24-10-2019, 08:41 PM
They will just arrange for the hard shoulder to become a closed lane (red cross on the overhead gantry) and then signs prior to the obstruction/closed lane will direct traffic out of the hard shoulder into the adjacent lane (white arrow on the gantry). That will then give them a clear run up the hard shoulder to get to the obstruction.
That works fine until you have a situation where a blockage stops all traffic. Then it's hard to get past all that stationary traffic. The German autobahns quite often do not have a hard shoulder but when there's a hold up the traffic in either lane moves left & right in order to allow emergency vehicles to pass between them. I've seen it and it works.
Some UK drivers are so unaware of what's going off around them that you can be behind them with blues and twos on full blast and they still don't see or hear you.
In days gone by there used to be adverts on the TV telling you what to do and how to drive on the motorway. More education in this respect is well overdue.
My advice is: if you break down on the motorway (smart or otherwise) DO NOT remain in the vehicle. Get out, get your yellow vest on, get yourself and everyone with you over the barrier and up the banking out of the way, because as sure as eggs are eggs some gormless pillock will run into you.
Use the emergency phones, NOT your mobile because that way they can locate you. Some people don't even know which motorway they're on never mind whether they're going north or south. I kid you not. I lost count of the number of times I had my meal disturbed at Woodhall Post M1 north by some numpty wanting to know where the M6 was. They'd missed it 90 miles further south.
That works fine until you have a situation where a blockage stops all traffic. Then it's hard to get past all that stationary traffic. The German autobahns quite often do not have a hard shoulder but when there's a hold up the traffic in either lane moves left & right in order to allow emergency vehicles to pass between them. I've seen it and it works.
Some UK drivers are so unaware of what's going off around them that you can be behind them with blues and twos on full blast and they still don't see or hear you.
In days gone by there used to be adverts on the TV telling you what to do and how to drive on the motorway. More education in this respect is well overdue.
My advice is: if you break down on the motorway (smart or otherwise) DO NOT remain in the vehicle. Get out, get your yellow vest on, get yourself and everyone with you over the barrier and up the banking out of the way, because as sure as eggs are eggs some gormless pillock will run into you.
Use the emergency phones, NOT your mobile because that way they can locate you. Some people don't even know which motorway they're on never mind whether they're going north or south. I kid you not. I lost count of the number of times I had my meal disturbed at Woodhall Post M1 north by some numpty wanting to know where the M6 was. They'd missed it 90 miles further south.