New widened M1 Motorway Luton to Milton Keynes

[windy]

Following on from the ill thought out widening project and deletion of the hard shoulder for a good part of this M1 motorway section there are some worrying trends.

I travel on this this motorway every day to work and have observed the following:

• Increased rate of accidents. I see twisted armco, deep gouged sections of tarmac and accident debris strewn across the central reservation. I am more often held up on the way to work because of a serious accident (many cars on their roofs, trucks demolishing eachother and cars). I know of at least 2 occasions where the air ambulance has attended which usually means fatalities. 
• More congestion. This has to be due to the enforced gantry camera speed limits
• Speed limits set too low. The southbound stretch is regularly restricted to 60 mph between J11 and J10 when there is no reason to.
• Dangerous slip roads where cars have to merge and move across 2 lanes at once to avoid running out of road.
• Lanes 1 and 2 free of traffic. Lanes 3 and 4 full of hogs 
• Trucks reluctant to use lane 1.

Before all this needless expense was enforced on the taxpayers pockets the motorway used to flow freely, the traffic was disciplined, there were very few accidents and people made progress.

 

Is this now the most dangerous stretch of motorway in the UK?

 

Your thoughts.

[SteveD]

 

_{mmmmm dribble this should be better than the m1 wendy}

[Man On The Clapham Omnibus]

The four lane section of the M40 between J1 and High Wycombe - probably other motorways with more than three lanes - is similarly poorly disciplined with lane one hardly used at all. Perhaps the US road practice of having all lanes move independently with passing on either side would help. Don't know how this works there for HGVs though.

[Norman Verona]

Clive it's no longer an offence to undertake in moving traffic. It was abandoned for this very reason.

 

I suspect it's more motorways we need not more lanes. 

[clansman]

 

_{mmmmm dribble this should be better than the m1 wendy}

 

 

HEAVEN on wheels 

[Terry Everall]

Steve, why are you wrapped in a blanket and asleep on the bonnet of such a loverly car

[SteveD]

Steve, why are you wrapped in a blanket and asleep on the bonnet of such a loverly car

 guarding it

[dombanks]

im not sure about the 4 lanes being a problem, ill concieved slips maybe. but those gantree cameras are a pain. i dont travel very much on motorways that have them but when i have its mostly been in rush hours around the m40/m42/m6 bit. they just seemed to change the speed limit randomly, 50 ... 60...50 ... 60 nearly everyother mile. the trafic was no heavier or lighter. maybe its a automated thing that calculates the density of cars and at that time it was just at the tipping point, if so then it needs adjusting.

 

the cynic in me just thinks it was a blatant attempt to catch you speeding and give you a fine.

 

they also seem to use them no matter what. so on a relatively empty road up goes the 60's. its just a way of lowering the speed limits under a "h&s" guise.

 

make the mtorways unlimited and anyone who is too nunney to drive fast can use a train!

[Norman Verona]

Didn't I read that these speed restrictions are advisory. They're not legal as the sign doesn't comply with the reg, no background and not on round panel.

[WestyNottm]

I mentioned on a previous thread about the M1 widening to 4 lanes in Nottinghamshire - lane one hardly ever gets used either and I've never been able to work out why.

[bhouse]

The advisory limits on motorways are sometimes a victim of their own success.
If there is an obstruction some miles ahead, if the traffic carries on at standard motorway speed then there will be an almighty jam in a few miles time causing severe delays
By reducing the limit to 60 or lower several miles in advance, the jam never gets to build up with the result that the traffic flows smoothly.
I know there are times when it doesn't work out quite like this, but in general, the advisory limits are there to prevent delays and generally do a good job.

Edit to add...
In case you're feeling curious, there's an interesting traffic flow simulator here. You can adjust speeds and adjust factors ranging from amount of traffic joining to politeness. Try creating a jam, then reduce the speed before the obstruction.

[Rory's Dad]

There is a breed of motorway drivers who have their lights on, their shades on, who are very important people and are on a 'mission' .  They wouldn't be seen dead on an inside line.

 

Rory's Dad

[Norman Verona]

I've seen them, they drive BMW's and now Audi's

[ajpearson]

Overhead gantries are compulsory speed limits, the ones dotted along the central reservation are advisory (well thats what I got told on my speeding course last month)

[Norman Verona]

OK, it seems the ones with the red circle are legal, the others are advisory.