Hard shoulder running planned for M25 in Essex

The agency wants to take 15 miles of the emergency lane between junctions 23 to junction 27 in Essex and begin turning it into a lane for road users next year.

Successfully used on the M6 and M42, the HA have said that accidents have more than halved since shoulder running was introduced on a 10.5 mile stretch of the M42.  Journey times have also improved.

Commenting on the idea, HA project manager John Martin says: "We’ve used our successful experience of operating managed motorways in the West Midlands to produce an updated design which would see the hard shoulder permanently converted to a running lane, with fewer overhead structures such as gantries,"

FTA policy manager Ian Gallagher said: "The concept itself has been around for many years. We were very concerned about uncertainty over emergency stops, LGVs gathering and not being able to come off at junctions, side swipes and so on. The reality is that hard shoulder running seems to be running very well."