Smart motorways make sense, says FTA

The implementation of smart motorways in Northern Ireland would make economic, environmental and safety sense, according to the Freight Transport Association (FTA) today. Responding to a study commissioned by the roads authority, TransportNI, which outlines the proposal of the M1 and M2 in and out of Belfast becoming smart motorways, FTA stated that freight operators would see benefits in the introduction, economically, environmentally and would improve safety on the routes.
September 4, 2015 Read time: 2 mins

The implementation of smart motorways in Northern Ireland would make economic, environmental and safety sense, according to the 6983 Freight Transport Association (FTA) today.
 
Responding to a study commissioned by the roads authority, TransportNI, which outlines the proposal of the M1 and M2 in and out of Belfast becoming smart motorways, FTA stated that freight operators would see benefits in the introduction, economically, environmentally and would improve safety on the routes.
 
Smart motorways use the hard shoulder on parts of motorways as a running lane primarily in order to help ease traffic congestion.
 
Seamus Leheny, FTA Policy and Membership Relations manager for Northern Ireland commented: “The major routes around Belfast suffer from recurrent traffic congestion at peak times. Using hard shoulders on the M1 and M2 in and out of Belfast, especially at peak hours – must be given serious consideration. Smart Motorway use increases capacity during rush-hours which would mean improved journey time reliability into Belfast City Centre and the Harbour, and would result in lower emissions and fewer accidents.”
 
The TransportNI study also looked at restricting use of the hard shoulders to buses, multiple occupancy vehicles and freight traffic which would also be feasible and a significant benefit for improving freight movements in the Greater Belfast while also improving public transport.
 
8101 Highways England has implemented similar schemes in Great Britain as far back as 2006, with the M42 scheme after six months reporting an 18 per cent reduction in pollution from vehicle emissions and a four per cent reduction in fuel use, according to the FTA.

UTC

Related Content

  • December 5, 2014
    Motorists want roads repaired before smart motorways, says survey
    According to research by Bury-based online car supermarket JamJar Direct, which indicates that 47 per cent of Greater Manchester motorists claim to have been affected by the construction works, communications around the M60 smart motorway improvements are sorely lacking. Almost two thirds of Greater Manchester motorists (62 per cent) are aware that the M60 is being turned into a smart motorway, but over 40 per cent, equivalent to 81,000 vehicles per day using affected stretch of M60 between junctions 8 a
    Read More
  • June 24, 2016
    Britain ‘may be out of Europe but it's not out of business’ says FTA
    Following the UK vote to leave the European Union, with votes of 52 per cent for Leave and 48 per cent for Remain, Patrick Flaherty, chief executive – UK & Ireland, AECOM, said the country faces a period of change and uncertainty and business must play a stabilising role. “A positive, long-term focus on the future is required despite a referendum result that we and many businesses did not want,” he commented. The Freight Transport Association (FTA) says coming out of union risks new costs, restrictions a
    Read More
  • April 1, 2015
    TomTom traffic index shows increase in UK congestion
    TomTom’s today 5th annual Traffic Index, the barometer of traffic congestion in over 200 cities worldwide, reveals rising congestion levels around the globe In addition, for the first time, the Index took an in-depth look at the true impact of rush hour traffic on the work week, uncovering that evening rush hour nearly doubles the journey time for car commuters. The analysis of 12 trillion pieces of traffic data worldwide revealed that the evening rush hour is the most congested time of day. Traffic co
    Read More
  • July 23, 2012
    Radar effective as detection tool for hard shoulder running
    Navtech Radar's millimetric-wave systems are being researched on the M42 in England to look into how this type of detector can assist in the opening of the hard shoulder as an additional running lane. Here, the company's Stephen Clark talks about the technology being used. In England, the Highways Agency's (the HA, an executive agency of the Department for Transport) Managed Motorways system - formerly called Active Traffic Management - uses electronic signs and signals mounted on gantries to direct drivers
    Read More

Highlighted Content