M27 ranked among most dangerous motorways in England

The M27[1], which passes through a southern section of the county, was judged to be the fourth most dangerous in the two countries. Factors such as the average number of vehicles that are on the motorway per day, collisions per kilometre of motorway, average speed and average delay were taken into account. Each motorway was given a normalised score from 0 to 10 for each factor, and an average of these was taken.

Why is the M27 among England and Wales' most dangerous motorways?

The five most dangerous motorways in England and Wales, according to Blackcircles[2], were:

The M27 only got a score of 1.98/10, with it only being ahead of the M60, the M32 and the M25. Discussing the reasons for this, James Harding, a tyre specialist at Blackcircles[3], said: "The M27 has been named one of the most dangerous motorways in England and Wales, with almost two collisions per km of motorway. "One of the reasons why these numbers are so high is that the M27 sees almost 100,000 vehicles every day, a significant number for a road that is only 45km (27.9 miles) long."

Harding also cited the M27's section of smart motorway as a reason why it ranked so low. He added: "The smart stretch of the M27 runs between junctions 4 and 11, a 24km (14.9 miles) section of the road. "For the most part, the motorway is four lanes; however, the hard shoulder is retained between junctions 7 and 8.

"While this 2.3km stretch is less than 10% of the smart section of the motorway, the use of the hard shoulder as an additional lane is one of the main safety concerns regarding smart motorways. "When the hard shoulder is used as a lane (in this case, the fourth lane), a broken-down vehicle has to rely on the refuge areas along the motorway; however, these are often spaced a mile apart, making it difficult for drivers to pull over to get out of the way of traffic or to attend to a damaged tyre."

Work "progressing well" on long-awaited upgrade to M27 junction

Work is "progressing well " on a long-awaited upgrade to M27 Junction 10, as engineers build new roads linking the motorway to the Welborne[4] Garden Village development near Wickham. Construction teams are working on the foundations for the Welborne Approach roundabout link road and the new eastbound off-slip from the M27.

Once complete, the link road will connect the new junction roundabout with the new slip roads. Recommended reading: This will form part of wider road improvements aimed at improving access to the motorway and supporting future development.

Specialist work is also taking place to protect major gas pipes near the newly built section of the High Street Roundabout, where it will eventually connect to the Broadway Roundabout. The project is part of a major scheme led by Hampshire County Council[5] to turn M27 Junction 10 into a fully working motorway interchange. Do you agree that the M27 is one of England and Wales' most dangerous motorways?

Let us know in the comments.

References

1. ^ M27 (www.hampshirechronicle.co.uk)
2. ^ Blackcircles (www.blackcircles.com)
3. ^ Blackcircles (www.blackcircles.com)
4. ^ Welborne (www.hampshirechronicle.co.uk)
5. ^ Hampshire County Council (www.hampshirechronicle.co.uk)