Lessons being learned from M-way chaos, inquiry is told

AN inquiry into the 24-hour closure of the M6 earlier this year heard how a raft of measures has now been introduced to ensure lessons can be learned from the problems that followed.

On February 4, the M6 was closed between J5 for Castle Bromwich and J6 for Birmingham city centre for a whole day following a serious accident.

The incident saw commuters stuck in traffic queues for several hours and had serious knock-on effects for the entire regional road network.

The cost to the West Midlands economy was estimated to be about £40 million.

An inquiry in March, hosted by West Midlands Police Commissioner David Jamieson, made 11 recommendations to speed up emergency response times and keep traffic moving, including proposals to open up the M6 Toll free of charge during future incidents.

The inquiry was not about the fatal crash which led to the motorway closure but about the emergency response and why it took so long to get it reopened.

Mr Jamieson reconvened the inquiry today and it heard how new measures, including extra training for police officers, earlier access to crash sites and changes to the way Highways England works nationally have been introduced to improve how major incidents are dealt with on motorways.

The hearing was told how improvements have already strengthened the response to incidents on the motorway – nationally as well as regionally.

For example, following a severe fire on the M6 northbound earlier this year, all three damaged lanes were resurfaced much earlier as a result of these new ways of working.

However, the inquiry concluded there is still much work to be done and the upcoming construction of HS2 poses other challenges all groups will need to take into account.

Following the hearing, an initial report will be published before Christmas, followed by a more in-depth document in the New Year.