MPs are calling for all smart motorway projects to be paused until a number of safety concerns have been addressed…

‘Pause Smart Motorway Projects’

MPs and campaigners want the construction of new all-lane running smart motorways to be paused due to a number of safety concerns. A report, produced by the Transport Committee, concluded that there is insufficient information concerning the format’s safety to justify continued investment. As of now, the government intends to increase the length of all-lane running motorways by 300 miles by 2025. 

The report claims that the government’s plan to remove hard shoulders from the road is ‘premature’; and would likely lead to more accidents and road deaths. It states, “the Government and National Highways should pause the rollout of new all-lane running schemes until five years of safety and economic data is available for every all-lane running scheme introduced before 2020; and the implementation of the safety improvements in the Government’s action plan has been independently evaluated”.

An Ongoing Controversy 

Smart motorways have attracted significant criticism and controversy ever since they were first rolled out. Designed to deal with increasingly high volumes of traffic, and to be more responsive to changing circumstances, they’ve been the sites of numerous fatal accidents. Many of these took place when drivers came to a stop following a breakdown. With no hard shoulder, and few emergency refuge areas, this left them vulnerable to moving traffic.

As of now, the government claims that it’ll consider the recommendations and concerns of the Transport Committee and road safety organisations. However, given the increased pressure being placed on the road network, converting hard shoulders into live lanes will likely remain a tantalising cost-saving measure for some decision-makers.

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