Select committee: Transport Committee
Conclusion 11
Third Report - Rollout and safety of smart motorways
Published 2 Nov 2021
Paragraph 53
Addressed to Department for Transport
Transport Committee The roll-out and safety of smart motorways All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Conclusion (the committee's words)
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.
From: Transport Committee, Third Report - Rollout and safety of smart motorways (HC 26), paragraph 53, 2 November 2021
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 12 January 2022 (deadline 10 January 2022).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government states it will be "taking forward all the recommendations", including pausing the rollout of future all lane running smart motorway schemes, while disagreeing with the Committee's view that the March 2020 decision was premature.
- It does "not agree" that the March 2020 decision that all new smart motorways would be ALRs was premature, nor that introducing ALR smart motorways was an unsafe change.
- It agrees to "immediately pause" ALR schemes yet to commence construction until five years of safety data is available, but will complete schemes already in construction, which are "all over 50% complete".
- On retrofitting emergency areas, it "agrees in principle" and commits £390m over the second Road Investment Strategy, for over 150 additional emergency areas by 2025. Wider retrofitting will be "considered" for the third Road Investment Strategy.
- On an ORR health and safety assessment, it commits only to "investigating further" the benefits, with recommendations to ministers "later this year", noting this may need legislation and consultation.