Smart Motorway Roll-out Should be Halted - MPs

MPs have called for a halt to the roll-out of “all-lane” smart motorways, until their safety can be improved.

As part of the recommendations provided by the Commons’ Transport Select Committee, the group questioned their use without going as far as to suggest the reinstatement of hard shoulders, something that has long been fought for by campaigners.

The idea behind them is to have the hard shoulder opened permanently as an active lane of traffic, to ease congestion, but there have been instances whereby stranded motorists, who have broken down, have been hit while waiting for rescue.

A Panorama investigation in 2020 found 38 people were killed on smart motorways between 2014 and 2019.

Currently there are 375 miles of smart motorway in England, including 235 miles without a hard shoulder.

The committee’s report, when discussing the reinstalment of the hard shoulder, said; “The evidence suggests that doing so could put more drivers and passengers at risk of death and serious injury” because motorway capacity would be reduced.

RAC Head of Roads Policy Nicholas Lyes said; “We welcome the committee's report which once again raises many of the concerns about 'all lane running' motorways expressed by both drivers and the RAC.

“While the Government's stock-take added some much-needed urgency to making these roads safer, it remains the case that permanently removing the hard shoulder continues to be deeply unpopular with many drivers, with our research clearly showing that drivers are opposed to the removal of the hard shoulder because of the increased risks they are exposed to if they have to stop in a live lane.

"We feel a huge question mark remains over whether it's right that yet more money is spent on rolling out further all lane running smart motorways when there are clearly viable alternatives available.

“We'd like to see the Government take a second look at the benefits of dynamic hard shoulder schemes as a matter of urgency."

The Government has said they will consider these recommendations.

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