In nearly 5 years of campaigning Smart Motorways Kill have received vast quantities of contacts from the public, via social media, messages and emails. Describing the effect the removal of the hard shoulder has had on their lives. From worrying about “who to grab first” in the event of a breakdown to feeling discriminated against due to being disabled, the strength of feeling and number of messages has only increased over the years.
Now a 2 year span of these messages from people who are angry, let down and sometime scared, injured and/or bereaved have been collated and organised into categories for display.
Tellingly the section roughly grouped as “The government don’t care” is one of the largest sections.
DATE AND LOCATION TBC, WHEN I’VE FOUND A VENUE 3 LENTHS OF A FOOTBALL PITCH!
I have driven on most of the so called smart motorways, and am extremely anxious until I get to the end of each stretch. Throwing more money and more disruption by adding more refuges is a complete waste and no solution. Also, driving much at night it appears lighting is also removed during the so called upgrades. How is this sensible. On my local M27 the lights were converted to LED to save energy, then removed when the smart motorway came to be. All a complete shambles.
Smart Motorways/Digital Roads or whatever the government wants to call them, are the dumbest idea since the chocolate teapot! Unfortunately the idiots who agreed to these murder weapons, for that is what they are, will never face punishment for the terrible loss of life and misery, they have been complicit in. Technology can NEVER account for all the stupid ways people find to “justify” failing to think about how they drive their own weapons of destruction!
I cannot ever accept any technological system will ever replace the semi safe haven of the hard shoulder. I call on all those with a brain to to help get these abolished before anyone else has to suffer, or die!
I also suggest we don’t have to have everything the next day, and therefore all “non time critical” (i.e most online shopping), cargo can be transported by rail, or canal. This is a possible way to reduce road traffic, and therefore the need for bigger roads, and it would mean the hgv drivers could lead a much less stressful life, living and working on canal barges and staffing the railways. Road trafic will then flow better and there would be less loss of life on the roads caused by inpatient or aggressive drivers.