Source · Select Committees · Transport Committee
Recommendation 3
3
The design of our motorways and major roads can currently be altered without any independent...
Conclusion
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
Government Response
Accepted in Part
HM Government
Accepted in Part
18. The Government agrees in principle with this recommendation as we recognise that the installation of EAs at closer spacing is valued by drivers and road safety organisations. 19. The Stocktake and Action Plan launched a new standard to achieve closer spacing of EAs at 0.75 mile where feasible, up to a maximum of 1 mile.4 This is now a design requirement for new ALR smart motorways schemes which entered the design phase from November 2020. The Stocktake and Action Plan also included a commitment to consider, by April 2022, a programme to install more EAs on existing ALR smart motorways. 20. The Government’s overarching objective is to make ALR smart motorways as safe as they possibly can be, and we believe that providing more places to stop in an emergency can contribute to that aim. As such the Government is committing £390m over the duration of the second Road Investment Strategy to roll out an EA retrofit programme. 4 In some exceptions it will not feasible to construct additional emergency areas, such as where junctions intersect or on bridges. This will see over 150 additional EAs being added to ALRs in operation and construction by 2025, with works expecting to start later in the year. These additional EAs will give drivers added reassurance that there is a safe place for them to stop in an emergency. 21. A decision on whether to retrofit across the remainder of ALR smart motorways will be considered as part of the formulation of the third Road Investment Strategy, based on evidence of safety benefits.