Recommendations & Conclusions
11 items
1
Conclusion
Third Report - Rollout and safety of sm…
Deferred
The design of our motorways and strategic roads necessarily entails balancing competing priorities. However, successive Administrations, together with the Department and National Highways’ predecessor, Highways England, underestimated the scale of safety measures needed effectively and reliably to mitigate the risks associated with the permanent removal of the hard shoulder on …
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The design of our motorways and strategic roads necessarily entails balancing competing priorities. However, successive Administrations, together with the Department and National Highways’ predecessor, Highways England, underestimated the scale of safety measures needed effectively and reliably to mitigate the risks associated with the permanent removal of the hard shoulder on all-lane running motorways. The Department and Highways England failed to deliver safety improvements to all-lane running motorways in a timely fashion, despite having promised previous Transport Committees that such improvements would be prioritised. Moreover, the communication of this radical change in the design of our motorways has been woeful. Six years after their introduction, many people do not understand what all-lane running motorways are and what to do if they breakdown in a live lane.
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Government response AI summary
The government committed to further investigating the benefits of a health and safety assessment by the ORR and establishing an expert panel to review regulatory responsibilities and assess costs, benefits, and risks of additional ORR assessment, with recommendations later in the year.
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Department for Transport
2
Conclusion
Third Report - Rollout and safety of sm…
Accepted
We welcome the Department’s acceleration of safety improvements to all-lane running motorways and acknowledge that the current Secretary of State for Transport and Minister for Roads have, upon their appointment, taken steps to address safety and delivery failures on all-lane running motorways. However, it is regrettable that the Government should …
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We welcome the Department’s acceleration of safety improvements to all-lane running motorways and acknowledge that the current Secretary of State for Transport and Minister for Roads have, upon their appointment, taken steps to address safety and delivery failures on all-lane running motorways. However, it is regrettable that the Government should find itself in this position. Safety risks on all- lane running motorways, such as those raised by the Transport Committee in 2016, should have been addressed before those motorways were rolled out.
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Government response AI summary
The government states it agrees with the recommendation and will immediately pause the rollout of All-Lane Running (ALR) smart motorway schemes yet to commence construction. This pause will remain until five years of safety data is available for ALR motorways introduced before 2020.
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Department for Transport
3
Recommendation
Third Report - Rollout and safety of sm…
Accepted in Part
The design of our motorways and major roads can currently be altered without any independent assurance on safety by a regulatory body, which is a systemic weakness. The Department should make the introduction of changes to the design and operation of the Strategic Road Network depend on a formal health …
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The design of our motorways and major roads can currently be altered without any independent assurance on safety by a regulatory body, which is a systemic weakness. The Department should make the introduction of changes to the design and operation of the Strategic Road Network depend on a formal health and safety assessment by the Office of Rail and Road. (Paragraph 17) Evidence-based policymaking
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Government response AI summary
The government agrees in principle with the recommendation but primarily responds by detailing a £390m commitment to retrofit over 150 additional Emergency Areas (EAs) on all-lane running motorways by 2025. It does not commit to making all changes to road design and operation dependent on …
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Department for Transport
4
Recommendation
Third Report - Rollout and safety of sm…
Not Addressed
The available data on the safety of all-lane running motorways are limited and volatile. There are only five-years of safety data available for 29 miles of all-lane running motorways. The Department and National Highways should pause the rollout of all-lane running motorways until five-years of safety data is available for …
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The available data on the safety of all-lane running motorways are limited and volatile. There are only five-years of safety data available for 29 miles of all-lane running motorways. The Department and National Highways should pause the rollout of all-lane running motorways until five-years of safety data is available for the remaining 112 miles of all-lane running motorway introduced before 2020.
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Government response AI summary
The government states it agrees with the recommendation but does not commit to pausing the rollout of all-lane running motorways. Instead, its response focuses on assessing the effectiveness and operation of Stopped Vehicle Detection (SVD) technology and other safety measures, with an initial report expected …
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Department for Transport
5
Conclusion
Third Report - Rollout and safety of sm…
Deferred
We welcome the steps that the Department is taking through the action plan to rebuild trust in smart motorways and to make them safer. However, we are concerned a) that emergency refuge areas will remain too far part on existing all-lane running schemes at up to 2.5 km; b) whether …
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We welcome the steps that the Department is taking through the action plan to rebuild trust in smart motorways and to make them safer. However, we are concerned a) that emergency refuge areas will remain too far part on existing all-lane running schemes at up to 2.5 km; b) whether stopped vehicle detection technology is effective and reliable; and c) that emergency services and traffic patrol officers will still struggle to access incidents, especially when traffic is congested. (Paragraph 28) Rollout and safety of smart motorways 25
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Government response AI summary
The government agreed in principle with the Committee's concerns but deferred action, stating that National Highways is researching the feasibility of emergency corridor rules. Initial research is due in early 2022, followed by further assessments and consultation by late 2022.
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Department for Transport
6
Recommendation
Third Report - Rollout and safety of sm…
Accepted in Part
The Department and National Highways should: a) retrofit emergency refuge areas to existing all-lane running motorways to make them a maximum of 1,500 metres apart, decreasing to every 1,000 metres where physically possible; b) commission the Office of Rail and Road to conduct an independent evaluation of the effectiveness and …
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The Department and National Highways should: a) retrofit emergency refuge areas to existing all-lane running motorways to make them a maximum of 1,500 metres apart, decreasing to every 1,000 metres where physically possible; b) commission the Office of Rail and Road to conduct an independent evaluation of the effectiveness and operation of stopped vehicle detection technology, including maintenance and monitoring; and c) insert the emergency corridor manoeuvre into the Highway Code to help emergency services and traffic patrol officers to access incidents when traffic is congested.
