Source · Select Committees · Transport Committee
Recommendation 5
5
We welcome the steps that the Department is taking through the action plan to rebuild...
Conclusion
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
Government Response
Accepted in Part
HM Government
Accepted in Part
25. The Government agrees in principle with this recommendation, subject to the successful outcome of research, consultation, and feasibility trials. 26. The emergency corridor rules adopted in other countries provide a system to assist emergency services access incidents where no hard shoulder exists. National Highways is currently working with the AA to look at the feasibility of introducing a similar arrangement of ‘proactive’ emergency corridors. This involves investigating how well emergency corridors work, what benefits they could provide in reducing incident access times, and any potential disadvantages. An area of focus will be understanding how the emergency corridor manoeuvre would be applied to four lane ALR smart motorways. 27. The initial research is due to be completed in early 2022. This will then be followed by a full impact assessment, safety risk assessment and stakeholder consultation on the concept by late 2022. We will share our findings with the Committee once available. Rollout and safety of smart motorways: Government Response to 7 the Committee’s Third Report