Recommendation 5

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