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Motorists to use hard shoulder in plans to ease congestion

04/03/2008

Transport secretary Ruth Kelly has announced that motorists will be allowed to use the hard shoulder on motorways in a bid to ease congestion.

Ms Kelly said today that a trial on the M4 around Birmingham had been a success and the government was now looking at which other motorways would benefit from use of the extra lane.

The transport secretary claimed the M4 trial had shown safety was not compromised by opening the hard shoulder during periods of heavy traffic.

The scheme would bring "real improvements" Ms Kelly said, and be a "win-win" situation for Britain's motorists.

The Liberal Democrats however attacked the plans, calling the policy a "complete dog's dinner".

Transport spokesman Norman Baker said: "It confuses the purpose of a hard shoulder, which we have been told for decade exists for safety reasons. Now it will become a partly pay-if-you-want, partly share-if-you-want and partly for emergency vehicles."