Smart Motorways ?

meer53

It can be done safely, most days it is done safely. Just not when there are 4 changes of speed in less than a mile and a half.

Quiet_Spark

meer53 wrote: »

It can be done safely, most days it is done safely. Just not when there are 4 changes of speed in less than a mile and a half.

Most individuals can process that in that kind of distance on their own, however bring another 500 odd people in to the equation at the same time (each with their own differing reaction times and responses to any given set of circumstances) and you can't reliably second guess what everyone else is going to do, hence the need to slow them down.

As I said earlier, if you don't want to sit in a queue of traffic with all the other cagers then buy a bike

meer53

Quiet_Spark wrote: »

Most individuals can process that in that kind of distance on their own, however bring another 500 odd people in to the equation at the same time (each with their own differing reaction times and responses to any given set of circumstances) and you can't reliably second guess what everyone else is going to do, hence the need to slow them down.

As I said earlier, if you don't want to sit in a queue of traffic with all the other cagers then buy a bike

Not much use for the school run i'm afraid

ACG

I went through birmingham last week and there was this smart motorway system in place. Speed limits up and down like a yo yo - my sat nav telling me there were cameras at the ones where the limits dropped....

Appreciate there are limits and they need to be enforced but you have to wonder if thats a way of enforcing the limit or paying for the smart motorway - I wasnt speeding so im not bothered either way but I cant help but think its a bit of way of generating revenue... there were still endless queues at quarter to 5 so im not sure it was doing a fantastic job either.

arcon5

So a reduction in speed limit creates stationary traffic?

Or perhaps, the reduction in lane numbers was creating a bit of a bottle neck and becoming hazardous at high speeds so speed was controlled to prevent the risk created and the risk of rear end collisions as traffic merged!

Draugeb

I frequently used to drive on that stretch of the M62, the flow of traffic has been infinitely better since the smart motorway was opened. Can't explain the stationary traffic, but I have never seen that caused by the varying speed limits myself.

Joe_Horner

ACG wrote: »

I went through birmingham last week and there was this smart motorway system in place. Speed limits up and down like a yo yo - my sat nav telling me there were cameras at the ones where the limits dropped....

Appreciate there are limits and they need to be enforced but you have to wonder if thats a way of enforcing the limit or paying for the smart motorway - I wasnt speeding so im not bothered either way but I cant help but think its a bit of way of generating revenue... there were still endless queues at quarter to 5 so im not sure it was doing a fantastic job either.

Drive that section of the M6 fairly regularly. Also used to regularly take anything up to an hour to get from Jn 10a (the M54) to Jn 8 (the M5). Most of that time was spent sitting still.

Since the variables came into use I haven't been stopped dead once, and it never takes more than about 15 - 20 minutes to get between those junctions.

As for the cameras, they need to have them there or no-one would take any notice of the variable speeds

ChumpusRex

Agree with the benefits of these managed motorways.

I do a ton of driving up through M6/M42 around Birmingham and a bit less along the M62. The variable speed limits and lane control have worked miracles in improving throughput.

mcpitman

OP - kind of agree that changing the limit so many times could be annoying.

However, as everyone else has said, I find the variable speed limits really beneficial to travel times whenever I have used them.

In addition they do lower your speed, but you naturally keep it constant at that speed, which saves fuel etc.

I pulled nearly 60mpg over a week in a 2 ton diesel car going from derby to Gloucester on the M42, M6, M5. Much if this due to the lowered restrictions on the managed motorways and the roadworks on the M5.

hollie.weimeraner

meer53 wrote: »

It did create stationary traffic, i didn't imagine it.

The stationary traffic was caused by 6 lanes of traffic merging into 3 at Jct 27 and a sudden slow down from 70 to 60 to 50 to 40 within half a mile causing chaos. Halfway down the hill i was able to use the hard shoulder but at my exit, the limit went back up to 70 ! It made no sense at all.

I have no objections to slower speeds where there has been an incident or bad weather conditions. In yesterdays case there was neither.

I would suggest the stationary traffic was due to volumes merging from 6 lanes to 3 lanes therefore your "fictitious" incident was actually volume of traffic which generally causes stop start traffic on motorways as the idiots think they should be able to drive at 70 just because that is what the speed limit is. Smart motorways smooth this out by reducing the speed limit therefore causing less of the stop start.

You were able to resume at 70 after the junction because the traffic then sorts itself out and becomes normal.