Pro Installer December 2014 - Issue 21 | Page 37

37 PRO INSTALLER DECEMBER 2014 PRO MOTORING @proinstaller1 Free road safety workshops for your fleet The Fuel Card Group is offering free road safety workshops and driver analysis from Applied Driver Techniques (ADT), sponsored by its MileageCount fleet management service. Any business using five or more vehicles may apply, with places being offered on a strict ‘first come, first served’ basis. Smart motorway upgrade set to start 2016 The Highways Agency has unveiled plans to improve a thirty two mile stretch of the M4 motorway, between Junction 3 and Junction 12, by making it a smart motorway. The major scheme, forecasted to cost between £614 million and £862 million, will be the UK’s largest smart motorway upgrade. Replacing 16 bridges, the Highways Agency is undertaking public consultation, due to finish on 21st December 2014, in order to apply for development consent to the Planning Inspectorate in early 2015. The work, which is expected to take over five years to complete, is dependent on receiving development consent from the Transport Secretary. The consultation documents can be found at www.gov.uk/ government/consultations/m4-junction3-to-12-smart-motorway along with a questionnaire to gather feedback. The smart motorway proposal on the M4 will use the latest technology to improve journeys by monitoring traffic flow and setting speed limits accordingly to keep traffic moving smoothly, instead of continually stopping and starting. Steve Clarke, Group Marketing Manager, said: “MileageCount is sponsoring these leading-edge services to enable smaller businesses to benefit from the same expert help as the UK’s largest fleets. Demand is bound to exceed the limited number of places, so it is essential to apply immediately, by calling us on 0844 870 9741.” Dr. Jim Golby is Director of Research & Customer Experience, UK & Europe, for ADT, he said: “Road Safety Week, 17-23 November, was a good reminder that anyone using a vehicle for business purposes has a duty of care to the public. Just one accident can be hugely expensive in business disruption alone, before all the financial cost are evaluated. Our free workshops and driver analysis will help to reduce exposure to potentially damaging risks.” The workshops will be held at The Fuel Card Group’s Wantage facility, provided by ADT experts. ADT helps fleets ranging from just a few vehicles to several thousands and works extensively with Brake, the charity behind Road Safety Week. The driver analysis, also created by ADT, uses psychometric testing to identify individual risks and appropriate remedies. It has been proven by major fleets to deliver significant risk reduction. The proposal also involves converting the hard shoulder permanently to a traffic lane to create the extra capacity necessary to support economic growth. Information about road conditions and speed limits will be displayed to drivers on electronic road signs. ‘construction until after 2021’ Formerly known as ‘Managed Motorways’, ‘Smart Motorways’ are motorways in the UK that use active traffic management (ATM) techniques to increase traffic capacity. This is achieved by employing variable speed limits and hard shoulder running at busy periods. This 32 mile stretch of the M4 will therefore be under construction until after 2021. For further information visit www.highways.gov.uk Pick up the PRO Installer, FREE, from one of over 600 trade counters. www.GlassVanHire.co.uk