Smart Motorways

Rob76

Senior Member
Joined
May 13, 2018
Messages
299
Reaction score
192
Location
Coventry, UK
Your Mercedes
S211 E280 CDI Sport
What a wonderful thing it will be when our new smart motorway network is finished!!
The northern M6 section that is complete is a wonderful driving experience; now we have 3 lanes of HGV's doing <60mph!!!!!!!!!

HOW is this progress??????

To realise 1/3 extra capacity of the existing network - HGV's should be limitied to the inside lane during the day: I cant see that the countless millions being poured in will make any difference otherwise??

Rant over
rob
 

daveenty

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 21, 2005
Messages
3,538
Reaction score
2,623
Location
The Frozen North :(
Your Mercedes
2019 AMG S Class Coupe
Whilst agreeing with the principle of waggons being limited to L1, in practice it would never work as they'd be bunched up so tight you'd never be able to access or exit the motorway. Let's face it, they're not known for leaving a 2 second gap. I do however think that they should stick with lanes 1 & 2 though, leaving 3 & 4 for cars to be able to make progress.

Unfortunately this will never happen, so we get the problem as highlighted above. 3 lanes of traffic doing a maximum of 56mph, taking several miles to overtake others doing around 53 - 54, with just 1 lane for cars.

Incidentally, I hate these "All Lane Running" motorways with a passion. One breakdown now causes mayhem, whereas with a hard shoulder it was purely an inconvenience for the unfortunate person in the broken vehicle. Not the safest place to stop but better than our new alternative of a live lane.
 

sl500amgsport

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 25, 2017
Messages
2,061
Reaction score
2,141
Location
Essex
Your Mercedes
SL500 2014
They are only as Smart as the people who designed them and those operating them, not fit for purpose like our MPs.

Mercedes SL500 R231
 

Chrishazle

Senior Member
Joined
May 25, 2009
Messages
4,860
Reaction score
2,606
Location
Nr Ashford, Kent
Your Mercedes
S204 2008 C220CDI Elegance Estate Auto, 2008 R171 Facelift SLK280
I find the size of the pull-off areas ridiculous. You're trying to re-join L1 from this very short refuge area and have no room to accelerate to the 60mph all the L1 traffic is doing. Thankfully I have yet to have to use one, but I feel sorry for anyone that does.
 

John Laidlaw

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 15, 2013
Messages
26,373
Reaction score
9,163
Location
Wirral
Your Mercedes
Land Rover Discovery 4
Plain stupid is what they are really - as is driving in most of this country now :(
 

Blobcat

Moderator
Joined
Feb 8, 2006
Messages
38,787
Reaction score
27,425
Location
Grange Moor
Your Mercedes
R171 SLK280, Smart R451, Land Rover 110 County SW, 997 C2S, R1250 GSA TE 40th, CBR600FP
Plain stupid is what they are really - as is driving in most of this country now :(
I spent a great deal of yesterday in 56 and 56.5 mph queues - gets quite tedious after 4 hours
 

John Laidlaw

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 15, 2013
Messages
26,373
Reaction score
9,163
Location
Wirral
Your Mercedes
Land Rover Discovery 4
I spent a great deal of yesterday in 56 and 56.5 mph queues - gets quite tedious after 4 hours
Don’t envy you that Russel for sure, I don’t do much longer distance driving any more- in saying that I’ve my pilgrimage to Seething coming up soon- joy :rolleyes:
 
OP
R

Rob76

Senior Member
Joined
May 13, 2018
Messages
299
Reaction score
192
Location
Coventry, UK
Your Mercedes
S211 E280 CDI Sport
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #9
I spent a great deal of yesterday in 56 and 56.5 mph queues - gets quite tedious after 4 hours
I have 2 or 3 return trips per week from Birmingham to Liverpool; it makes me angry :(
 

Blobcat

Moderator
Joined
Feb 8, 2006
Messages
38,787
Reaction score
27,425
Location
Grange Moor
Your Mercedes
R171 SLK280, Smart R451, Land Rover 110 County SW, 997 C2S, R1250 GSA TE 40th, CBR600FP
I have 2 or 3 return trips per week from Birmingham to Liverpool; it makes me angry :(
I don't let it bother me these days, I'm driving a car I love so spending time in it is never a hardship :)

I've a 375 mile journey on Monday and looking forward to that already :)
 
OP
R

Rob76

Senior Member
Joined
May 13, 2018
Messages
299
Reaction score
192
Location
Coventry, UK
Your Mercedes
S211 E280 CDI Sport
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #11
I don't let it bother me these days, I'm driving a car I love so spending time in it is never a hardship :)

I've a 375 mile journey on Monday and looking forward to that already :)
If i were in my car - it wouldn't be so bad.....
But at least the transit custom has a fuel card :)
 

DSK

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 31, 2019
Messages
2,188
Reaction score
2,261
Your Mercedes
CLS 320 CDI, S350 Bluetec
I trek from the Midlands to London weekly and then around the M4 and M25 weekdays.

I see why many don't like it but, I think trucks should be restricted to the inner lanes during peak hours.

I just set cruise to 70mph and relax and find that with most doing the same speed, most drivers are more patient and tailgate less etc as the outside 4th lane is empty for the nutters who don't understand how the cameras work and want to tear along.

However now, you get the idiot lane hogs (I travel along it between 9pm-2am regularly as well as peak times) who sit in lane 3 at 60/65mph.... I just stay on the inside lanes and pass on the left provided I do not need to pull out after passing.

