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Darling gives hard shoulder to rush-hour congestion
Page 7
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• Transport minister Alistair Darling says that a pilot scheme allowing motorway traffic to use the hard shoulder to ease congestion could be extended across the UK.
The trial, which will begin on the M42 next year will see additional lanes opened up in the rush hour. Darling says that the scheme could now be extended to the M25 round London, the M6 and the M5, even before the trial ends.
A Department for Transport spokesman says: "With the right controls and safety procedures hard shoulder running at peak times has worked well in the Netherlands.
The government is considering measures like this in order to ease rush-hour traffic congestion on stretches of certain motorways. As already announced the Highways Agency intends to trial traffic management systems in the West Midlands."
The RAC Foundation's traffic and road safety manager Kevin Delaney says that easing congestion should not be at the expense of safety: 'The hard shoulder provides refuge for broken-down vehicles and allows emergency vehicles to get to incidents quickly. We welcome the trial but do not want to see it extended until the results are known."