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Government response AI summary
The government agrees to commission the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) to evaluate the success of the Action Plan in reducing live lane stops and breakdowns, with annual reports starting later this year. However, the response does not address retrofitting emergency refuge areas or …
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Department for Transport
7
Recommendation
Third Report - Rollout and safety of sm…
Accepted in Part
While we welcome the action plan, it is not clear whether the interventions that the Government and National Highways are rolling out will effectively mitigate the specific safety risks associated with the removal of the hard shoulder. Beginning in September 2022, the Office of Rail and Road should be tasked …
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While we welcome the action plan, it is not clear whether the interventions that the Government and National Highways are rolling out will effectively mitigate the specific safety risks associated with the removal of the hard shoulder. Beginning in September 2022, the Office of Rail and Road should be tasked with evaluating how successful the action plan has been in a) reducing incidences of live lane breakdowns on all-lane running motorways; b) reducing the time for which people who breakdown or stop in a live lane are at risk; and c) educating drivers on what to do if they breakdown in a live lane. (Paragraph 30) Next steps
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Government response AI summary
The government agreed with the recommendation to evaluate the action plan. It highlighted existing Post Opening Project Evaluation (POPE) reports by National Highways and committed to continuing work with the ORR to improve data and insights, and with Transport Focus on safety perception research.
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Department for Transport
8
Recommendation
Third Report - Rollout and safety of sm…
Accepted
The Government and National Highways should pause the rollout of all-lane running motorways to collect more data, to upgrade and then evaluate the safety of existing all-lane running schemes and to consider alternative options for enhancing capacity on the Strategic Road Network. The Government and National Highways should pause the …
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The Government and National Highways should pause the rollout of all-lane running motorways to collect more data, to upgrade and then evaluate the safety of existing all-lane running schemes and to consider alternative options for enhancing capacity on the Strategic Road Network. The Government and National Highways should pause the rollout of new all-lane running schemes until: • five years of safety and economic data is available for every all-lane running scheme introduced before 2020; and • the implementation of the safety improvements in the Government’s action plan has been independently evaluated. (Paragraph 43) 26 Rollout and safety of smart motorways
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Government response AI summary
The government agrees with the recommendation and will pause the conversion of seven Dynamic Hard Shoulder schemes to All-Lane Running motorways until the next Road Investment Strategy. They will consider alternative operating approaches, continue data collection on safety performance, and install further safety measures on …
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Department for Transport
9
Recommendation
Third Report - Rollout and safety of sm…
Deferred
Dynamic hard shoulder motorways apparently confuse drivers, because the hard shoulder is used unpredictably to tackle congestion. A more consistent approach, where the hard shoulder is used at known times, could clarify the situation for drivers without physically removing the hard shoulder. The Department for Transport and National Highways should …
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Dynamic hard shoulder motorways apparently confuse drivers, because the hard shoulder is used unpredictably to tackle congestion. A more consistent approach, where the hard shoulder is used at known times, could clarify the situation for drivers without physically removing the hard shoulder. The Department for Transport and National Highways should pause plans to convert dynamic hard shoulder motorways until the next Road Investment Strategy and use the intervening period to trial alternative ways in which to operate the dynamic hard shoulder to make the rules less confusing for drivers.
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Government response AI summary
The government agrees with the recommendation and commits to revisiting the case for controlled motorways compared to all-lane running motorways. An initial report comparing business cases will be published later this year, with updates as further data becomes available.
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Department for Transport
10
Recommendation
Third Report - Rollout and safety of sm…
Accepted
Controlled motorways, which retain the hard shoulder and have technology to regulate traffic, have the lowest casualty rates of all types of motorway on the Strategic Road Network. The Department and National Highways should revisit the case for controlled motorways. The Department should set out how the business case for …
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Controlled motorways, which retain the hard shoulder and have technology to regulate traffic, have the lowest casualty rates of all types of motorway on the Strategic Road Network. The Department and National Highways should revisit the case for controlled motorways. The Department should set out how the business case for controlled motorways compares with that for all-lane running motorways.
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Government response AI summary
The government agrees with the recommendation and will revisit the case for controlled motorways, comparing their business case with that of all-lane running motorways. An initial report on this comparison will be published later this year, with updates over the next few years.
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Department for Transport
11
Conclusion
Third Report - Rollout and safety of sm…
Acknowledged
Examining the available evidence base, we are not convinced that reinstating the hard shoulder on all all-lane running motorways will improve safety. The evidence suggests that doing so could put more drivers and passengers at risk of death and serious injury, especially if the reduction in capacity were to divert …
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Examining the available evidence base, we are not convinced that reinstating the hard shoulder on all all-lane running motorways will improve safety. The evidence suggests that doing so could put more drivers and passengers at risk of death and serious injury, especially if the reduction in capacity were to divert drivers on to less safe, local roads. Although the hard shoulder offers a relative place of safety, it is not a safe place to stop. The Government is right to focus on upgrading the safety of all- lane running motorways. (Paragraph 53) Rollout and safety of smart motorways 27
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Government response AI summary
The government acknowledges the committee's conclusion, reiterating that while the hard shoulder offers relative safety, it is not a safe place to stop, and that the government is right to focus on upgrading the safety of all-lane running motorways.
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Department for Transport