Dev Naran

1. 1. stopped vehicles in live lane

   “Vehicles stopping in live lanes of a motorway create a risk to life due to the speed of the traffic approaching, the difficulty approaching drivers will have in identifying that a vehicle in the lane ahead of them is stationary and the fact that the volume of traffic around any stopped vehicle can inhibit the ability of a driver to take evasive action without coming into contact with other road users.”

2. 2. lack of automatic alert for stopped lone vehicle

   “Those managing the motorway network have no system of automatic alert to a stopped lone vehicle in a live lane and rely on the MIDAS system picking up slow moving traffic, 999 calls and calls from the general public. It is not known how frequently vehicles are stopping on the hard shoulder of the M6 because if there are no calls and no traffic build up the control centre may not become aware. Furthermore, when operators do become aware of a stationary vehicle, they do not routinely look back at”

3. 3. gap in emergency refuge areas

   “When compared to motorways not operating a Dynamic Hard Shoulder running scheme there is a greater risk that vehicles will stop on the hard shoulder/ lane 1 of the M6 in the vicinity of junctions 6 and 5 when the hard shoulder is a live lane and that there will be a greater danger when doing so because: a) there is a 2.5 mile gap in the emergency refuge areas at this point; b) this section of the M6 is elevated and as such there is no land along the edge of the motorway to which occupants”

4. 4. radar system not suitable for dynamic hard shoulder schemes

   “The Highways Agency is introducing a radar system to identify lone stationary vehicles on All Lane Running schemes which will operate in low flow. This technology does not operate in moderate to high flow density and is not intended for use on dynamic hard shoulder running schemes where the hard shoulder would not be in use in low flow traffic.”

5. 5. lack of specific research for dynamic hard shoulder schemes on M6

   “Mr. [name redacted], Head of Road Design, Safety, Engineering and Standards, at Highways England gave evidence that a colleague is undertaking research into technology that could be used to identify lone stationary vehicles in higher traffic flows. Mr. Brown did not know what technologies were being considered nor what the time scale for this project is. Mr. [name redacted] evidence was that this is not being looked at with dynamic hard shoulder running schemes in mind nor for the M6 specifically as it is”

6. 6. risk not regarded as acute by Highways Agency

   “The effect of this evidence is to cause me concern that the particular nature of the risk on this section of the M6 arising from the matters set out at para 3 above is not regard as an acute problem by the Highways Agency when it should be and that I was not given evidence of specific work being undertaken to address this particular risk.”

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