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'Hard shoulder running' report due end of year
Page 12
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THE GOVERNMENT plans to publish a study on the effectiveness of opening up the hard shoulder on motorways as a congestion-busting method by the end of the year.
The report will consider the success of the pilot scheme on the M42. which allows the hard shoulder between Junctions 3A and 7 to be used by motorists at times of peak congestion; it has been running for a year.
The Department for Transport (DfT) remains tight-lipped about the study's findings, but if it concludes that the controversial measure has eased traffic jams without compromising safety it could be rolled out on other motorways throughout the UK.
At the same time the government appears to be moving away from plans to introduce a pay-asyou-go charge for motorists on the grounds of cost, so 'hardshoulder running' could be seen as an attractive alternative.
However, a DfT spokesman denies that the government has already made up its mind to introduce the scheme nationally, as has been claimed recently by a Sunday newspaper. 'I don't quite know what it's based on," he says. "When we consider building roads, or any traffic measures, we consider all the options it would be foolish not to do so. But at the moment {hard shoulder running is just on the M42."