Using radar technology to keep all lanes running

摘要

Earlier this year, an £88 million smart motorway scheme on the Almondsbury Interchange around Bristol went fully operational opening up seven miles of hard shoulder on the M4 and M5 to motorists at the busiest times and introducing variable speed limits.Meanwhile, proposals are on the table to transform the M4 into one of the longest stretches of smart motorway in England by 2021, with plans to introduce the scheme from junction 3 at Hayes in London to junction 12 in Berkshire covering some 32 miles.A previous pilot of the smart motorway scheme on the M42 was extremely encouraging. Road users' ability to predict weekday journey times increased by 22 per cent, the accident rate decreased, there was a 10 per cent reduction in vehicle emissions and fuel consumption declined by four per cent in the scheme's operating area.