New smart motorways see rise in serious collisions

Some not too long ago upgraded sensible motorways have found a rise in really serious collisions due to the fact getting done.

A newly published report from Highways England covering 8 new sensible motorways shows that four observed really serious collisions go up in their very first calendar year due to the fact getting done.

Stretches of road that observed rises in really serious collisions – which Highways England describes as “one in which at minimum one individual is seriously wounded but no individual (other than a verified suicide) is killed” – include things like the M25 (junctions 5 to 7 and 23 to 27), the M1 (junctions 39 to forty two), the M6 (junctions 10A to 13)

In spite of this, deadly collisions lowered on six of the 8 sensible motorways, as did slight collisions. Deadly collisions remained at zero on one road.

Nicholas Lyes, head of roadways coverage at the RAC, named the figures “very concerning”, telling the New Civil Engineer, which analysed the report: “The results won’t be a shock to the the greater part of motorists who imagine the removal of the tough shoulder compromises protection in the function of a breakdown.”

Smart motorways: breakdowns cause a month’s really worth of lane closures

The information that dymanic sensible motorways will be shut down comes right after investigation found out that damaged-down vehicles induced sensible motorway lanes to be shut for extra than a thirty day period around a two-calendar year period of time.

From August 2017 to Oct 2019, motorway lanes were shut for 945 hours – equal to 39 times – between Junction two and Junction 4a of the M3 owing to vehicles breaking down in a dwell lane, in accordance to a Freedom of Info request to Highways England designed by the AA.

There were a total of two,227 breakdowns on the extend of all-lane managing (ALR) sensible motorways all through the two-calendar year period of time, with every one closing a lane for an normal of twenty five minutes.

About the exact same period of time, there were 318 hours of delays induced by 271 targeted visitors collisions, with lanes getting shut for an normal of one hour and 10 minutes every time.

Other difficulties – including obstructions, infrastructure flaws and fires – contributed to a total of two,802 incidents around the two-calendar year period of time and observed motorway lanes near for a total of one,451 hours – or sixty times.

Strengthening protection was not a “primary goal” for sensible motorways, files reveal

Strengthening road protection was not a “main target” when sensible motorways were very first introduced, in accordance to a report developed in 2012 by the Highways Company – Highways England’s predecessor – which regarded the provision of additional emergency refuge parts (ERAs) encompassing a fatality hotspot on the M1 north of Nottingham.

The document stated: “The main objectives for the scheme do not include things like improving upon protection and the road user protection goal is to be certain that the scheme is no a lot less safe than the protection baseline.”

The AA, which uncovered the document, criticised this target for getting “unambitious and complacent”.

The report shows the Highways Company knew there was a possibility that the quantity of vehicles stopping in dwell lanes would raise, and set out two alternatives to mitigate this. The very first would have found the quantity of ERAs on the extend of road increased from 8 to 10 and an normal spacing of one,543 metres, at a expense of between £0.35m and £0.7m.

The next selection was to raise the quantity of ERAs to 14 and an normal spacing of one,304 metres, costing £1m to £2m. The
report explained both of these alternatives would outcome in a “small net lower in possibility to road users”, but in spite of this no action was taken.

With an normal of two,five hundred metres spacing, the Highways Company estimated between twenty five.ninety nine for each cent and 26.one for each cent breakdowns would arise in dwell lanes in reality, the present price on this kind of stretches is as significant as 38 for each cent.

In accordance to the AA, there were 5 fatalities on the sixteen-mile extend of the M1 between junctions thirty and 35a from September 2018 to December 2019.

Special: Smart motorway speed cameras provide sixty-next grace period of time

Drivers using sensible motorways have sixty seconds to minimize their speed right after a reduction in the variable speed restrict is exhibited on the overhead gantries, Auto Categorical can reveal. Soon after the one-minute grace period of time, speed cameras start off enforcement at the new signposted restrict.

Responding to a Freedom of Info (FoI) request, Highways England – the Government-owned enterprise that operates England’s Strategic Highway Community of motorways and big A roadways – verified that motorists are specified a one-minute grace period of time.

“Following a adjust in the speed exhibited by signals there is a sixty-next ‘grace period’ prior to HADECS3 cameras start off enforcement, giving time for motorists to adapt to the new required speed restrict, specially when speed limitations are lowered owing to sluggish-going or queuing targeted visitors up ahead,” the organisation explained. “This offers motorists time to sluggish down and lessens the need for braking sharply.”

Smart motorways have a default speed restrict of 70mph, but Highways England is able to lessen the restrict to sixty, fifty or 40mph when operatives deem it necessary. When this occurs, the new restrict is exhibited on overhead gantries and enforced by HADECS3 speed cameras, occasionally referred to colloquially as “stealth” cameras owing to their getting smaller, grey models that are much more challenging to place than that greater yellow Gatso and Truvelo cameras used somewhere else.

Smart motorways: breakdown recovery corporations won’t end for vehicles in shut ‘red X’ lanes

Restoration corporations are not permitted to end and aid motorists whose vehicles have damaged down on sensible motorway lanes that have been shut with ‘red X’ indicators. Rather, employees from corporations like the AA, Eco-friendly Flag and RAC need to wait for police or Highways England vehicles to physically near the lane or tow the motor vehicle to a refuge region, in accordance to formal advice.

The ‘best exercise guidelines’ from the Endure Group – shaped of senior police officers, Highways England and all big recovery corporations – suggests breakdown operatives need to “Never do the job in a dwell lane of a motorway lane until the lane has been shut by a Police motor vehicle, HE [Highways England] Website traffic Officer motor vehicle or Impression Security Auto…Do not rely on a red X closure sign.”

While it is unlawful to travel in shut ‘red X’ lanes, a hundred and eighty,000 motorists obtained warning letters in the 18 months between 2017 and summer season 2018 for the offence – which is now enforced by cameras and effects in 3 penalty details and a £100 high-quality. 

The information follows a damning Highways England report getting unearthed by the AA, which found breaking down in the dwell lane of a sensible motorway all through off-peak hours is 216 for each cent extra dangerous than executing so on a common motorway.

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