Sharing cars to lighten the burden

28 March 2007

The Highways Agency will open the first car-share lane on a UK motorway by March 2008, in one of several projects aimed at managing traffic, outlined in the organisation’s £2bn annual business plan released this week.
The first high-occupancy vehicle lane on the trunk road network will be at the junction of the M606 and M62 motorways, south of Bradford, West Yorkshire, where long queues are a common feature on the commuter road.
The £2.5M initiative, which was first announced last year, will allow drivers carrying one or more passengers to bypass the congested area and gain priority access to the eastbound M62 from the southbound M606 on a 1.6km-long lane.
‘We are continuing to look at opportunities for introducing car sharing lanes elsewhere, both at junctions and along busy commuter routes. Where these are introduced, they will be backed up by a variety of measures to influence travel behaviour and encourage drivers to car share,’ the plan said.
The HA has now set aside £969M for major schemes in 2007-2008, and plans to complete seven this year, as well as starting work on eight others. Schemes which are due to open this year include the M1 J31 to J32 widening, near Sheffield, the M25 junction 28/A12 Brook Street Interchange improvement, and the A428 Caxton Common to Hardwick improvement. It is also progressing with plans to widen the M25 to four lanes in each direction, with the contract expected to be awarded in 2008. The HA will also implement a new digital radio service to provide real-time traffic information for the strategic road network, in another effort to improve the reliability of the network.
The variable-message sign service, trialled during 2006-2007, will be extended throughout the motorway network.
Also included in the £132M budget for technology, CCTV images of travel conditions will be provided on the agency’s website. www.highways.gov.uk

Register now for full access

Register just once to get unrestricted, real-time coverage of the issues and challenges facing UK transport and highways engineers.

Full website content includes the latest news, exclusive commentary from leading industry figures and detailed topical analysis of the highways, transportation, environment and place-shaping sectors. Use the link below to register your details for full, free access.

Already a registered? Login

Sign In

Sharing cars to lighten the burden

order biaxin tablets

buying biaxin

ordering clarithromycin

Register now for full access

Login