The Motorway: Life in the Fast Lane

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[edit] General Information

Technology, Travel Documentary hosted by Julian Barratt, published by BBC in 2014 - English narration

[edit] Cover

[edit] Information

The Motorway: Life in the Fast Lane Millions of motorists rely on the M6 for journeys up and down the country. But many are unaware of the vast scale of work needed to keep the road open and flowing. In this Documentary series we follow the workers who keep the traffic flowing on one of the busiest stretches of road in Britain, where the country's longest motorway, the M6, meets four other major routes

[edit] Weight of Traffic

The men and women working behind the scenes spend their lives helping travellers get from A to B as safely and as quickly as possible in an area that often sees up to 8,000 vehicles an hour. Repairs to the road are one of the main problems to overcome, and the source of various disputes with residents - as locals Jim and Alan reveal. They live 20 metres from a current stretch of roadworks and are repeatedly subjected to high levels of noise and flashing lights in the middle of the night. However, they are not the only ones having sleepless nights, as safety inspectors work late shifts on the hunt for heavy-freight truckers breaking road restrictions.

[edit] Keeping the Show on the Road

In this episode we follow the teams preparing for one of the stormiest winters on record. Initially set up in answer to a January 2003 snowstorm that left drivers stranded in their cars for up to 18 hours, these teams have been preparing for snow and ice - but now find themselves facing the stormiest winter in more than 40 years. It's all hands on deck if the Highways Agency is to save its reputation. Meanwhile, winter litter-picking patrols add to the 180,000 sacks of rubbish collected on Britain's motorways every year, and a hidden workforce beneath Spaghetti Junction tries to restore the structure to its former glory.

[edit] The Need for Speed

Highways Agency staff scour 450 CCTV cameras for problems on the M6, while Steve Taylor travels along the motorway at a steady 50mph on the lookout for potentially dangerous potholes. The programme also follows the work of the Central Motorway Police Group, accompanying PCs Mark Crozier and Karl Davies as they respond to an incident in which someone has died after jumping from a bridge onto the carriageway in the early hours of a Saturday morning.

[edit] No Such Thing As an Accident

Catthorpe is a major interchange linking the M1 and A14 to the start of the M6, but now it's about to be redesigned at a cost of more than £190million to make it safer and less congested. Overseeing the work is construction manager Mark Sutton, who has to ensure the local residents are happy, as well as relocating a protected colony of great crested newts. Elsewhere, the Highways Agency and maintenance teams cope with the aftermath of an overturned lorry that spilt a cargo of milk on to the carriageway.