Since late 2018 a smart motorway has been under construction on the M4 between Reading and the outskirts of London. This section of the M4 has joined stretches of 13 other motorways as part of the UK’s roll-out of smart motorways.
Under this scheme, traffic management systems manage traffic flow and speed limits, and overhead signage governs the use of the inside lane or hard shoulder. Smart motorways were introduced in 2006 and seemed like a viable solution for managing ever-increasing traffic volumes through technology.
However, earlier this year, the Transport Secretary paused the roll-out to allow for more in-depth data analysis on the safety and efficiency of existing smart motorways.
What is a smart motorway?
There are three types of smart motorway currently in use:
Controlled motorway, where the hard shoulder is still available for use in an emergency and speed limits are variable and controlled via a regional traffic centre.
Dynamic hard shoulder, where vehicles can use the hard shoulder at peak times and speed limits and lane use is controlled by the regional control centre. Emergency breakdown areas are available at intervals on these stretches of motorway.
All lane running, where there is no hard shoulder. The regional traffic centres control speed limits, and there are emergency breakdown areas available, and lanes are marked as closed if a car breaks down in the inside lane.
The story so far
Since the introduction of smart motorways, there has been an increasing concern about the safety of using the hard shoulder as a driving lane. The government recently launched an enquiry into the rising number of fatalities on smart motorways. In 2016 the Transport Select Committee expressed “deep scepticism” about the design and implementation of all lane running motorways.
The government proposed several safety improvements. In November 2020, the Transport Select Committee followed up with another report asking for a pause in the roll-out of new all lane running smart motorway projects whilst safety data was reviewed. The government has agreed to do this.
The committee also recommended emergency refuge safety areas be a maximum of one mile apart and called for a review of improved stopped vehicle technology.
The benefits of smart motorways
The introduction of smart motorways in 2006 was primarily to tackle stop-start congestion through variable speed limits and the introduction, where possible, of an additional lane.
Broadly speaking, there has been an improvement in traffic flow. Additionally, the reduction in stop-start congestion has reduced emissions and kept traffic moving. There have also been cost savings in utilising the existing motorway footprint by converting the hard shoulder.
On-going concerns about safety
However, these benefits are challenged by safety concerns. If you break down on a smart motorway, you could be a considerable distance from an emergency breakdown area. If you are in a car with a child or older person, getting to safety may not be straightforward and may be downright scary, especially if, as was admitted by Highways England in 2016, it takes 17 minutes before you are noticed and warning signs appear on the overhead gantries.
The AA has stopped sending crews to smart motorway incidents. Dealing with a breakdown on the hard shoulder is scary enough in normal circumstances; imagine if that is on an all lane running stretch of smart motorway. Between 2014 and 2019, 38 people died either due to the lack of a hard shoulder or being on the hard shoulder when it was a live lane.
In addition to the safety issues, many drivers admit to being confused by the variable lanes and speed limits on smart motorways.
The future of smart motorways
The promise of smart motorways was one where technology would make road travel more dynamic and data-driven. In reality, safety concerns have made this promise more difficult to achieve than imagined. Whilst National Highways mulls over the data and looks at ways of using technology to ensure improved safety for broken down vehicles, the initial promise of smart motorways seems a long way off.
‘Smart’ motorways is a nonsense idea & they should all be scrapped. It only takes a tanker load of paint to put back the white line indicating the hard shoulder.
No way would I willingly use an “all lane” smart motorway. What happens if you can’t get as far as an emergency breakdown area. I think we all know what that outcome would be. I would rather dawdle along on an A road than use these lethal motorways.
If the road is without a hard shoulder why were they used from the word go . Motorways are dangerous enough with the hard shoulder Cut the speed limit if people have to be so impatient. and increase the penalty for speeding offences and make them more easily detected by all vehicles constantly monitored. If you don’t like being watched, Easy , Don’t use the motorway.
ex lorry driver smart motorways are not safe as the speed and volume of traffic now make them a lot less safe with no hard shoulder and if one breaks down in front of you you have no chance of getting out into the offside lane because the traffic will not let you in.
I drive down a part of the M3 fairly regularly and hate it since it became a smart motorway. There is no hard shoulder at all at any time on the section I use and the emergency ‘refuge’ areas are quite far apart. I dread breaking down or getting a flat tyre as it feels very dangerous to me and I usually keep in the inside lane all the time even if it means sitting behind a slow moving vehicle. From what I understand the original criteria for a smart motorway involved refuge areas far closer than those now being constructed, which perhaps may have been a bit safer but I’m still not convinced. I don’t think the use of the hard shoulder necessarily will improve traffic flow either, in the long term. Every time a motorway is widened by adding an extra lane it seems merely to attract more traffic so the motorway is still just as congested in the end.
I have witnessed the ‘panic’ situation where a driver has suddenly come to a ‘closed’ section of a smart motorway but been unable to join the lane alongside due to a continuous stream of vehicles and self centred indignant drivers not allowing them to merge in.
I have also seen where a vehicle has pulled over to the nearside lane with mechanical problems yet the lane has still not shown as ‘closed’ by the highways management staff as there are grossly insufficient cameras monitoring the inside lane on the motorway. This issue is well known but seldom mentioned…..smart motorways need a lot of cameras AND staff to monitor them, and this just isn’t being implimented.
Furthermore, l have found that overhead speed restriction signs have not truly reflected the traffic situation, with many a time the motorway has been quite clear yet 50mph is being displayed overhead.
We use the new M4 “digital” motorway a couple of times a week. Since it became fulky open betwen 8/9 & 10 we’ve seem several lane closures due to broken down vehicles unable to make it to an emergency layby. Most of these are well over a mile apart and you are unlikely to ‘coast’ to the next one.
We’ve also witnessed several cars ignoring the “lane closed” signs. Debris was left in the outside lane and the overhead gantries showed the lane closed but it didn’t deter one driver who carried on regardless swerving at the lasr minute to avoid the obstruction.
I’m also not sure why BOTH sides of the motorway have to have reduced speed limits when it is obvious the problem is confined to just one lane on one side. I assume it was cheaper to wire it up that way but it won’t be long before drivers ignore the signs as they don’t trust the operators.
No it’s because ‘rubber neckers’ cause congestion by slowing down to look at the event on the other carriageway
It only takes a split second to be hit from the rear if you break down or get a blow out if there is a hard shoulder at least you have some chance of pulling over out of the flow of traffic smart motorways are very dumb
Keep the smart variable speed limits but go back to a full time hard shoulder. Only allow emergency vehicles to drive along hard shoulder when and if traffic on driving lanes is stationary.
Cheapskate method of handling traffic flow, the cost is in human lives, A vehicle is not intelligent enough to break down in exactly the right location of a refuge, neither is there adequate acceleration space to rejoin the live lanes if you manage to get mobile again, we dont all drive F1 cars