M42 scheme starts

Sep 12 2006 By Ben Hurst

MOTORISTS can beat the jams by using the hard shoulder in a controversial scheme launched in the Midlands today .

Drivers will be directed to use the extra lane during peak times on 11 miles of the M42 south east of Birmingham to try and cut down on congestion.

Overhead electronic information panels will tell commuters to pull over to the hard shoulder, allowing four lanes of traffic.

But the scheme has come under fire from motoring organisations, which claim it is potentially dangerous if breakdowns occur.

The Highways Agency said gantry signs could be changed within seconds if controllers spotted a broken-down car, warning drivers of a hazard ahead and telling them to leave the hard shoulder.

The scheme runs between junctions 3A and 7. A red cross over the hard shoulder will tell drivers when the lane is closed, while a 50mph speed limit warning will indicate when the lane is in use.

The speed limit will be reduced to 50mph when the hard shoulder is in use and drivers in difficulties can pull into new lay-bys.

An agency spokesman said the new scheme was an alternative to widening motorways in a bid to ease congestion and manage traffic incidents.

The scheme was tested between August 29 and September 7 so control room operators could familiarise themselves with the new system prior to its official switch-on today.