Hard shoulder opens to ease traffic

12 April 2012

Motorists will be able to drive on the hard shoulder of one of the busiest stretches of motorway in Britain in a bid to ease congestion.

Drivers will be directed to use the hard shoulder during peak times on an 11-mile stretch of the M42 south-east of Birmingham, the Highways Agency said.

The scheme will allow operators to open and close individual lanes, including the hard shoulder, between junctions 3A and 7 in the West Midlands.

A red cross over the hard shoulder will tell drivers when the lane is closed, while a 50mph speed limit warning will indicate when the lane is in use. The speed limit for all lanes will be reduced to 50mph when the hard shoulder is in use.

The Highways Agency said signs on gantries could be changed within seconds if controllers spotted a broken-down car, warning drivers of a hazard ahead and telling them to leave the hard shoulder. Drivers in difficulties would be able to pull into new lay-bys.

A spokesman for the agency said the new scheme was an alternative to widening motorways in a bid to ease congestion and manage traffic incidents.

Roads minister Stephen Ladyman said: "This scheme is an important part of a package of measures the Highways Agency is using to cut congestion in the West Midlands. This flexible approach to opening and closing all motorway lanes, including the hard shoulder, to manage traffic shows how innovation and the latest technology can be used to cut congestion."

The scheme was trialled between August 29 and September 7 so control room operators could familiarise themselves with the new system prior to its official switch-on.

Meanwhile, safety campaigners sounded a note of caution over the scheme.

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) said the system had yet to prove itself and expressed concerns about access for emergency services and the safety of motorists who broke down.

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