MOTORISTS will be able to use the hard shoulder on the M6 and the M62 under plans to tackle congestion, the government has announced.

The scheme is set to be adopted following a trial on the M42 motorway near Birmingham, where the hard shoulder was used as an extra lane, and the speed limit reduced to 50mph, when traffic levels built up.

Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly said the scheme will be extended to a number of motorways in England, including the M6, M62, M1, M27, M4, M5 and motorways which feed into the M25 such as the M20 and M3.

Drivers who break down when the hard shoulder is in use will have to steer their cars into emergency refuges. Those on the M42 are spaced at 500m intervals.

The minister, who is MP for Bolton West, also announced that she is looking at options such as having a motorway lane which cannot be used by cars with only one person inside.

The idea of a 'car share' lane has been successfully introduced in other countries, said the Department for Transport.

Another idea is to charge drivers who have no passengers to use these lanes, although officials stressed that no decisions have been taken.

David Frost, director general of the British Chambers of Commerce , said: "Capacity problems across the UK's road network have created serious difficulties for businesses reliant on the roads to transport and receive goods.

"Opening up the hard shoulder is an innovative way to immediately help reduce congestion. However, much more still needs to be done to address the wider issue of a lack of capacity across all of the UK's transport infrastructure.

"Unless further investment is put into increasing capacity, the country will simply grind to a halt."

Hard shoulder driving is well established in some European countries, including Germany and the Netherlands.

Scrap plans

Business leaders also welcomed reports that the government has decided to scrap plans to use satellite technology to track cars and force their owners to pay for driving by the mile in an attempt to ease congestion.

Chris Glen, of the Federation of Small Businesses, said: "Small businesses are firmly opposed to road pricing where there are no toll-free alternatives. We are pleased that the government has listened to our concerns, giving small businesses more choice and expanding capacity.

"This is a good first step, but we still need a better road network and a more integrated transport system to safeguard UK competitiveness."

Friends of the Earth Transport Campaigner, Tony Bosworth, said the plan would lead to more traffic.

He said: "Ruth Kelly's plans for extra motorway lanes are not the answer to Britain's transport problems.

"The additional capacity will encourage more traffic, which may lead to more climate-changing pollution."

The government has already earmarked parts of the M6 and M62, which it says should be considered a priority for anti-congestion measures including hard shoulder running.

The parts of the M6 include Junctions 15 to 19, between Stoke-on-Trent and Knutsford, and Junctions 21A to 24, between the Croft interchange and Ashton-in-Makerfield.

M62 sections included in the plan include Junctions 10 to 12, between the Croft interchange and Eccles, and Junctions 18 to 20, between Middleton and Rochdale.

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