Emergency Refuge Areas on "Smart Motorways".

[joseph Thompson]

Surprised to read about how to use these Emergency Refuge Areas on the latest Smart Motorways. Seems to be a total lack of information on this subject. It's unbelievable that to leave one of these areas, the procedure is to contact Highways England.??
...Am I the only one who doesn't know about this??
The M6 in the Midlands where we live is currently being modified to this standard and still we don't appear to know about this procedure.
I would appreciate the thoughts of Forum members.
Thanks.


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[Conquistador]

Didn't know that but aren't there signs in the refuse areas with instructions to use the emergency phone to contact Highways England? Obviously the only reason one should be stopping there is in an emergency, so the refuse areas have magnetic contacts in the road surface which, when activated, point nearby CCTV cameras to that refuse area so the Regional Control Centre can see whats going on and dispatch a Highways Officer if needed.

 

[markjay]

I suppose they want you to let them know if you have left, do that they can cancel the response vehicle that may have been dispatched to provide assistance ?

 

[daveenty]

I would have thought that it would be so they can close the hard shoulder (or lane 1 as it has now become on a "smart" motorway)

If a person decides to stop to let little Johnny/Jane relieve themselves at the side of the road, and let's face it plenty do, then they are potentially setting off from a very restricted space onto a live lane with oncoming traffic travelling at speeds up to 70mph. They won't use the acceleration of their car, if indeed it has any, as it's a waste of fuel in their head, so will just pull out and expect people to slow down for them.

That's my take on it anyway. I'd sooner that the HATOs were involved to prevent a potential catastrophe...

 

[CabrioDave]

Yes, the requirement to contact Highways will be because of the danger when rejoining, without an acceleration lane.

I didn't know about the need, and feel that more publicity is needed.

Some won't understand, of course. Only last week, I was following someone who drove down the joining sliproad, STOPPED at the end, still at quite an angle to the motorway, SIGNALLED LEFT and then started off slowly enough to steer parallel to the lane once in it.

Gawdelpus!

 

[PobodY]

A curse on their upgrades to the M6!