Queueing on the hard shoulder - courteous or dangerous?

[whole diary]

[Puffing Billy]

Driving "too slowly" (for which in some situations there may be a reasonable explanation) causes frustration, not danger. I myself have often muttered to myself in frustration when this happens, but just keep my cool and wait for an opportunity to overtake. Anyone who says to themselves "I have to get past right away even if it involves a dangerous manoeuvre" has the wrong mentality.

[JayMac]

Driving too slowly can be dangerous on a Motorway.

[Oxonhutch]

I think this sad case is a tragic example of driving too slowly for the overall motorway conditions.

[LiskeardRich]

I can't recall any legislation in the UK^▸ (United Kingdom), but I know in Republic of Ireland there is a minimum speed limit on their motorways.
I've seen cases of drivers being prosecuted for dangerous driving offences for driving too slowly on the motorway! Watching too much road police documentaries on the TV!

[mjones]

As drivers should be allowing sufficient space between vehicles to allow them to stop safely, and as there may be a very good reason for a vehicle going very slowly, because it has broken down for example, or it is a motorway maintenance vehicle, then going too slowly really shouldn't be an excuse for driving into someone...

[John R]

Going back to the original question, in some places the hard shoulder has been removed for a short distance to provide a safe queuing area. I presume a risk assessment has determined that the risk of having no hard shoulder is outweighed by the safety benefit of getting queuing traffic off the main carriageway.  In answer to the criticism that the slip roads were built too short, in fairness most of our motorways were built 40 or 50 years ago, and I don't think anyone then could have envisaged the volume of traffic that we now have.

Extending slip roads only relieves the symptom, and the better answer is to increase the number of lanes at the head of the slip road (usually a roundabout). By increasing from 2 to 3 then this enables a greater volume of cars to clear the slip road, and stop the queues building up. However, this is often an expensive solution as it will typically mean that the roundabout also needs to be widened.

Finally, the reference to managed motorways reminds me that these have now been renamed smart motorways. The original concept does appear to have been very successful, and safe, but unfortunately the Highways Agency have decided now to roll out an economy version. The main difference is that the hard shoulder is abolished completely, with all lane running 24/7, and no reduced speed limit applying when the additional lane is open (as is always the case with the original version). There are also fewer signal gantries. The police have been very critical and believe the not so smart motorway is much less safe, because of the total lack of a hard shoulder. I have to say, I think it is only a matter of time before someone breaks down and is very quickly hit from behind with tragic consequences.

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Van driver caught doing 19mph on M1 near Hemel Hempstead


Road traffic police said travelling at 19 mph on the motorway "isn't acceptable"

A van driver was caught travelling at 19mph on the M1 in Hertfordshire, police said.

Road traffic officers spotted the vehicle near junction 8 for Hemel Hempstead at about 07:00 BST on Wednesday.

They tweeted a picture and said travelling at that speed on the motorway "isn't acceptable".

Police said they ruled out drink or drugs as a cause and reported the driver for driving without due care.

[ChrisB]

I can't find it right now, but there's an excellent example on YouTube of what happens if you try & join a motorway at slower than the motorway traffic....pulls up alongside a vehicle, tries to pull into the inside lane, and ends up square on to the vehicle having just got in front & being pushed along....onto the hard shoulder eventually....

[Brucey]

The inevitable happened last week, as I was travelling in the opposite direction.

Just after a junction on the M11, there was a minor collision between two vehicles, which slowed down the traffic to an almost stop.  As usual, people were queuing for the junction in the hard shoulder, about 1/2 miles back that day.  Neither the Highways Agency vehicle or a (presumably unrelated) ambulance could pass easily as all the running lanes plus hard shoulder were blocked.

The queuers looks oblivious to what they'd done and reiterates the fact the hard shoulder should not be used for normal driving.

[stuving]

The Highways Agency have published the consultation documents for the M4 smart motorway (J3 to J12). There are also others on their site, including the consultation results for the M3.