UK Scraps Plans for New Smart Motorways Over Safety and Cost Concerns

Vehicles on the new 13.4-mile long M3 "smart" motorway near Longcross, Surrey, in UK, on July 3, 2017. (Steve Parsons/PA Media)

The UK government has decided to scrap all plans for new “smart motorways,” citing financial pressures and safety concerns.

Fourteen planned smart motorways—including 11 that are already paused and 3 earmarked for construction—will be removed from the government’s road building plans, the Department for Transport (DfT) announced on Saturday.

Around 10 percent of England’s motorway network is made up of so-called smart motorways, which were developed to increase capacity without having to add extra traffic lanes.

They use technology to shut and slow lanes in response to accidents and breakdowns, freeing up the emergency hard-shoulder lane to be flexibly used for regular traffic when needed.

But concerns have been raised over the years following fatal incidents involving broken-down vehicles being hit from behind.

The DfT said that cancelling these schemes will “allow more time to track public confidence in smart motorways over a longer period.”

Cost is also a factor in the decision, with the DfT saying constructing future smart motorway schemes would have cost more than £1 billion.

But the department added that the construction of two stretches of the smart motorway at junctions 6 to 8 of the M56 and junctions 21a to 26 of the M6 will continue as they are already more than three-quarters complete.

Existing stretches will remain but be subjected to a safety refit so there are 150 more emergency stopping places across the network.

Campaign Promise

In January 2022, the government paused the expansion of motorways where the hard shoulder is used as a permanent live traffic lane.

This was to enable five years of data to be collected to assess whether they are safe for drivers.

In his Conservative party leadership campaign last summer, Rishi Sunak vowed to ban them.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak during a visit to the UK Atomic Energy Authority, Culham Science Centre, in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, on March 30, 2023. (Jacob King - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Commenting on the decision to scrap new smart motorways, the prime minister said: “All drivers deserve to have confidence in the roads they use to get around the country. 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.

“Many people across the country rely on driving to get to work, to take their children to school, and go about their daily lives and I want them to be able to do so with full confidence that the roads they drive on are safe.”

Transport Secretary Mark Harper said: “We want the public to know that this government is listening to their concerns. Today’s announcement means no new smart motorways will be built, recognising the lack of public confidence felt by drivers and the cost pressures due to inflation.”

Transport Secretary Mark Harper arrives for a government's Cobra emergency committee meeting at the Cabinet Office in London, on Dec. 14, 2022. (Victoria Jones/PA Media)

Safety Concerns

The decision has been welcomed by MPs and road safety campaigners, who have long been critical of the safety record of the smart motorways.

Campaigner Claire Mercer, whose husband was killed on a smart motorway, welcomed the government’s move but pledged to continue pushing for the hard shoulder to return on every road.

She told the PA news agency: “It’s great, it’s very good news. I’m particularly happy that it’s been confirmed that the routes that are in planning, in progress, have also been cancelled. I didn’t think they’d do that.

“So it’s good news, but obviously it’s the existing ones that are killing us. And I’m not settling for more emergency refuge areas.

“So it’s half the battle, but we’ve still got half the battle to go.”

Jason Mercer and another man, Alexandru Murgeanu, died in 2019 when they were hit by a lorry on the M1 near Sheffield after they stopped on the inside lane of the smart motorway section following a minor collision.

Sarah Champion, the Labour MP for Mercer’s Rotherham constituency, said: “I’m relieved the government has finally listened to motorists and common sense, but this announcement is long overdue and I need to see the detail before celebrating.”

Edmund King, president of motoring services company AA, said: “We have had enough coroners passing down their deadly and heart-breaking judgments where the lack of a hard shoulder has contributed to deaths. At last the government has listened and we are delighted to see the rollout of ‘smart’ motorways scrapped.”

He said he would like to see “the hard shoulder reinstated on existing stretches in due course.”

Simon Williams, road safety spokesman for motoring services firm RAC, said: “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.”

Simon Veazey and PA Media contributed to this report.