle to give protection to the motorist and recovery vehicle. Does this not highlight how unsafe a ‘Smart Motorway’ is! The ‘ERA’s’ provided (should you be fortunate enough to reach one) only allows enough space to accommodate two vehicles of light commercial size or less. Often articulated HGV’s experience trailer tyre and brake related issues.

Where is this factored into the safe working of a smart motorway?

Reliance on camera operators (professional and dedicated as they are) begs the question of human nature and physical limitations. 17 minutes is an average response time for the implementation of a lane closure. Factor in poor weather conditions, heavy rain, thick fog!

Greater reliance on technology has become the way of life for all motorists. Vehicles are generally reliable. Engine management systems designed to minimise emissions and maximise performance can and do frequently slow or stop a vehicle with little or no warning.
The unpredictability of an engine management system to effectively render a moving vehicle vulnerable, for me cast doubt on any automated system. ‘Limp Mode’ whilst significantly reducing potential damage to the internal working of a vehicle does little or nothing to enhance driver safety, particularly on a fast moving motorway with no immediately accessible ERA or hard shoulder.

With the expectation of technology to be 100% foolproof and fail-safe does not reassure or generate any confidence within me. The whole essence of health and safety is to provide each and every one a basic level of protection. We cannot foresee every potential harmful event, but we can legislate for prevention and reduction.

One example of this is the change in how working at height is perceived. 2 meters and above ground level was considered to working at height. We are more enlightened now, realising at any level there are height factors. Facing down a slope, looking into a hole, standing on a single sheet of paper. As humans we are all different shapes and sizes, so each of us has a differing personal perspective of what constitutes a potential hazard. In as much that standing on a single sheet of paper is officially recognised as constituting a hazard.

Then why is the removal of hard shoulders on a motorway considered acceptable?

There is no interpretation of the word SMART that can be applied to “Smart Motorways”!
Highways England by continuing to promote the use and construction of smart motorways are signing a death warrant to each and all of us! The technology used to observe and manage traffic flow when applied effectively gets my wholehearted support. Applied effectively in conjunction with a hard shoulder! Massaging traffic flow through the use of variable speed limits has proved effective.

The major issue in motorway traffic flow that needs to be addressed are junctions. Vehicles exiting and entering a motorway. By removing the hard shoulder and filling it with traffic only compounds the situation. By increasing the number vehicles on a motorway obviously effects the rate of entry and exit. Simply creating a bottleneck scenario.

Now that the hard shoulder has been removed this severely effects the emergency services capability of attending an incident. Not content with removing the safety net, the emergency services are severely compromised.

Kind regards Christopher Frost

(Roadside and Recovery)

Southampton