In theory it’s a good idea -  ease congestion by using the hard shoulder. It certainly saves money on widening the roads, but for a government so obsessed with Health and Safety, I cannot think why they would believe this is a good idea! In all honesty a few months back, I thought it was a good idea, now I am not so sure.

Imagine this scenario, a 44 tonne lorry has broken down at 4.15pm. The recovery services are called and the driver is waiting to be recovered. Rush hour arrives and drivers without thinking pile into the hard shoulder, making it impossible for the lorry to be recovered quickly, causes more congestion and puts the drivers life at risk.

Who is liable if a car driver uses the hard shoulder when a lorry is broken down and drives straight into the back of the lorry? I am sure the answer is obvious… Where do emergency / rescue vehicles now go? How quickly will an ambulance or fire engine be able to get to an emergency when they are forced to travel in the rush hour, and what happens when there is no space for vehicles to pull into?

What about foreign truck drivers? How quickly can they adapt to these changes? How many will die before politicians start to see sense? Is it really a case of environment over safety?

The scheme will probably use overhead signage and electrical signs to direct motorists to the correct lanes. And we all know its cheaper to use the hard shoulder than to widen the road.  Some figures being bandied about are £6m per KM using hard shoulder versus  £20m per KM to widen the road. In the event of an accident, the hauliers already burdened with red tape and mass regulation, will now be blamed and probably sued.

I wonder if the government will ever treat the Road Transport industry with the same deference as the banks? Handing out billions to the people responsible for the financial mess and the collapse of many small businesses, but hound the hauliers and couriers who keep things in the shops and on the move? It doesn’t make sense to me.

I guess we need a more powerful lobbying force that what the banks have, in the mean time drive safely. If you see a broken down lorry on the hard shoulder, stay well clear – if they are carrying hazardous goods and a vehicle hits them, there will be a tragedy of epic proportions

Sarah