The Government has today paused the rollout of new all lane, with no hard shoulders, smart motorways for five years while safety data is gathered.
In response to a report from the Transport Committee, a House of Commons Select Committee, the implementation of new smart motorways, that is, motorways with alterable speed limits, no hard shoulders, or hard shoulders which can be opened up at peak travel times has been delayed to allow for more data to be collected on their safety.
Government figures show that 38 people have been killed on smart motorways between 2014 and 2019. There is significant controversy over the decision not to reinstate the hard shoulders on smart motorways with many concerned about cars stopping on the motorway when they break down. The RAC has said many drivers “have deeply held concerns over the safety of motorways where the hard shoulder is permanently removed” with former roads minister Sir Mike Penning calling for the hard shoulders to be reinstated.
Having carefully considered the committee’s report, I will be taking forward all of its recommendations. This includes the recommendation to pause the rollout of future ALR smart motorway schemes until a full 5 years’ worth of safety data is available.
Grant Shapps, Transport Secretary
The Government will however continue with safety upgrades on all lane running motorways for which it has allocated £900 million. These upgrades include more emergency lay-bys which are places for cars to stop on motorways with the hard shoulder removed.
National Highways CEO Nick Harris said: “While we pause those all lane running schemes yet to start construction, we will complete the schemes currently in construction. We will make existing sections as safe as they can possibly be and we will step up our advice to drivers so they have all the information they need.”
