Petition · past parliament · Department for Transport

Ban HGVs from entering the hard shoulder / left lane on Smart Motorways

Closed 35 signatures

What the petition asks

If an HGV cannot see a vehicle already in the hard shoulder / left lane and starts pulling into it, that vehicle literally has nowhere to go, as I found out today! I was forced to slam my brakes and only just narrowly avoided the barrier or the trailer. I had nowhere to go except backward!
The gantry sign said to use the hard shoulder, so I did. A lorry started moving into my lane and despite using the horn, they were still pulling in and I was very quickly running out of room. Being the hard shoulder, I was about to be squished between the metal barrier and this lorry. I had less than a second to slam on the brakes and get behind them. I only narrowly avoided the trailer thanks to the Emergency Refuge Area. It was pure luck that it was there at the moment I needed more room.

Timeline

24 Jun 2021 Petition opened for signatures
24 Dec 2021 Closed to new signatures

Key facts

Signatures 35
Status Closed
Department Department for Transport
Opened 24 Jun 2021
Closed 24 Dec 2021

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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.