Transport planning bosses may welcome a new initiative that could help improve traffic flow and reduce the number of accidents on UK roads.
As part of a new £3 million scheme, motorists on the M42 near Solihull will be permitted to drive along the motorway hard shoulder between junction slip roads.
The region will be the first in the UK to implement the measure, known as through-junction running, in a bid to increase motorway capacity during periods of heavy traffic.
Funded by the government's fiscal stimulus package, the strategy is part of the Highways Agency's plan to increase reliability and safety and help kick start the UK's economy.
Derek Turner, Highways Agency director of network operations, said the initiative could pave the way for similar schemes to be introduced elsewhere if it proves successful.
"The results of this first scheme will shape future hard shoulder running schemes on our network, where junctions have similar traffic flows and will benefit from an additional lane through the junction," he commented.
The move could come as a major boost to transport planning bosses and logistics firms, who often incur heavy costs during the year as a result of congestion on UK road networks.
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