7 Do Ineedtoridedifferentlyon a smartmotorway?No — just ride normallybutpayattentiontothe
gantries: observethevariablespeedlimits;and
check when the hardshoulderisinuse(if
there’s an X aboveit,don’tuseit;if there’san
arrow pointing atit ora speedindicationabove
it, you can). If trafficslowsrightdown,it’sstill
legal to filter on asmartmotorway,thoughthe
usual notes of cautionapply.
Highways Englandsaid:“Smart
motorwaysaregoodforroadusers:
they add extralanesgivingextra
space so more people can travel; they
use technology which makes journeys
more reliable; and evidence proves
they are as safe as traditional
motorways, which are already among
the safest roads in the world... Forfutureschemeswe willbereducing
themaximumspacebetween
emergencyareastoaroundonemile,
where practical. All of this is being
done to help road users feel safer.”
Edmund King, AA president, takes a
slightly different view: “The first
‘smart’ motorway was deemed to be
relatively safe, with emergency refugeWhat do bikers think?
RiDEreaderstellusabouttheirsmart-motorwayexperiencesWhat the experts say
RiDE asked Highways England and the AA for their views’In theory; a
good idea...’
“In theory; a good
idea to help
maintain a more constant flow
of traffic. In reality though: loss
of hard shoulder is a fatality
waiting to happen; the use of
signage is appalling, with lanes
closed or opened miles before
or after necessary.
AdrianWilliams’My bike was
within inches of
fast-moving
traffic’
“I got a puncture on a smart
motorway and the scariest
thing after coming off was the
fact my bike was parked within
inches of the fast-moving
traffic. Then when the tow truck
arrived, it had to park half on
the slow lane.”
MichaelPerry’I slid into
one of the
emergency
refuges’
“A mechanical malfunction
resulted in me parting company
with my bike. I slid into one of
the occasional refuges — I dread
to think what would have
happened if I’d been between
refuges. I’d prefer hard
shoulders to be left as hard
shoulders; I appreciate the
additional safety they provide.”
Graham Heath‘They’re more
dangerous’
“Some people alter
speed immediately
the signs change, catching out
others who react more slowly.
You can get one reading 60 and
the next one 40 and the
following one, 50. The operators
should also be liable if poor use
of signs causes an accident.
Camera footage should be
made available to all parties, to
ensure a just use of these
systems.”JohnIreland‘They don’t
work’
“They give people
who don’t know
how to move left the ‘right’ to
stay in the right lane because
the display states they’re doing
to correct limit. I see more lanes
shut for no reason; I saw one
like this for miles, only to have
another with a broken down
lorry in it, with no closure.”
SammyBall’They give
you more
information’
“I have no issues
with them: I don’t feel safer or
feel they are any more
dangerous than normal
motorways. If anything, they
give you more information
about the dangers on the road
ahead, so I welcome them.
Elwyn Jonesareas every 600-800m. Then the
goalposts were moved without any
consultation and spacing between
ERAs was increased. From the
outset the AA — and others from
motoring organisations and
emergency services — raised
concerns about this. I have listened
to calls from drivers stranded in live
motorway lanes and it is not an
experience I would like to encounter.
The situation for motorbike riders is
even more critical.”