A multi-million pound investment aimed at easing motorway congestion is expected to be announced by ministers.
A multi-million pound investment aimed at easing motorway congestion is expected to be announced by ministers.
It is expected to include plans to extend the use of hard-shoulders for traffic during busy periods.
It is expected to include plans to extend the use of hard-shoulders for traffic during busy periods.
The system already operates on the M42 in the Midlands, where cameras are used to ensure breakdowns are moved quickly.
The system already operates on the M42 in the Midlands, where cameras are used to ensure breakdowns are moved quickly.
Edmund King of the AA said he thought motorists would find it "encouraging" that the government was trying to address the problem of motorway queues.
Edmund King of the AA said he thought motorists would find it "encouraging" that the government was trying to address the problem of motorway queues.
He said: "Congestion is costing us more than £20bn a year and we've seen in the West Midlands that hard-shoulder running, if it's managed well, it can work fairly effectively.
He said: "Congestion is costing us more than £20bn a year and we've seen in the West Midlands that hard-shoulder running, if it's managed well, it can work fairly effectively.
"It can make for more reliable journeys and, as long as safety isn't compromised when it's rolled out, I think it will be something that most motorists will support."
"It can make for more reliable journeys and, as long as safety isn't compromised when it's rolled out, I think it will be something that most motorists will support."
Reasearch carried out during a pilot hard shoulder scheme on an 11-mile (17.7km) stretch of the M42 near Birmingham showed a reduction in congestion, carbon emissions and fuel consumption.
Reasearch carried out during a pilot hard shoulder scheme on an 11-mile (17.7km) stretch of the M42 near Birmingham showed a reduction in congestion, carbon emissions and fuel consumption.
There are plans to expand the system to about 500 miles (804.6km) of motorway across England, and some motorways in Scotland are also earmarked for the scheme.
There are plans to expand the system to about 500 miles (804.6km) of motorway across England, and some motorways in Scotland are also earmarked for the scheme.
The use of hard shoulders is part of a bigger plan to reduce traffic build-up, and other ideas include car sharing lanes and congestion charging in towns and cities.
The use of hard shoulders is part of a bigger plan to reduce traffic build-up, and other ideas include car sharing lanes and congestion charging in towns and cities.
ACTIVE TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT SYSTEM 1 Computer-controlled sensors in road detect increased traffic and feed data back to control centre2 Mandatory speed limit imposed to protect queuing traffic and smooth flows3 Information signs warn or advise drivers of hazards/lane use4 Overhead signal indicates when hard shoulder is open to traffic5 Hard shoulder to be used for travel between consecutive junctions6 Broken-down vehicles use emergency refuge areas to ensure hard shoulder remains clear7 Controllers use CCTV and sensors to monitor hard shoulder for obstructions/debris and can manually override ATM system Other safety improvements include highly visible roadside emergency phones (8) located behind safety barriers, and lighting (9) at more frequent intervals along entire stretch of motorway
