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M1 car-share lane plans 'dropped' M1 car-share lane plans 'dropped'
(about 2 hours later)
Plans for the first car-share lane on the M1 have been dropped, a campaign group has claimed. Plans for the first car-share lane on the M1 have been dropped in favour of other forms of traffic management.
The car-sharing lane would have operated from junction 7 for St Albans, Hertfordshire to junction 10 for Luton, Bedfordshire. A car-sharing lane had been planned from junction 7 for St Albans, Hertfordshire to junction 10 for Luton, Bedfordshire.
But the Department for Transport has now decided it is "not the right solution for this location", according to the Campaign for Better Transport. The Department for Transport has now decided it is "not the right solution".
The first motorway car-sharing opened on Thursday in West Yorkshire. A Department for Transport spokesman said new technology would be used to manage traffic flow on the M1 section instead.
It links the southbound M606 from Bradford to the eastbound M62 towards Leeds. He said: "Car share lanes remain an important part of our congestion-tackling toolkit and we will continue to consider them for use across the network.
"Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly has opened a car share lane on the M606/M62 near Bradford.
"We have also identified around 500 miles of motorway as potential priority sites for new traffic management measures, which may also include more car share lanes.
"The M1 from junction 7 to 10 will now be equipped with controlled motorway technology, similar to that in operation on M25, to maximise traffic flows and improve safety."
The Campaign for Better Transport has accused officials of "burying" the decision not to open a similar lane for the M1 in a report published earlier this month.The Campaign for Better Transport has accused officials of "burying" the decision not to open a similar lane for the M1 in a report published earlier this month.
'Innovative scheme''Innovative scheme'
Solo drivers would have been banned from the High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane - during rush hour.Solo drivers would have been banned from the High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane - during rush hour.
The former Transport Secretary promised the car share lane in 2004The former Transport Secretary promised the car share lane in 2004
When the then Transport Secretary Alistair Darling announced the M1 car-share lane in 2004, it was heralded as an "innovative scheme to reduce congestion and improve journey times on the M1".
The Campaign for Better Transport wrote to Transport Minister Tom Harris in October 2007 asking him to recommit to the M1 HOV lane, but did not receive a reply.The Campaign for Better Transport wrote to Transport Minister Tom Harris in October 2007 asking him to recommit to the M1 HOV lane, but did not receive a reply.
The decision to drop the promised M1 car-share lane was stated on page 65 of an 80-page report published this month.The decision to drop the promised M1 car-share lane was stated on page 65 of an 80-page report published this month.
Rebecca Lush Blum, Campaign for Better Transport's roads and climate campaigner, said: "We are disappointed that the government has decided not to back the important M1 car-share lane.Rebecca Lush Blum, Campaign for Better Transport's roads and climate campaigner, said: "We are disappointed that the government has decided not to back the important M1 car-share lane.
"Car-share lanes work elsewhere in the world, cutting congestion and carbon emissions.""Car-share lanes work elsewhere in the world, cutting congestion and carbon emissions."