Escape lanes seem to be disappearing on our roads. Located near the bottom of long hills, they offer a safe place for vehicles, especially lorries, which have lost their braking power. Filled with gravel or sand, they safely bring the runaway vehicle to a rapid stop. In the UK, due to lack of space, the lane is sometimes not full width but is still effective.
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| Escape lane - American style |
There are two that we pass quite regularly, on roads descending steeply west-bound from the Pennines. But, due to lack of maintenance, both seem to be quite useless today.
The first is on the A66 exit slip at Brough, at the end of a descent of several miles. There is a separate lane on the right of the slip road and a narrow strip of sand slows the runaway vehicle before it reaches the junction at the end of the slip road. But, as photos from 2011 and 2024 show, today the escape lane is of limited use - despite multiple signs and road markings to the contrary.
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| Advanced signage on the A66 approaching the Brough slip road |
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| The narrow but effective escape lane in 2011... |
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| ... and completely overgrown in 2024 |
The story is the same at the bottom of Beamsley Hill on the trans-Pennine A59. The driver of a runaway lorry on the 1:8 gradient must get some comfort from the multiple advance signs advertising an escape lane but today's reality is not what they might be hoping for.
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| Well maintained signs as the escape lane approaches |
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| The escape lane in 2011 |
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| By 2024 the lane has completely disappeared but is still very well signed |
Perhaps escape lanes are less necessary today due to improvements in both vehicle brakes and road design. The strangest thing is that there are still several clear signs and road markings for both of these escape lanes. But the lanes themselves simply aren't there any more.
