'Smart'motorway fencing ?

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Mon 13 Jan 2020 18:07
'Smart'motorway fencing ? - MikeM100

Does anyone know what the purpose of the 12 foot high wooden panels that are being erected along some sections of smart motorway conversions is ?

They give me the feeling of 'nowhere to run' in the event of a breakdown ! Perhaps their purpose is to stop people trying to climb over them /

Edited by MikeM100 on 13/01/2020 at 18:10

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Mon 13 Jan 2020 18:14
'Smart'motorway fencing ? - Terry W

Perhaps they back on to residential or possibly commercial premises and are designed to limit intrusive noise.

OTOH someone else may know better!

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Mon 13 Jan 2020 18:32
'Smart'motorway fencing ? - oldroverboy.

Noise and pollution barriers.

have had them in Switzerland for 40 years.

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Mon 13 Jan 2020 18:37
'Smart'motorway fencing ? - Glaikit Wee Scunner {P}

On the M1 they block off an interesting /distracting view of the River Trent. I remember decades ago you could see spectacular surging floods.

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Mon 13 Jan 2020 18:35
'Smart'motorway fencing ? - Bolt

Perhaps they back on to residential or possibly commercial premises and are designed to limit intrusive noise.

OTOH someone else may know better!

When they put up the fence along A20 towards the M25 turnoff they said it was to cut the noise down as it was too intrusive to residents on the estate behind it, I gather from someone I know it works....

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Mon 13 Jan 2020 19:53
'Smart'motorway fencing ? - Bromptonaut

It's a noise barrier and not specific to SMART motorway. I agree that in some applications, whether hard shoulder or All Lane Running, it makes it makes getting clear of the carriageway more difficult.

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Mon 13 Jan 2020 20:19
'Smart'motorway fencing ? - gordonbennet

Yes, noise barrier, but in some places it might help a little with cross winds.

Can't think of anywhere off hand that its so close to the road to prevent escape from smart motorway death trap scenario, unlike those dozens of miles of armco running along the nearside of so many which mean even the lightest of cars can't edge the vehicle off the carriageway and relative safety for everyone in the event of breakdown.

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Mon 13 Jan 2020 20:28
'Smart'motorway fencing ? - Bromptonaut

Can't think of anywhere off hand that its so close to the road to prevent escape from smart motorway death trap scenario

M1 between Toddington and Luton turns?

In a moment's inattention I scraped my Roomster on the n/s barrier there. Carried on driving as there was only panel damage but if I'd needed to 'abandon ship' there was precious little space between armco and fence.

Same I think further north in Mansfield area.

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Mon 13 Jan 2020 20:38
'Smart'motorway fencing ? - gordonbennet

M1 between Toddington and Luton turns?

Take your word for it Bromp, can't say as i've noticed that section at Toddy, but then its usually dark when i'm going south for probably 9 months of the year, and maybe not at my most appreciative of the surroundings when i've been rising at 3am all week..:-)

Sometimes you notice a gap, Judas gate size, in some of the sections of fencing, or maybe i've noticed them during construction phases and they get filled in once completed, if they are left open it could be useful in wind and rain to be able to choose a side to shelter.

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Mon 13 Jan 2020 22:55
'Smart'motorway fencing ? - bathtub tom
M1 between Toddington and Luton turns?

Southbound, there's a school just at j11 on the left. I understand the fencing was put there to reduce noise: goo.gl/maps/NCN4PJftH7U2pHTa9

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Mon 13 Jan 2020 23:15
'Smart'motorway fencing ? - Bromptonaut

Southbound, there's a school just at j11 on the left. I understand the fencing was put there to reduce noise: goo.gl/maps/NCN4PJftH7U2pHTa9

That's the segment/stuff I meant.

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Mon 13 Jan 2020 20:34
'Smart'motorway fencing ? - Engineer Andy

I hope they are sturdy, as they ain't cheap (where I live, my development paid £10k to replace 50m of fence with the durable ones with concerete posts and bottom bars) to replace should they blow down in the wind, never mind the accidents they could cause as they blow across the road in exposed areas!

Don't they normally just create banks on each side like on a railway and/or add dense bushes to deflect and muffle the noise? Admitedly the latter require trimming and (more often these days) labour-intensive litter-picking.

Maybe they are there to stop farm animals getting out onto a road.

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Mon 13 Jan 2020 20:49
'Smart'motorway fencing ? - Bromptonaut

Airports use banks as noise bunds - Birmingham has quite extensive earthworks to that end.

Can't say I've seen them on a railway with possible exception of HS1 - Chunnel line - but there are some noise fences on West Coast main Line.

The items I'm thinking of alongside M1 are 2-3 metres tall - even deer cannot jump that high. They're undoubtedly for noise - issue is where they close the 'get off carriageway' advice for those on hards shoulder or lane 1 in ALR.

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Mon 13 Jan 2020 21:06
'Smart'motorway fencing ? - MikeM100

Thanks - Sound barriers make sense. They look to be very substantial with concrete and steel frames, heavy felt like cladding and finished with wooden slats. Must cost a fortune ?

Funny thing is that on sections of the M4 westbound (Reading area) there are miles of fields on the other side of the fences ?

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Mon 13 Jan 2020 21:23
'Smart'motorway fencing ? - Bolt

Thanks - Sound barriers make sense. They look to be very substantial with concrete and steel frames, heavy felt like cladding and finished with wooden slats. Must cost a fortune ?

Funny thing is that on sections of the M4 westbound (Reading area) there are miles of fields on the other side of the fences ?

Judging by the types of fencing panels and construction of them, they may help prevent crosswinds as well, they appear to be strong enough?

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Mon 13 Jan 2020 21:25
'Smart'motorway fencing ? - gordonbennet

Thanks - Sound barriers make sense. They look to be very substantial with concrete and steel frames, heavy felt like cladding and finished with wooden slats. Must cost a fortune ?

Funny thing is that on sections of the M4 westbound (Reading area) there are miles of fields on the other side of the fences ?

There won't be fields for long, before you know it'll be housing estates, The Meadows or The Paddocks, well yes there was a meadow and paddock there before you threw up thousand of cloned cardboard houses.

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Mon 13 Jan 2020 21:35
'Smart'motorway fencing ? - Bolt

Thanks - Sound barriers make sense. They look to be very substantial with concrete and steel frames, heavy felt like cladding and finished with wooden slats. Must cost a fortune ?

Funny thing is that on sections of the M4 westbound (Reading area) there are miles of fields on the other side of the fences ?

There won't be fields for long, before you know it'll be housing estates, The Meadows or The Paddocks, well yes there was a meadow and paddock there before you threw up thousand of cloned cardboard houses.

Shipping containers welded together is a favourite in central London I hear.....?

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