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Gov.uk
The federal government says it needs to “elevate the bar” on good motorway security, following criticism of the scheme.
Good motorways have been condemned as a result of they don’t at all times have a tough shoulder and drivers who break down may be trapped within the dashing visitors.
The motorways will stay, however dynamic onerous shoulders – which may be opened for visitors in busy durations – are to be scrapped.
Thirty-eight folks have been killed on good motorways within the final 5 years.
A Freedom of Data (FoI) request despatched by the BBC’s Panorama to Highways England revealed that in a single part of the M25, outdoors London, the variety of close to misses had risen 20-fold for the reason that onerous shoulder was eliminated in April 2014.
Within the 5 years earlier than the street was transformed into a sensible motorway, there have been simply 72 close to misses. Within the 5 years after, there have been 1,485.
Jim O’Sullivan, the chief govt of Highways England, mentioned: “Each dying in any street accident is tragic, and we’re decided to do all we are able to to make our roads as protected as potential.”
There are two forms of good motorway within the UK.
The primary is the place the onerous shoulder is opened to visitors when it’s busy. The second is the place the onerous shoulder is open on a regular basis and drivers who break down are inspired to drag into emergency stops.
Saying the plan to enhance good motorway security, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps mentioned: “The general proof reveals that in most methods good motorways are as protected or safer than standard ones. However they don’t seem to be in each approach.”
Along with abolishing the “complicated” dynamic onerous shoulder, the federal government has mentioned it should additionally cut back the space between locations to cease in an emergency to 3 quarters of a mile the place potential.
It says it will imply on future schemes, motorists ought to sometimes attain a cease each 45 seconds at 60mph. The utmost spacing might be one mile.
The federal government’s plan additionally contains measures to:
- Set up 10 further emergency areas on the present M25 good motorway part.
- Making emergency areas extra seen
- Introducing extra visitors indicators giving the space to the subsequent place to cease in an emergency
- Committing £5m to a communications marketing campaign to extend consciousness of how good motorways work
RAC head of roads coverage Nicholas Lyes mentioned it was “welcome” that the federal government had listened to drivers’ issues however added “it stays to be seen if these measures go far sufficient to guard drivers”.
Labour MP Sarah Champion mentioned the proposals didn’t “go far sufficient” and known as on the federal government to revive good motorways “to conventional operation”.
She accused Mr Shapps of “permitting these deadly roads to proceed to function”.
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Meera Naran
Eight-year-old Dev Naran (left) was killed on a sensible motorway when he was on his approach residence from visiting his important in poor health brother (proper).
Good motorways have been launched with the intention of accelerating capability and easing congestion through the use of the onerous shoulder as an additional lane.
However they’ve been criticised by the federal government minister who initially permitted the roll-out in 2010.
Talking to Panorama in January, Sir Mike Penning, who’s not a minister, mentioned he had been misled concerning the dangers of taking away the onerous shoulder.
The Conservative MP mentioned he had agreed to the growth in 2010 after a profitable pilot on the M42 close to Birmingham.
The pilot labored nicely as a result of there have been protected stopping factors for motorists, known as emergency security refuges, on common each 600 metres.
However when the scheme was expanded throughout the nation, the security refuges have been positioned additional aside – on some sections, they’re 2.5 miles aside.
“They’re endangering folks’s lives,” mentioned Sir Mike. “There are folks which are being killed and critically injured on these roads, and it ought to by no means have occurred.”
Responding to his feedback, Highways England mentioned the plans to increase good motorways have been permitted by ministers and that it was working to assemble the information about security.