The government has halted the introduction of smart motorways that do not include measures to detect stopped vehicles. The decision is an attempt to improve road safety.
Transport secretary Grant Shapps said no further all-lane-running motorways will be allowed to open without radar technology to spot stopped vehicles. He added that Highways England will roll out the technology to existing smart motorways by September 2022, six months earlier than originally planned.
Shapps also announced that Highways England will upgrade smart motorway cameras so they can detect when vehicles are driving in closed lanes.
Smart motorways aim to improve journey times by increasing traffic capacity, with the hard shoulder used as a normal lane. However, the government has repeatedly come under fire for rolling out the controversial schemes, as many believe the removal of hard shoulders hinders road safety.
Earlier this month, road safety charity IAM RoadSmart claimed the majority of motorists have ‘no trust’ in smart motorways.
Shapps said: “This government takes the safety of our roads very seriously. We are determined to do all we can to help drivers feel safer and be safer on our roads – all our roads.”
Responding to the ministerial statement, Huw Merriman MP, chair of the Transport Select Committee, said: “The Transport Committee is currently in the midst of an inquiry to determine if smart motorways are safe… We will look closely at today’s announcement from government that smart motorway construction will continue.”
AA and RAC respond
RAC head of roads policy Nicholas Lyes said: “While it appears good progress is being made on implementing some of the changes the government promised last year, we are concerned that drivers will still need to wait up to 18 months before all cameras are enforcing ‘red X’ lane closed signs.
“Enforcement is vital in getting all drivers to obey these signs, as anyone who disregards them is at a much greater risk of being in a collision with a stranded vehicle.”
Edmund King, president of the AA, said more needs to be done to improve safety: “The number one improvement advocated by the AA and our members is to increase the number of emergency refuge areas and retrofit them to older schemes to ensure they are placed at approximately 0.75 miles apart.
“More ERAs, together with improving the accuracy of stopped vehicle detection radar, should be the urgent priorities.”
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