The UK Government has announced it is to scrap plans to build more smart motorways over cost and safety concerns. “All drivers deserve to have confidence in the roads they use to get around the country,” Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak said. “That’s why last year I pledged to stop the building of all new smart motorways, and today I’m making good on that promise.”
Around 10% of the UK motorway network is made up of smart motorways, carriageways that deploy various methods to manage the flow of traffic, such as allowing motorists to use the hard shoulder as an extra lane and variable speed limits.
However, the lack of a hard shoulder has led to fatal collisions, with motoring agencies, including the RAC, actively campaigning for their use to be reassessed.
RAC road safety spokesman Simon Williams said: “This is a watershed announcement and a victory for everyone who has campaigned against these motorways that, by their design, put drivers in more danger should they be unlucky enough to break down on one.
“Our research shows all lane running smart motorways are deeply unpopular with drivers, so we’re pleased the Government has finally arrived at the same conclusion. It’s now vitally important that plans are made for making the hundreds of existing miles of these types of motorway as safe as possible.
“The possibility of converting all lane running stretches to the ‘dynamic hard shoulder’ configuration, where the hard shoulder is open and closed depending on the levels of traffic, could be one option the Government considers.”
Between 2015 and 2019, 36 people died on UK smart motorways where there is no hard shoulder or the hard shoulder can be converted to an extra lane, according to figures from National Highways, which operates England’s motorways and A-roads.
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