Smart motorways have proved highly controversial since they were introduced in 2006. The aim is to create much-needed capacity to reduce congestion on key areas of the UK’s constrained road network.
But the removal of the normal hard shoulder – the lane on the nearside of most motorways that is normally restricted to emergency use – has been blamed for causing the deaths of motorists who run into difficulties.
The prime minister has promised to scrap smart motorways. But what will that mean for motorists – and road safety?
What is a smart motorway?
A stretch of especially busy motorway where traffic management methods are used to increase capacity and reduce congestion.
There are three types:
- Variable speed limits – motorways where the default is the national speed limit of 70mph but can be reduced with specific lower limits on overhead signs. The aim is to ease congestion and increase safety by moderating speed.
- Dynamic hard shoulder running – at busy times the hard shoulder opens to traffic, adding extra capacity. Overhead signs indicate whether the lane is in use.
- All lane running – the hard shoulder is permanently used as an additional lane, with emergency refuges installed intermittently to allow motorists with mechanical or other issues to gain protection from the traffic. Since the scheme began in 2014, 141 miles of all-lane-running motorways have been created. If there is a breakdown, when “stopped vehicle technology” is in place, it takes National Highways an average of one minute to close the lane.
Which stretches of motorway are smart?
The M25 is entirely smart. Some of the motorways it crosses, including the M23, M3 and M4, are smart for stretches close to London. The M1 is smart for most of its length between London and Leeds.
Parts of the M62, near Leeds, Bradford and Manchester, are smart. The M6 through Cheshire, Staffordshire and the West Midlands is smart, as are spurs near Birmingham on the M42 and M5.
The roll-out of further smart motorways is currently paused to allow for safety data to be studied.
Smart moves: National Highways map from 2021 showing existing smart motorways (dark blue) and proposed stretches (red)
(National Highways)
What are the concerns?
Campaigners say that 75 lives have been lost on smart motorways, and several coroners have requested a review of the policy. The Transport Select Committee, which has studied smart motorways in depth, has expressed serious worries about the risks they pose.
Dynamic hard…
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