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[Andy B]

For part of its length the M18 is two lane and trucks are forever taking up both lanes as one inches past the other for mile after mile.

I remember when most of the M5 was like that  .... 

[78bex]

Bandwagon anyone?

 Not at all. Cars are inherently more reliable these days but there are still breakdowns and you need some where safe to stop.

That wasn't where I was going... Smart motorways have always been a bad idea, anyone except the non driving graduates who designed them have always said as much.

It was aimed at the previous post... Always pops up with a video or outrage whenever some everyday thing pops up in front of him and could probably do with learning to read the road ahead a bit better, much like the lorry driver in the clip...

Two things surprise me about the article... Firstly that ONLY 35 people were killed and secondly that there were 1472 ish near misses... I would have expected both to be much, much higher, and can only suggest that the near misses are reported ones and probably only reflect about 1% of the true number. If anything, the saddest thing is that this point wasn't reported as it might educate a few more people (or at least encourage them to read the highway code).

Oh dear ,it looks as if I`m being stalked by Doctor Gollum. 

[78bex]

Bandwagon anyone?

 Not at all. Cars are inherently more reliable these days but there are still breakdowns and you need some where safe to stop.

That wasn't where I was going... Smart motorways have always been a bad idea, anyone except the non driving graduates who designed them have always said as much.

It was aimed at the previous post... Always pops up with a video or outrage whenever some everyday thing pops up in front of him and could probably do with learning to read the road ahead a bit better, much like the lorry driver in the clip...

Two things surprise me about the article... Firstly that ONLY 35 people were killed and secondly that there were 1472 ish near misses... I would have expected both to be much, much higher, and can only suggest that the near misses are reported ones and probably only reflect about 1% of the true number. If anything, the saddest thing is that this point wasn't reported as it might educate a few more people (or at least encourage them to read the highway code).

Oh dear ,it looks as if I`m being stalked by Doctor Gollum. 

Come out, come out wherever you are............. he`s gotta be around here somewhere the stench is gettin stronger 

[Marks DTM Calib]

For part of its length the M18 is two lane and trucks are forever taking up both lanes as one inches past the other for mile after mile.

I remember when most of the M5 was like that  .... 

What is even more stupid is when you sit and do the maths for how much time they would actually save, its like a few minutes over a a whole shift (and that assumes they could travel at the limit for the full shift, which they cant).

The no overtaking between certain times works well in France, Germany etc.

We either need to spend stupid money on wider roads (4 lanes of lorries on a 5 line road  ) or start being more sensible with lane utilisation

[Migv6 le Frog Fan]

Freight back onto the railways would be a great solution but I cant see it happening.

[Varche]

It is all dejavu.

Quite depressing that drivers don’t know about Smart motorways.

More safety refuges or an extra carriageway and call it a hard shoulder.

No way would I sit in a car for 34 minutes in lane1. As the vehicle slowed I would be planning as safe an exit to the other side of the Armco for everyone in the vehicle. Rain or not.

[Marks DTM Calib]

Reality is, a smart motorway cant be a worse place to break down than a dual carriageway way or fast A road?

[aaronjb]

No way would I sit in a car for 34 minutes in lane1.

I wouldn't sit in the car for 3 minutes on the hard shoulder, let alone a running lane - it only takes one dozing driver wandering onto the hard shoulder and you're a smear.

They could help by moving the car-catchers (armco) a few feet away from the nearside lane/hard shoulder to provide a grassy, soggy, sinking refuge - at least somewhere you could bump a car on the starter to. Of course, modern cars probably can't be bumped on the starter in gear because the electronics/slushbox will say "no".. I've never tried, anyone know?

Reality is, a smart motorway cant be a worse place to break down than a dual carriageway way or fast A road?

Fast A-road you can sometimes at least get the car onto the verge.. not always - in the flatlands that usually means sinking into a drainage ditch, or arguing with a dry stone wall in the Cotswolds, or a hedge in Darzet.. OK, I'll revise that to "rarely" you might be able to get off the road

[Andy B]

....
- at least somewhere you could bump a car on the starter to. Of course, modern cars probably can't be bumped on the starter in gear because the electronics/slushbox will say "no".. I've never tried, anyone know? ....

you can't do that on many manuals these days as 'elf & safety' has determined that the clutch &/or brake pedal has to be pressed to start many cars these days ... especially key-less

On a similar note, my daughter was amazed when I started her last car in gear, then drove it changing gear without the clutch ..... cable had gone

[aaronjb]

Good point! Hadn't thought about push-button start interlocks.. yep, you can no longer 'self rescue'. Progress!

Clutchless shifts - I never did master that.. I did watch the AA man do exactly that, though, when the cable snapped in my old Renault 19 16v (he disappeared at great speed, presumably to somewhere I couldn't see him doing a 3-point turn sans clutch! )

[Andy B]

.....

Clutchless shifts - I never did master that.. I did watch the AA man do exactly that, though, when the cable snapped in my old Renault 19 16v (he disappeared at great speed, presumably to somewhere I couldn't see him doing a 3-point turn sans clutch! )

You just play with the revs as you slip it in ......  Ooooer!

Not that I've had to do many clutchless gear changes these days but IMHO were easier on a RWD where the gear lever was on the end of the gearbox rather than miles away at the end of a series of linkages or cables on a transverse FWD

[Nick W]

Clutchless shifts - I never did master that.. I did watch the AA man do exactly that, though, when the cable snapped in my old Renault 19 16v (he disappeared at great speed, presumably to somewhere I couldn't see him doing a 3-point turn sans clutch! )

with some practice, you can drive through the rush hour traffic to the motor factors before they close to buy a new clutch cable. Which I fitted in their carpark before they locked the gate. Car was a mk2 Cavalier, so I can't see what difference FWD makes.


Don't try the method of starting a car in gear with the clutch pedal down to free off a stuck clutch if it's hydraulic! Especially if it doesn't have a proper external slave cylinder......

[Andy B]

....
 Car was a mk2 Cavalier, so I can't see what difference FWD makes.  ....

I didn't say it was impossible .... my daughter's car was a Seicento .... I just my opinion that it was easier when the gear lever was directly in the end of the 'box

[Sir Tigger KC]

I watched the programme about this last night and wouldn't fancy breaking down on the elevated section of smart motorway that they showed, I think on the M6? 

There is literally nowhere to hide... 

[Migv6 le Frog Fan]

I drove my Capri for 3 years only using the clutch to pull away in 1st gear. It was slipping and I couldn't be arsed to change it.