Government puts smart motorway roll-out on hold
The Government has stopped the roll-out of all-lane running smart motorways, which do not have a permanent hard shoulder, until five years of safety data is available.
The move was recommended by the Transport Select Committee in its recent report, and also follows criticism from safety campaigners as a number of fatalities have occurred on smart motorways.
Existing stretches of smart motorway will be made safer with a £390 million investment to install more than 150 additional emergency areas so drivers have more places to stop if they get into difficulty.
The Government said that this will represent around a 50 per cent increase in places to stop by 2025.
National Highways (formerly Highways England) has already begun work to install extra refuge areas.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: "While our initial data shows that smart motorways are among the safest roads in the UK, it’s crucial that we go further to ensure people feel safer using them.
"Pausing schemes yet to start construction and making multimillion-pound improvements to existing schemes will give drivers confidence and provide the data we need to inform our next steps.
"I want to thank safety campaigners, including those who have lost loved ones, for rightly striving for higher standards on our roads. I share their concerns."
After five years’ worth of safety data has been gathered for schemes introduced before 2020, the Government said that it will “assess the data and make an informed decision on next steps”.
Chair of the Transport Committee, Huw Merriman MP welcomed the Government's response to the Committee's report.
He said: “It was clear to our Committee that the public needs more reassurance that these motorways are safe to use.
"With conflicting and patchy evidence covering a limited number of years, more time was required to properly assess the impact on safety.
"By accepting our recommendation to pause the rollout of smart motorways, the Government will have the weight of evidence to assist planning for future road building design."
"This watershed decision is an unqualified victory for drivers." Nicholas Lyes, RAC head of roads policy
RAC head of roads policy Nicholas Lyes added: "This watershed decision is an unqualified victory for drivers, many of whom have deeply held concerns over the safety of motorways where the hard shoulder is permanently removed.
"Rather than ploughing on regardless in the face of mounting public opposition, we’re pleased the Government has finally hit the pause button and given itself time to fully consider the safety of these schemes, and the way our motorways are adapted to increase capacity from now on.
“We have long argued that dynamic hard shoulder and controlled motorway schemes – both of which feature a hard shoulder in some form – should be considered given their good safety record and it’s important these options are on the table.
"A further commitment to install an additional 150 refuge areas on existing schemes to bring them all up to the same standard is positive news and should go some way towards reassuring drivers worried about reaching one in an emergency."
What are the types of smart motorway?
There are three types of smart motorway:
- All-lane running: the hard shoulder is permanently converted into a live lane and there are emergency refuge areas at regular intervals.
- Dynamic hard shoulder: the hard shoulder is converted to a live lane at peak times of congestion.
- Controlled: a motorway with three or more lanes, a hard shoulder and variable speed limits
What is the point of smart motorways?
Smart motorways were introduced as a way of managing traffic and easing congestion, without having to widen roads.
How many fatalities have been on smart motorways?
A BBC Panorama investigation found 38 people had been killed on smart motorways during a five-year period (2014 to 2019).
Which motorways are smart motorways?
There are around 375 miles of smart motorways on sections of the M1, M3, M4, M5, M6, M20, M23, M25, M27, the M40/M42 interchange, M56 and M62.
Here is a map of the UK's smart motorway network, which is managed by National Highways (formerly Highways England).
Is a red cross over a smart motorway lane advisory or mandatory?
What should we do if we break down in the live lane of a Smart motorway?
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conman on 15 January 2022
AND PRAY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!conman on 15 January 2022
You cannot reach the grass verge as they have spent millions erecting a steel crash barrier on the nearside lane to keep you on the motorway stupidity in the extreme.This so called money saving scheme like the rest of Government saving money schemes costs the taxpayer twice the original cost. If they had only built these motorways correctly to the original M40 trial system standard these motorways would have been a lot safer. Instead they increased the emergency pull in from 1/2 mile to 1 1/2 miles and didn't install the correct cameras. Not to worry tax payers, its only us that will have to pay to rectify the so called Governments money saving scheme.
GTD 184 on 18 January 2022
These motorways are anything but 'Smart' !!!Only last week travelling on the M42 south bound the congestion was horrendous and at a standstill or crawling pace yet the 'hard shoulder' which should be used in such circumstances to alieviate the congestion was closed, yet the northbound lanes were all open and traffic was travelling freely!
John N on 18 January 2022
I was listening on LBC the other night to Claire Mercer, whose partner, Jason Mercer was killed on justr such a stretch of motorway.I'm pretty sure she said that this applied only to NEW smart motorways. Those started, about to be started, and even those for which Planning Permission has been obtained are likely to be seen through to completion.
Which may well see the plan through to completion.
on 18 January 2022
The announcement does not include those already under construction, and since the programme is now 95% complete it won't make much difference. The few miles that won't now be converted will go down as a "saving" on the roads budget. Even though they've also committed spending on providing new refuges and "new" technology most of this would have been needed anyway. Another factor is that the pandemic has reduced traffic flows to the point where conversion of the "unconverted" stretches is currently unnecessary - but in 3 years time [when the 5 years of safety data will have been collected] traffic levels may well "justify" their conversion.john. on 18 January 2022
So if you break down and do manage to get to the nearside lane, highly doubtful,and there is no safety area nearby you are still in a very very dangerous situation as has been proven,these so called smart motorways are anything but,they are death traps.I would like to see whoever thought of these sat in a vehicle stopped in a live lane near side and see if he still thinks it is safe or smart. I bet he changes his mind very quickly.Howard the Careful Driver on 18 January 2022
Before so called "Smart Motorways" we were told to stay in our cars on the hard shoulder. The idea clearly has failed and ideally they should all be returned to what was there previously. Perhaps if a compromise is sought they could at least all be converted to the M42 prototype? What is the general view?Add a comment