Professional Recovery 354

RECOVERYINSIDER
restrictions you can easily see why it could add further confusion.
The best example for me is a very simple bus lane, now I can
guarantee almost every reader has done this and been in two minds
whether to use a bus lane or not in the hours where it is allowed,
dithering over should I or shouldn’t I use the hard shoulder, causing
their concentration to waiver. Ultimately, they are trying to avoid
a fine. In the dynamic hard shoulder scenario it could be a bigger
safety risk than we may think, versus the current issues.
There was a clear plan from Government and National Highways
to end up with only two types of motorways, a conventional
motorway with a hard shoulder and one single type of managed
motorway, this was intended to be the All-Lane Running (ALR).
National Highway’s plan was to do away with added confusion of
“open the lane – close the lane” and educate all road users and to
use the Red X lane closure for all incidents, so doing away with the
three smart motorway options making it simpler and less confusing;
l Dynamic hard shoulder: where the hard shoulder is temporarily
opened up to traffic.
l All lane running: where the full width of the road is usable with
emergency refuge areas alongside.
l Controlled motorway: with three or more lanes, a hard shoulder
and variable speed limits.
The migration over to only ALR was scheduled to be completed
by March 2025, part of the 18-point action plan from 2020, the
rationale behind this was to reduce confusion, however this
could be about to change, because The Transport Committee
has released its latest report where National Highways agrees to
undertake a full 5-year review of all available data before continuing
with the conversion.
This latest report spans 35 pages of evidence-based reporting,
18 separate select committee reports, plus written evidence from
94 respondents and 188 separate pieces of evidence. It describes
in detail the involvement of the Office of Road and Rail who will
undertake to review the data.
Fundamental misgivings
The report sets out to highlight the fundamental misgivings
of the previous Highways England and the lack of action and
improvements that was promised back in 2016, following the
then Transport Select Committee report. Unfortunately, it does
not show any of the positive work that is now being undertaken,
positive work that has definitely improved the safety of the recovery
operator.
Not wishing to repeat myself, but the CSRRR and Richard
Goddard’s formation of the Professional Recovery Operators
Federation PROF was the catalyst behind the independent operator
strategic partnership with the then Highways England now National
Highways (NH) and the beginning of real dialog and change.
From those early days of finding fault and bringing to task the
then Highways England’s, questioning and highlighting issues and the
dangers with smart motorways. Remembering that rare opportunity
that Richard and the late Dave Gregory had to give evidence on
behalf of the independent recovery operator in 2016, was without
doubt the marker in the sand for change. Following on from that
came interviews on national TV plus regular radio appearances on
LBC radio.
The barrage of criticism aimed at Highways England brought
about a memorable meeting with them and PROF, where a positive
decision was made to work with them and not against them.
Working with them to improve the safety of the 345 miles of smart
motorways, rather than wasting time and effort fighting against
them, as many still choose to do. Effort would be far better used
to work with National Highways to improve the network and overall
safety.
This latest Transport Committee report demonstrates the culture
change within National Highways. From the previous Chief Executive
who chose to dismiss the independent recovery industry and ignore
every effort we made to work with them, to today’s Chief Executive
Nick Harris and his team who have taken the time to work with the
recovery industry, understand our network, engage in regular dialog
and to improve roadside safety.
This relationship has already delivered great things for the
recovery industry, the strategic partnership and now additional
partnership agreements with the independent work providers and
the tyre industry with the National Tyre Distributors Association
NTDA.
Major improvements
Some major improvements the independent operators have
been asking for, for years but that had never listened too, signage
on the motorway gantry’s indicating that recovery personnel
are working, there is now specific protocols within the National
Highways control rooms to action these signs.
A National Highways – Independent Recovery Operators
Executive Group, where the independents have their voice heard,
it follows that there are also regional working groups where local
issues can be raised.
For the very first time the independent recovery industry was
included in the latest update to the highway code, consulted on,
listened to and now clause 264:
“Be aware of emergency services, traffic officers, recovery workers
and other people or vehicles stopped on the hard shoulder or in an
emergency area. If you are driving in the left lane, and it is safe to do
so, you should move into the adjacent lane to create more space
between your vehicle and the people and stopped vehicles.”
The latest Transport Committee report ‘Rollout and safety
of smart motorways’ - this in-depth 43-page report Transport
10 PROFESSIONAL RECOVERY MAGAZINE
8, 9, 10, 11 DF.indd 3 18/01/2022 09:01