We are getting asked a lot (I’m even getting stopped in the street now) “how can we help” “how can we be a part of this” Please see this leaflet below for some suggestions and the following link can be use to help with finding your mp’s and Grant Shapps contact details
https://members.parliament.uk/members/Commons
I have just driven back from East Anglia to the North West so a large part of the journey was on fast roads and motorway. The thought of anything going wrong with the car and having nowhere to go is actually very frightening. It makes us a sitting target for traffic behind. This system needs stopping and reverting to the presence of a hard shoulder as soon as possible or more tragedies will happen. What are these maniacs doing to make travel more dangerous in a world of faster more powerful cars and less concentration on safe road conduct? It’s insanity.
So many people tell us now that they avoid using motorways, even for long journeys, so these smart motorways are just pushing more traffic onto the A roads
I have e-mailed Grant Shapps and Disabled Motoring UK regarding how dangerous Smart Motorways are and not one of them could convince me otherwise. I had a letter published in the mail about disabled people and smart motorways, indeed the editor told me that he hadn’t even thought of the disabled travelling on one and published my letter.
I asked how with our severely disabled daughter in the back of the car in her wheelchair and we break down on either lane of a smart motorway would we be able to get out of the car and get to any kind of safety when she has to leave the car from the back door with a ramp and most verges have barriers that you have to climb over anyway which is impossible for my daughter to do. Staying in the car is just as dangerous if not more so, so what would we do hope that no one hits us and keep our fingers crossed.
My husband will not use one when my daughter is in the car he maps a route out every time we travel to avoid a smart motorway.
They are dangerous and too many people have been killed on them already.
I was absolutely horrified to find that the Chairman Mr Alan Norton of Disabled Motoring UK said that ALR motorways are a good thing for disabled drivers. He needs to look again at the death toll of these motorways and then see what he thinks and change his mind very quickly.
I cannot get my head around how ANYBODY can say these motorways are good for anyone let alone the disabled.
Hi Isabella
I’m sorry smart motorways have been such a curse on you. It terrifies me as my dad had a specially adapted car, which he could drive from his powered wheelchair, but to get out he would have to reverse through the car in his chair, lower a ramp, go down the ramp and then as you say not be able to get over any kerbs, never mind a barrier! we wouldn’t have stood a chance!
I tried to engage with Disabled Motoring and got told “We are currently already talking to Highways England, Transport Focus and DfT regarding the issues that have been raised by our membership in regards to their concerns of smart”
They are like the RAC and AA they have let down there members by sitting on the fence about such a dangerous topic!
Regards Claire