Also doing the mega weekly miles, I find the sheer length of the 50mph restrictions seriously fatiguing half the time.
 

jez430

Member
Joined
Feb 2, 2019
Messages
17
Reaction score
3
Your Mercedes
w208 clk430
I can't condone this but as a lad we used to go(motorbikes) from the South of England urp north.. for shows etc without a plate, grown up now and work in a job locally and havn't seen a motorway let alone a smart in over a year .
 

Wearsafoxhat

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 9, 2011
Messages
2,053
Reaction score
1,767
Location
Sunny Hampshire by the sea
Your Mercedes
E55k :S211, SL500 :R129 , V220
I think people spend more time watching their speed than they do the road on these.
As above wouldn’t be to keen on rejoining L1 nor getting into one of the refuge areas from L3 in an emergency. All well thought out by people with no idea.
To help lorries, cars should have to travel at a minimum of 60mph. L2 should be a minimum of 65mph and L3 70mph.
All not feasible, just my thoughts on how to improve journeys.
I’ll have a word and see if they will re think smart motorways. ; ).


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 

DSK

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 31, 2019
Messages
2,188
Reaction score
2,261
Your Mercedes
CLS 320 CDI, S350 Bluetec
Modern driving standards are beyond belief. If people just drove according to the most basic rules (and common sense), e.g keep left unless over-taking, do not overtake where you will come into conflict, if you are overtaking something, get past don't just catch it up and then sit alongside, merge onto a motorway in a staggered manner not everyone pinching up trying to get a head causing a cluster f*ck, etc etc. traffic would flow without a glitch, 2 lanes or 10 lanes.

Nowadays you have to be a bit selfish to stop getting screwed up by others.

Whilst I agree its annoying having 3 trucks drag racing each other, the one that is fractionally slower, should just do the decent thing, back off 2 mph or so and allow the overtaking truck to get past. Also I find other motorists speed is highly inconsistent, not only the ones who do 50-60 putting the truckers in a tough spot but, the ones who catch you in seconds and then just sit alongside or actually go slower.
 

umblecumbuz

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 20, 2010
Messages
4,431
Reaction score
1,875
Location
Wales and Gozo
Your Mercedes
S204 and CLC 204 cdi, MX5, Kia Soul
Don't you also find that the guy who passes you at the speed of light, you catch up and pass ten miles further on, because he has now decided to settle down behind a truck, or just amble along at 50?

This discipline thing also varies a lot from country to country. In France - possibly because of superior roads and less traffic - drivers generally seem more relaxed. German drivers have better lane discipline and clearer signalling. Italians all drive Ferraris, whether they're in a Fiat or a Ferrari, but at least they don't hold anyone up.

It just seems to be the Brits who stand on their rights behind the wheel, and get instantly stroppy if they think you've gained some advantage.
 
  • Like
Reactions: DSK

kid-jensen

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 13, 2002
Messages
942
Reaction score
188
Location
Epsom Downs, Surrey
Your Mercedes
Ml320CDI 2007
the construction of a "Smart motorway", or more accurately, getting a 4-lane motorway on the cheap, is what I endure every day on my commute along the M23.

I have to begrudgingly admit that instead of lining up thousands of bollards and doing nothing behind them, (as usually happens), they are actually getting on with it, and there is very impressive progress towards 3-1/2 lanes, with serious construction work happening everyday.

That being said, I dread the first incident, because the MOT appear to only allow you to breakdown in designated "bus stops" every 1/2 mile or so (sometimes much longer). If you are unfortunate in breaking down outside the designated places, the HGV ploughing into the back of you is only a matter of time, and when it happens, god knows how the rescue services are going to get to you...
 

sl500amgsport

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 25, 2017
Messages
2,061
Reaction score
2,141
Location
Essex
Your Mercedes
SL500 2014
the construction of a "Smart motorway", or more accurately, getting a 4-lane motorway on the cheap, is what I endure every day on my commute along the M23.

I have to begrudgingly admit that instead of lining up thousands of bollards and doing nothing behind them, (as usually happens), they are actually getting on with it, and there is very impressive progress towards 3-1/2 lanes, with serious construction work happening everyday.

That being said, I dread the first incident, because the MOT appear to only allow you to breakdown in designated "bus stops" every 1/2 mile or so (sometimes much longer). If you are unfortunate in breaking down outside the designated places, the HGV ploughing into the back of you is only a matter of time, and when it happens, god knows how the rescue services are going to get to you...
I guess it is the UK equivalent of the "Purge", Govenment way of reducing the population by eradicating those who cannot afford reliable vehicles ;-).

Mercedes SL500 R231
 

DSK

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 31, 2019
Messages
2,188
Reaction score
2,261
Your Mercedes
CLS 320 CDI, S350 Bluetec
Had my first encounters of a broken/breaking down vehicle today as we passed Nottingham on the M1 on the way back down to Berkshire.

Luckily, everyone was chilled out, keeping a respectable distance from each other, with overtaking cars actually getting past etc.

I was a few truck lengths behind a truck at 50mph (in speed restrictions), truck pulls out and then it took a few moments for my brain to register how slow the car ahead of me was now going with its hazards on, so I pull out, nice and easy with plenty of room but, it made me think, in rush hour, with people driving bumper to bumper that would be an accident waiting to happen, only because of the way most people drive....
 


As a member of ourMercedes Owners' club, you will enjoy numerous savings on an expanding range of services including, Insurance, Parts and Servicing, RAC Membership plus much more.MBOmembers can save around £200.00 a year. You can join from as little as £30.00 and start to enjoy these savings immediately. You receive our monthly magazine and free classified ads when you decide to trade up a model.
Top Bottom