Smart motorways: the ultimate guide for those in fleet management

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Mary Tinsley • Oct 04, 2017 • Fleet management

 

The Government is investing £3 billion to upgrade existing motorways to become smart motorways by 2020 and have already added more than 472 extra lane miles of capacity to the strategic road network through their implementation. Smart motorways were first introduced in 2006 to ease congestion of certain parts of the motorway and smooth the flow of traffic. Since then, there has been a lot of controversy surrounding them.

While the concept of smart motorways aims to deliver positive impact on the public, they have been widely criticised by motoring organisations for imposing a higher risk to drivers’ safety by removing the hard shoulder.

This week, Watchdog called for Highways England to raise the visibility of smart motorway emergency refuge areas “as soon as possible” and urged that more needs to be done to educate the public about how to use smart motorways safely.

This articles aims to help those in fleet management navigate this area, covering the basics of exactly what a smart motorway is and the main rules that your drivers will be expected to follow when travelling on one, and how their features can be an advantage or disadvantage for your fleet.

What is a smart motorway?

Smart motorways use technology to actively manage the flow of traffic. This technology is controlled from a regional traffic control centre, which monitors the traffic on the motorway and changes the signs and speed limits to help free and smooth the flow of traffic during busy times and reduce congestions. Smart motorways make use of the hard shoulder as either a temporary or permanent traffic lane and are designed in such a way so that they increase the capacity of the road, avoiding the expense and hassle of widening it.

There are two types of smart motorways:

  • The MM1 which allows drivers to use the hard shoulder when it’s open during congestion times.
  • The MM2, introduced in 2012, which removes the hard shoulder altogether, turning it into a full-time running lane.

With both the MM1 and the MM2 motorways, the speed limits are varied, the lanes are controlled, the overhead gantries provide drivers with relevant information, and there are designated emergency refuge areas.

General rules and regulations: what those in fleet management need to know

Speed Limit: The speed limits on smart motorways are shown lit up on the overhead signals and can vary depending on the level of traffic. If there isn’t a special speed limit displayed, then the national speed limit applies. Speed cameras are in operation at all times on smart motorways, so if you were to break the speed limit you will be easily caught and most likely fined.

Emergencies: Before even taking your vehicle out on the road you need to take all reasonable precautions to ensure that the possibility of a breakdown or an accident has been prevented if possible.

If an emergency is unavoidable you would need to take the following steps:

  • Use the emergency refuge area (ERA) if you could reach it safely
  • Contact Highways England via the roadside emergency phone provided in the refuge areas,  if you can leave your vehicle safely
  • If you are not able to reach a refuge area, but your vehicle can be driven, move it to the hard shoulder, or as close to the nearside boundary as possible
  • At all times have your hazard lights on
  • Always try to exit smart motorways immediately if your vehicle is damaged or you’re experiencing any difficulties

Hard shoulder: On some smart motorways, the hard shoulder may be used as a standard lane only when there is a high level of traffic. If there is a red cross shown on the overhead display, the normal hard shoulder rules would apply. On some smart motorways, the hard shoulder has been permanently removed and converted into an extra lane. Ensure that your fleet management training ensures that drivers are aware of the regulations and proper use of the hard shoulder before driving on smart motorways.

What are the pros and cons of smart motorways?

Analysis of data gathered since the first smart motorway opened to traf­fic on the M42 motor­way in 2006, found that jour­ney reli­a­bil­ity has improved by 22% and per­sonal injury acci­dents have reduced by more than half.

According to the Highways Agency, here are just some of the benefits of smart motorways:

  • They produce earlier delivery of the benefits than would be achieved through widening the road
  • Compared to a widening scheme there are much lower environmental impacts and costs
  • There is better communication with drivers through the variable messaging signs, displaying updates about latest conditions, such as accidents
  • Managing the motorway through the mandatory overhead speed limit, driver information, CCTV coverage and enforcement has seen an increase in compliance
  • There are effective systems that can detect the presence of slow moving vehicles and can warn drivers of potential queues
  • There is the ability to protect broken down vehicles  by warning other drivers of an incident ahead on the overhead signs and closing lanes before emergency and recovery services arrive
  • An improvement in lane discipline has been seen and drivers tend to feel more comfortable using these roads
  • Smart motorways have also minimised illegal ‘stop’ comforts
  • They provide safe refuge areas, evenly distributed at 2.5 km maximum spacing

While smart motorways sound great, we should not ignore the warnings that have been raised against them. Motoring organisations have high concerns for the safety of travellers, as the removal of the hard shoulder means that there is nowhere to safely leave your vehicle in the case of a breakdown or emergency.

Plus, according to a recent RAC study, 52% of those surveyed do not know about ERAs, with the majority unclear on what to do after stopping or how to re-join the motorway. So it would seem more needs to be done to educate our drivers.

Other disadvantages of smart motorways include:

  • Smart motorways increase the number of times that drivers stop in live lanes, which is the third highest cause of accidents
  • The constant use of the hard shoulder could prevent emergency vehicles making their way through traffic in urgent cases, therefore traffic could become more erratic
  • The risk of collision is increased as drivers are driving closer together due to higher volumes of traffic
  • Removing the hard shoulder means that there is nowhere to safely leave the vehicle in case of an emergency or accident

What are the top hazards and how can you manage the risks?

From analysis of the top scoring hazards encountered on smart motorways, the Highways Agency found that these nine were the ones that are thought to cause most danger to drivers and passengers: fast driving, driver fatigue, pedestrians in running lane, vehicles stopping in running lane (peak times) ,  vehicles stopping in running lane ( off peak times), tailgating, rapid change of vehicle speed, vehicles recovered from refuge emergency area and maintenance workers completing their job.

To avoid these hazards and ensure safety on smart motorways, your fleet management should include training your drivers to take these three steps:

  • Step 1: Ensure to leave enough space between vehicles and comply with all signs and speed limits.
  • Step 2: Only stop in case of an absolute emergency and, if possible, at refuge areas.
  • Step 3: Ensure your vehicle is inspected and prepared prior to setting off (i.e. having enough fuel), it’s in good condition, has gone through regular service and so on.

While the unsafe practice on smart motorways could increase the risk to drivers’ safety, if used appropriately and in compliance with regulations, smart motorways could prove to be incredibly beneficial for businesses, increasing the speed of deliveries and transportation of goods and passengers.

Smart motorways are just a small part of a rapidly changing technological world that aims to improve the efficiency and safety of your fleet. It's important for fleet managers to not only educate their drivers on the latest technology, but also to equip their vehicles with the latest safety features, ensuring the safety of other road users as well as compliance with the law. Find out more about the risks and responsibilities faced by fleet managers in our free downloadable guide below.

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