According to research by Bury-based online car supermarket JamJar Direct, which indicates that 47 per cent of Greater Manchester motorists claim to have been affected by the construction works, communications around the M60 smart motorway improvements are sorely lacking.
Almost two thirds of Greater Manchester motorists (62 per cent) are aware that the M60 is being turned into a smart motorway, but over 40 per cent, equivalent to 81,000 vehicles per day using affected stretch of M60 between junctions 8 and 20, have no clue about the reasons behind or benefits from the work.
Despite what the503 Highways Agency refers to as a “robust communication strategy” that includes over 22,000 leaflets, the majority of motorists surveyed by JamJar Direct couldn’t correctly describe what the smart motorway or the benefits.
11.5 per cent of those surveyed believed the mandatory 50 mph limit currently in place around the works was permanent, 5.7 per cent answered that a smart motorway incorporated the hard shoulder at all times, while 23.3 per cent admitted they didn’t know how a smart motorway worked or understood that it was designed to reduce congestion during peak times. 59.5 per cent accurately identified the correct description.
The vast majority of those surveyed (93 per cent) didn’t think the US$313 million spent on improving the motorway was a reasonable price to pay. Five per cent thought it was a reasonable price, while two per cent said US$627 million would be a reasonable cost to reduce congestion on the affected stretch of motorway.
When asked to suggest alternate uses for the smart motorway budget, the most popular suggestion was to fix road surfaces, with 66 per cent of suggestions making reference to pot holes and damaged road surfaces, of which there are an estimated 1,880 in Manchester.
A spokesperson for the Highways Agency said: “The M60 between junction 8 and M62 junction 20 is already one of the most congested routes in the country with nearly 180,000 vehicles using this section of our network every day. It is because the route is so heavily congested, with unreliable journey times, that we are upgrading this important section of our motorway network to a smart motorway.
“We have a robust communication strategy in place to let people know about the scheme and how it will operate once completed. We have held public information exhibitions, distributed over 22,000 leaflets to local residents, shared information with stakeholders, local councillors and local authorities, provided information through our website and social media.
“By alleviating congestion, we make journeys more reliable which creates economic benefits. Our scheme economic assessment has concluded that for every £1 we invest in the scheme we get £3 in economic benefits in return.”
A spokesperson for JamJar Direct said: “Being held up is always frustrating, but some of the frustration for many motorists could be mitigated if they better understood the benefits of the work. The Highways Agency has a duty to ensure road users understand the benefits of the work and at present, it seems that many of the region’s road users aren’t sure what is going on.”
Almost two thirds of Greater Manchester motorists (62 per cent) are aware that the M60 is being turned into a smart motorway, but over 40 per cent, equivalent to 81,000 vehicles per day using affected stretch of M60 between junctions 8 and 20, have no clue about the reasons behind or benefits from the work.
Despite what the
11.5 per cent of those surveyed believed the mandatory 50 mph limit currently in place around the works was permanent, 5.7 per cent answered that a smart motorway incorporated the hard shoulder at all times, while 23.3 per cent admitted they didn’t know how a smart motorway worked or understood that it was designed to reduce congestion during peak times. 59.5 per cent accurately identified the correct description.
The vast majority of those surveyed (93 per cent) didn’t think the US$313 million spent on improving the motorway was a reasonable price to pay. Five per cent thought it was a reasonable price, while two per cent said US$627 million would be a reasonable cost to reduce congestion on the affected stretch of motorway.
When asked to suggest alternate uses for the smart motorway budget, the most popular suggestion was to fix road surfaces, with 66 per cent of suggestions making reference to pot holes and damaged road surfaces, of which there are an estimated 1,880 in Manchester.
A spokesperson for the Highways Agency said: “The M60 between junction 8 and M62 junction 20 is already one of the most congested routes in the country with nearly 180,000 vehicles using this section of our network every day. It is because the route is so heavily congested, with unreliable journey times, that we are upgrading this important section of our motorway network to a smart motorway.
“We have a robust communication strategy in place to let people know about the scheme and how it will operate once completed. We have held public information exhibitions, distributed over 22,000 leaflets to local residents, shared information with stakeholders, local councillors and local authorities, provided information through our website and social media.
“By alleviating congestion, we make journeys more reliable which creates economic benefits. Our scheme economic assessment has concluded that for every £1 we invest in the scheme we get £3 in economic benefits in return.”
A spokesperson for JamJar Direct said: “Being held up is always frustrating, but some of the frustration for many motorists could be mitigated if they better understood the benefits of the work. The Highways Agency has a duty to ensure road users understand the benefits of the work and at present, it seems that many of the region’s road users aren’t sure what is going on.”
