Smart highways: Government halts rollout amid safety concerns after inquiry | UK news

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Smart “all-lane” highways have been temporarily shut down amid safety concerns, following a government investigation.

The Department of Transportation (DfT) has said it will pause the expansion of smart highways, where the hard shoulder is always a live lane, until it provides five years of data on driver safety.

Where work is already underway, the £390m retrofit program will see additional areas for emergency shelters and parked vehicle detection technology installed where possible.

The decision comes after a recommendation from the Public Transport Committee, which highlighted the lack of sufficient economic and safety data to justify continuing the project.

Activists were screaming about smart highways

Jason Mercer passed away in 2019 while on his way to work. He had a detour with a pickup truck on the M1 stretch near Sheffield that had been converted into a smart motorway.

After the two cars stopped, they were hit by a truck. Claire Mercer says her husband would have survived had there been a stiff shoulder.

What are ‘smart highways’, how much have they cost taxpayers – and why are they being suspended?

She told Sky News: “At first I thought it was just a tragic accident. But as I learned more and more, what should have happened and shouldn’t have happened.

“Activists have been screaming about smart highways for years and years, which only made it so much more painful.”

Ms. Mercer founded Smart Motorways Kill and campaigns for the complete abolition of motorways.

“None of this is enough,” she says, she wants to see solid shoulders restored in every case.

Photo: Jason Mercer, 44, died in a collision on the northbound M1 on June 7, 2019. Pic: South Yorkshire Police @syptweet

‘Right government is evaluating’ smart highways

In a report, the Transportation Committee described the government’s March 2020 decision that all future smart highways would be all-lane versions as “premature”.

Concerns were expressed after fatal accidents involving vehicles colliding from behind.

Roads without a stiff shoulder are associated with more accidents and deaths

Nicholas Lys, RAC’s head of roads policy, told Sky News: “We believe it is right for the government to assess, look at the evidence, look at the data, and collect all the data before deciding whether it is right to move forward.

Photo: Widow Claire Mercer (right) launched Smart Motorways Kill after her husband died in one in Sheffield

“Ultimately, the problem is the permanent removal of the scapula and insufficient areas of refuge.

“If a driver stops in a neighborhood lane, he is likely to be at the mercy of the drivers behind him who are not following some of the information on the bridge signs.”

Transport Minister says it is ‘necessary’ to undergo data review

Smart motorways were introduced in England in 2014 to ease congestion – there are 375 miles of smart motorway, including 235 miles without a hard shoulder.

Roads that will not convert to all-lane highways, pending a five-year Safety Data Review, include the M3 J9-14, the M40/M42 interchange, the M62 J20-25, and the M25 J10-16.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “While our initial data shows that smart motorways are among the safest in the UK, it is critical that we go further to ensure people feel safe when using them.

“Pausing plans yet to begin construction and making multi-million dollar improvements to existing schemes will give drivers the confidence and provide the data we need to inform our next steps.”

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Tory MP Hugh Merriman, who chairs the House of Commons Transport Select Committee, said: “It was clear to our committee that the public needed more reassurance that these motorways were safe to use.

“With conflicting and incomplete evidence covering a limited number of years, more time has been required to properly assess the impact on safety.

“By accepting our recommendation to temporarily halt the rollout of smart highways, the government will have the weight of evidence to aid planning for future road construction design.

Photo: Smart highways have screens that can light up to indicate lane closures

“It is important that this extra time is not only spent on assessment, but that the focus should be on making smart highways safer.”

Labour’s shadow transport minister, Louise Hay, said: “We know that smart highways in their current form, along with inadequate safety systems, are not fit for purpose and put lives at risk.

“Ministers were wrong to move forward when strong evidence warned against it.

“Today’s announcement is a welcome step, but Ministers need to go one step further and put their shoulder back to what it was during the conduct of this security work and accompanying review of the evidence.”

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