New smart motorways see rise in serious collisions

Some not long ago upgraded wise motorways have noticed a rise in severe collisions because being done.

A freshly posted report from Highways England covering eight new wise motorways demonstrates that four saw severe collisions go up in their first yr because being done.

Stretches of highway that saw rises in severe collisions – which Highways England describes as “one in which at least one particular particular person is seriously wounded but no particular person (other than a confirmed suicide) is killed” – include the M25 (junctions five to 7 and 23 to 27), the M1 (junctions 39 to forty two), the M6 (junctions 10A to thirteen)

In spite of this, fatal collisions lessened on 6 of the eight wise motorways, as did slight collisions. Fatal collisions remained at zero on one particular highway.

Nicholas Lyes, head of roadways plan at the RAC, identified as the stats “very concerning”, telling the New Civil Engineer, which analysed the report: “The conclusions won’t be a surprise to the the vast majority of motorists who imagine the elimination of the tough shoulder compromises protection in the party of a breakdown.”

Sensible motorways: breakdowns cause a month’s value of lane closures

The news that dymanic wise motorways will be shut down will come after exploration found out that broken-down automobiles brought on wise motorway lanes to be closed for extra than a thirty day period above a two-yr period.

From August 2017 to Oct 2019, motorway lanes were closed for 945 hours – equivalent to 39 days – in between Junction 2 and Junction 4a of the M3 due to automobiles breaking down in a live lane, according to a Freedom of Data ask for to Highways England created by the AA.

There were a full of 2,227 breakdowns on the stretch of all-lane working (ALR) wise motorways all through the two-yr period, with each and every one particular closing a lane for an average of 25 minutes.

About the exact period, there were 318 hours of delays brought on by 271 traffic collisions, with lanes being closed for an average of one particular hour and ten minutes each and every time.

Other issues – such as obstructions, infrastructure problems and fires – contributed to a full of 2,802 incidents above the two-yr period and saw motorway lanes shut for a full of 1,451 hours – or sixty days.

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

Strengthening highway protection was not a “main intention” when wise motorways were first released, according to a report made in 2012 by the Highways Agency – Highways England’s predecessor – which deemed the provision of further unexpected emergency refuge regions (ERAs) bordering a fatality hotspot on the M1 north of Nottingham.

The doc stated: “The main plans for the scheme do not include increasing protection and the highway consumer protection objective is to ensure that the scheme is no a lot less safe than the protection baseline.”

The AA, which uncovered the doc, criticised this intention for being “unambitious and complacent”.

The report demonstrates the Highways Agency realized there was a risk that the selection of automobiles stopping in live lanes would enhance, and established out two selections to mitigate this. The first would have noticed the selection of ERAs on the stretch of highway improved from eight to ten and an average spacing of 1,543 metres, at a charge of in between £0.35m and £0.7m.

The 2nd choice was to enhance the selection of ERAs to 14 and an average spacing of 1,304 metres, costing £1m to £2m. The report claimed either of these selections would consequence in a “small web lower in risk to highway users”, but in spite of this no motion was taken.

With an average of 2,five hundred metres spacing, the Highways Agency believed in between 25.ninety nine per cent and 26.1 per cent breakdowns would arise in live lanes in fact, the existing level on these kinds of stretches is as substantial as 38 per cent.

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

Unique: Sensible motorway velocity cameras offer sixty-2nd grace period

Drivers working with wise motorways have sixty seconds to minimize their velocity after a reduction in the variable velocity limit is shown on the overhead gantries, Car Categorical can reveal. Following the one particular-moment grace period, velocity cameras start enforcement at the new signposted limit.

Responding to a Freedom of Data (FoI) ask for, Highways England – the Authorities-owned business that runs England’s Strategic Highway Network of motorways and significant A roadways – confirmed that motorists are provided a one particular-moment grace period.

“Following a modify in the velocity shown by alerts there is a sixty-2nd ‘grace period’ right before HADECS3 cameras start enforcement, offering time for motorists to adapt to the new required velocity limit, specially when velocity boundaries are reduced due to sluggish-transferring or queuing traffic up ahead,” the organisation claimed. “This gives motorists time to sluggish down and lessens the need for braking sharply.”

Sensible motorways have a default velocity limit of 70mph, but Highways England is capable to decrease the limit to sixty, 50 or 40mph when operatives deem it essential. When this occurs, the new limit is shown on overhead gantries and enforced by HADECS3 velocity cameras, in some cases referred to colloquially as “stealth” cameras due to their being smaller, gray units that are considerably tougher to location than that more substantial yellow Gatso and Truvelo cameras utilized somewhere else.

Sensible motorways: breakdown restoration companies won’t stop for automobiles in closed ‘red X’ lanes

Recovery companies are not allowed to stop and support motorists whose automobiles have broken down on wise motorway lanes that have been closed with ‘red X’ indicators. As a substitute, staff members from companies like the AA, Environmentally friendly Flag and RAC need to hold out for law enforcement or Highways England automobiles to physically shut the lane or tow the vehicle to a refuge space, according to formal direction.

The ‘best observe guidelines’ from the Survive Group – formed of senior law enforcement officers, Highways England and all significant restoration companies – suggests breakdown operatives ought to “Never perform in a live lane of a motorway lane until the lane has been closed by a Law enforcement vehicle, HE [Highways England] Targeted traffic Officer vehicle or Impact Safety Car…Do not count on a pink X closure indicator.”

Although it is illegal to push in closed ‘red X’ lanes, 180,000 motorists acquired warning letters in the eighteen months in between 2017 and summer 2018 for the offence – which is now enforced by cameras and final results in 3 penalty points and a £100 fantastic. 

The news follows a damning Highways England report being unearthed by the AA, which identified breaking down in the live lane of a wise motorway all through off-peak hours is 216 per cent extra unsafe than executing so on a common motorway.

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