A Hardshoulder To Cry On
Cuts to Congestion in Midlands
The Highways Agency has announced plans to cut congestion around Birmingham. Work started last week on the £150m scheme which plans to open up stretches of the hard shoulder along the M6 during periods of heavy traffic. Other traffic management techniques will also be employed including variable speed limits.
- 500 miles of Hard Shoulder
The plans will then be rolled out across the M42 and M40 in a bid to get Birmingham’s motorways moving smoothly and cut the time millions of us spend in our van or car.
The scheme is one part of a larger £6bn strategy announced by Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly back in July of this year. By enhancing the management of our existing roads, the strategy hopes to open up a further 500 miles of road space - primarily through the hard shoulder model.
Ruth Kelly said: ”Hard shoulder running is one of the innovative ways in which we can use the existing road network to help drivers beat the jams. The trial on the M42 showed it really makes a difference - cutting people’s journey times and giving business and commuters the reliability they need. That’s why we’re today extending it to more of the motorway network around Birmingham, and looking at where else around the country we can offer this as a solution.”
The trial referred to by Ms Kelly, was that on the M42. The trial included use of the hard shoulder and variable speed limits, resulting in the average weekday journey time falling by more than a quarter. Road safety was also improved with the monthly number of accidents reducing on average by 64% (5.1 to 1.8).
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