FTA welcomes hard shoulder running plan
Date: 26 October 2007
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The plan by the government to expand 'hard shoulder running' to other motorways besides the M42 has been warmly welcomed by the Freight Transport Association (FTA).
A successful trial went ahead on part of the M42 allowing couriers, hauliers and other motorists to use the hard shoulder as a driving lane at peak times.
The scheme will now be extended on the motorway box around Birmingham, one of the busiest parts of the UK road network, and a feasibility study will look into whether it could be put in place elsewhere too.
Transport secretary Ruth Kelly said: "The M42 trial shows that using innovative thinking to help drivers beat motorway jams really works."
And the move has been met with approval by the FTA, which points out that ways to cut congestion are badly needed.
A spokesman for the group said: "The M42 Active Traffic Management scheme operated since September last year, and the ability to safely switch hard shoulder running on and off, seems to have been a very positive success with reduced congestion, reduced journey times and reduced accidents.
"It is a sensible means of making the most of the roads network that we already have. It has made an important contribution to improving journey time reliability for commercial vehicle operators. Replicating the scheme elsewhere - and quickly - clearly makes sense."
However, he noted that the government must also commit to widening existing motorways, in order to help courier drivers and others.
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