Stopping on the hard shoulder

pendulum

LittleMissAspie wrote: »

I don't see how stopping at the end of a slip road is any different to joining a motorway from a non-slip road.

This is an alarming post if you hold a driver's licence.

Joining a motorway from a non-sliproad, you say? Sliproads tend to be the only way on or off a motorway. Give-way junctions, which you may be thinking of, can be found on dual carriageways. Hopefully you know the difference.

Now for the explanation. On a sliproad, people are looking in their right wingmirror and sometimes over their shoulder whilst planning their merge. In other words, they are not looking ahead whilst travelling at high speed. If you stop unexpectedly on the sliproad and they don't see you, it's a huge accident. Plus, it makes it much harder to merge, because if you couldn't manage it safely whilst moving, you have even less chance from stationary.

I agree stopping on the sliproad is the worst idea ever.

Happytohelp's advice to drive on the hard shoulder wasn't technically correct according to the law but it is in my opinion the safer option to stopping.

Scooby_Doo.

pendulum wrote: »

This is an alarming post if you hold a driver's licence.

Joining a motorway from a non-sliproad, you say? Sliproads tend to be the only way on or off a motorway. Give-way junctions, which you may be thinking of, can be found on dual carriageways. Hopefully you know the difference.

Now for the explanation. On a sliproad, people are looking in their right wingmirror and sometimes over their shoulder whilst planning their merge. In other words, they are not looking ahead whilst travelling at high speed. If you stop unexpectedly on the sliproad and they don't see you, it's a huge accident. Plus, it makes it much harder to merge, because if you couldn't manage it safely whilst moving, you have even less chance from stationary.

I agree stopping on the sliproad is the worst idea ever.

Happytohelp's advice to drive on the hard shoulder wasn't technically correct according to the law but it is in my opinion the safer option to stopping.

Doesn't the M45 start at a roundabout?
The only other way I can thing of is when an A road becomes a motorway.

gazebo

what happens in the case of the M8 around Glasgow south where they have turned the hard shoulder into a new lane? traffic entering from the slip road is driving on the old hard shoulder - thus nowhere really to stop, and folk can still be belting up in that lane.

Not so safe

pendulum

Scooby_Doo. wrote: »

Doesn't the M45 start at a roundabout?

I did say a sliproad 'tends' to be the only way on or off, not that a sliproad is the only way on or off. There will be a few exceptions.

ChiefGrasscutter

Here is my example.
A34 dual carriageway near/south of Oxford - very busy at time, no hard shoulder, all junctions enter and leave by slip roads.
Now the catch..... where the joining slip road ends it really does end, in one case with a bridge parapet.
So you have only two options
1. barge in to the traffic and cause chaos/horns blarring etc and my have I seen some near misses.
2 stop at the end of the slip road.

I do option (1) most of the time except where there is a 40 tonner in lane one who won't/can't move over and I figure I'm the one who is going to get squashed at the end of the acceleration lane - so I do (2) - as do many others. Finding a car stationary at the end of a slip road is a local known hazard - made worse as the acceleleration lane/slip road is really too short in some cases to match speeds

m1974m

Happytohelp wrote: »

On a serious note, if you do have to stop on the hard shoulder, please take care when rejoining the motorway. I recently witnessed an appalling piece of driving when a motorist attempted to drive from the hard shoulder into lane one of the motorway from a standing start.

When setting off, use the empty hard shoulder to gradually build up speed (in the same way you would use an entry sliproad) and when you are travelling at a reasonable speed, indicate and safely move into lane one to continue your journey.

Whilst I am on the subject, if you are joining the motorway from an entry sliproad and your access to lane one is blocked, do not brake and stop at the end of the slip road. If you run out of sliproad and it is safe to do so, maintain your speed and continue onto the hard shoulder. Join the motorway as soon as you are able to safely move into lane one.

What do you do if your access to lane one is blocked AND another car has stopped on the hard shoulder (broken down in emergency) preventing your passage along the hard shoulder?

DCFC79

daveyjp wrote: »

If the car runs get off the motorway - stopping because a child wants a wee puts everyone in danger and I'm sure all traffic cops have given stern talkings to and tickets to drivers because of it, but some people are born stupid.

if they're born stupid should they be allowed on the roads

Happytohelp

Mark_Hewitt wrote: »

It's rare that a post on a forum can be so dangerously wrong as this one. In fact it should probably be deleted by the moderators as someone following it could find themselves in serious trouble, and not just with the authorities.

Okay Mark and others, here is the scenario. You are joining the motorway from the entry slip road. When you are almost at the end of the slip road the car in front of you brakes suddenly causing you to make an emergency stop. The car in front then joins the free-flowing motorway from a standing start where traffic is moving at speeds of upto 70 mph. Thankfully other drivers take evasive action and a collision is narrowly avoided.

You are now stationary at the end of the entry slip road. You have two options. Do you:

a) copy the car in front of you and join the motorway from a standing start, hoping that you also will be lucky enough to avoid an accident?

or

b) if it is safe to do so and the hard shoulder in front of you is clear, use the hard shoulder as a surrogate slip road to quickly build up matching speed, indicate and safely join the free-flowing traffic in lane one?

I would go for option 'b' every time.

The original reason for my post was to pass on the following advice:

If you do have to stop on the hard shoulder, please take care when rejoining the motorway. I recently witnessed an appalling piece of driving when a motorist attempted to drive from the hard shoulder into lane one of the motorway from a standing start.

When setting off, use the empty hard shoulder to gradually build up matching speed (in the same way you would use an entry sliproad) indicate and safely move into lane one to continue your journey.

As pointed out by rev henry on this thread, it is the same advice given by the police:

"On motorway cops a few months ago I saw the police pulling someone over for some form of bad driving. They told him to continue to the next junction where they would sort it out and clearly said to build up speed before pulling into lane 1. He promptly pulled straight out in front of a lorry, almost causing it to jacknife. Needless to say they reported him for this as well when they spoke to him properly after - he still wouldn't accept what he had done wrong."

diable

mikey72 wrote: »

Before seat belts, you could just stand up and go out of the window.

As my mate did and fell out of the parents Morris Minor did on the A40 over 40 years ago ......

ShaneUK

davidjwest wrote: »

I've seen two people in the last two days on the hard shoulder of the A1M to allow their young children have a wee!

That is nothing!

Last year, during a particularly bad weather spell I witnessed literally dozens of people going for a wee at various times on the M1. To be fair though, traffic was at a standstill, and at one point we moved I think it was half a mile in about two hours. (The whole journey should have been about 3-4 hours and took ten!)