The transport secretary Ruth Kelly has set out plans for pay as you go lanes on motorways. Under the scheme motorists would pay around £5 a time to use the lanes which would allow them to bypass motorway jams. On some motorways widening schemes would be put in place to create an extra lane but others would make use of the existing hard shoulder. Whilst the idea is interesting I’m not entirely sure using the hard shoulder is a good idea. Personally I thought that it was kept clear to allow breakdown and rescue services to quickly reach an accident, and to give motorists somewhere to stop if in trouble. A few years back I had a problem with my car when driving in the fast lane of the motorway. My car suddenly lost all power and I had to pull across all three lanes of traffic onto the hard shoulder where the car ground to a halt. Needless to say I was shaken but very relieved that the motorway was not busy and that there was somewhere for me to stop. I wonder what would have happened if that option was not available.
