Smart motorways [emoji35]

Last Friday morning we loaded the bus ready for an enjoyable weekend away at Norden Farm Campsite near Corfe in Dorset. Set off on the M3 with wife and dog looking forward to meeting up with our daughter in her newly converted T5 ….. yep the dark side. So while puddling along at 55 I encountered a sharp pull to the left and instantly realised I had a blow out on the front near side tyre and that’s when the reality sets in your on a SMART MOTORWAY FFS , not to mention my wife having a panic attack at this point. Hazard lights switched on and I knew there’s no way I’m stopping here and I was prepared to right off the tyre and wheel in order to find the next slip road.
Luckily there was one close by.
In the 8years of owning Delilah I have never had a puncture , always fitted commercial tyres or my tyre would have been shredded, but instead it saved my precious Penta alloy wheel.
Being old school I put the red triangle in the appropriate place , wife and Dog sitting on the grass verge behind the barrier with juggernauts tearing past causing the bus to shudder uncontrollably. Wife insisted I rang recovery only to be told “ Sir expect a wait of 1 1/2 to 2 hours” No way .. I need ear defenders At this point I think I made the wrong decision to not jack up and replace the wheel with a spare that had not even seen the light of day in 8 years , so I foamed the tyre and noticed the culprit a split valve , remarkably it inflated enough to get me to Junction 5 and off this nightmare.
Fortunately recovery had located us a lot early than said. He swapped the wheel with the spare which insolently is a steel 14 as my Penta’s are 15 …… it’s a space saver
Didn’t want to chance another puncture so we headed to Merit tyres in Hook but due to having apparently an unusual size. 205 /65 / 15 C they advised that I went to Andover.
So eventually we got it sorted and arrived at camp in mere 5 1/2 hours




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I have to travel the M5 smart motorway often. The stretch that is mainly uphill is the one I think will catch someone at a bad time one day. Seems an age between laybys and going uphill. Well that's never a good look if your car cuts out...

That said, when the traffic is heavy it does keep the traffic flowing around here.

 

That's the one. And the Droitwich to Worcester section is just as bad.

That accident happened minutes behind me. Dodged a bullet there. My neighbour didn't get back until after midnight.

 

It’s funny , you never expect the valve


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https://www.itv.com/news/meridian/2...atened-with-legal-action-over-smart-motorways

I would like the proponents of Smart Motorways to spend a while sitting waiting in an EV with a flat battery on lane one of one of these motorways with the speed limit sat at 70.

 

I used to think that were great , until your a victim


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I drive for work and unless I cannot avoid it I do not drive in lane one of a smart motorway, which kind of makes the idea of adding another lane pointless and it's also a specific offence now. One that I would happily go to court with citing all the people that were driving properly having been killed.

This system is modelled on the European system. The European system were they have no armco on lane one or if they do for protection of structures they have refuge points every 250mtrs or so.

We seem to have picked an idea and used half of it to make a system that could work, worse. They should all be returned to normal motorways immediately and drivers trained and educated to stop the UK's drivers entitled right to sit in lane 3 flashing headlights bullying everyone else to get out of their way.

 

I always leave gaps , but all it does is allow numptys to jump in


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Came back on A31 …. That was nice


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I borrowed a mate's isuzu double cab pickup and twin axle trailer to go and collect a boat from up north last year. Lucky the trailer was double axle as i had a tyre blow out on the "smart" m-way around birmingham.

Even though i could see debris flinging off the destroyed tyre there was nothing i could do other than keep on driving until i got to one of those yellow layby things. Had a lot of people pointing and waving but there is literally nothing you can do - armco along the side of the road so you just have to keep going. So glad i the trailer was a twin axle..

 

Split valve? Never heard of that.
The rubber of the valve shaft splits

 

I don't like them at all, @paul2590, very scary places

Pleased to hear it worked out ok, in the end.

 

Probably being tooo harsh when pumping up


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Life can be full of unpleasant experiences


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I was a fan until I went out with a mate of a mate who is disabled and drives an auto that's been converted for hand use.

Imagine being Stuck on the m6 with no way of getting safely out of his car sounds no fun at all.