In the news

Hard shoulders are covered in more shit than most cycle lanes, you'd be stopping to change tubes every half a mile, at least the emergency phone would be nearby.

In my experience of A roads they are exactly the same. Ive been on one that actually had some feint bike lane markings (which annoyingly stopped whenever there was a slip road). But it was all coated in shards of glass and car debris.

Not a good place to get a flat, in many parts there is no verge to escape to/walk.