I have just sent this letter to my MP and also to Grant Shapps, transport secretary ,following a frightening experience in the M3W and I would encourage any of you who agree with my comments to do the same.
Dear Sir,
I write to ask for your help with the matter of safety on so called “smart motorways” or all lane running motorways.
Recently my wife and I were travelling southwards on the M6 near Stafford - a smart motorway - when a total electrical failure disabled our vehicle: we were without power, lights, direction indicators or hazard warning lights. I managed to negotiate the transition from the fast lane to the nearside lane safely and stopped 50 metres from the next refuge area. The side of the motorway was fenced with an Armco type barrier and thorn bushes prevented us from climbing over to safety - we pushed the vehicle to the refuge believing this to be the best action to safeguard us and other road users. At no point did the traffic in the nearside lane seem to have been diverted and lorries passed us, continually, at speed, swerving into lane two to avoid a collision.
Having reached the refuge we arranged for a recovery vehicle to rescue us. The driver followed the posted instructions and used the SOS telephone for advice on rejoining the motorway. At no time did the traffic in the nearside lane reduce and it was obviously not closed to give us safe access. Rejoining the motorway in these conditions was, to say the least, hazardous.
The following points are, I feel, worthy of your consideration.
1/ Stranded vehicles must have room for the occupants to exit the vehicle on the near side without having to position the vehicle far enough from the barrier to open a door and therefore be positioned well in to the nearside lane.
2/ The area of land on the other side of the barrier must be kept clear of vegetation and other obstructions for vehicle occupants to find safety - this would require regular cutting back of vegetation - a hazardous process in itself!
3/. When a stranded vehicle is detected and the nearside lane is closed there is often a substantial number of vehicles which have already passed the overhead red cross and bear down on the stranded vehicle with no warning. Any one vehicle, approaching in this manner, is an unacceptable hazard. “Stopped vehicle detection” will not remove this delay. Disabled vehicles pulling on to a hard shoulder are seen by all following vehicles, instantly and therefore the hazard is eliminated.
4/. Continued and increasing awareness of these dangers will cause people to avoid using the motorway system bringing an increased load on local infrastructures - the very problem motorways are intended to ease
I ask for your support in abolishing these dangerous motorways and returning to the safer hard shoulder amenity.
Phil Bleazey
