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Are they really ‘smart’ motorways?

17 February 2021

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has made clear his discontent with the expansion scheme for smart motorways. 

“I don't want to carry on with what we've seen of smart motorways, the system I've inherited... I wouldn't have gone about it like this, and I don't approve of the fact that emergency areas were being spaced way too far apart.

“I've said they have to be ideally three-quarters of a mile apart, no more than a mile, and I've ordered Highways England to get on with it.

“Why these things were ever called smart motorways when they seemed to be anything but, I think was a misnomer.”

Smart motorways lack a hard shoulder to create a greater lane capacity. Unfortunately, without a hard-shoulder, drivers are denied a safe space to for emergency stopping. 

The problem is, to put back the hard shoulder on smart motorways, the government would need to acquire the equivalent of 700 Wembley stadium-sized football pitches. This would mean destroying more natural land and buying more people's homes.

However, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps is pursuing other plans to improve safety, such as the installation of radar technology in live lanes - which can detect a stopped vehicle in a live lane in 20 seconds - more lay-bys, and fines for driving in closed lanes.

We take road safety very seriously at Marshall Leasing. If you would like to find out more about how our team of expert fleet managers can assist with your fleet requirements, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us by emailing info@marshall-leasing.co.uk or calling 01480 414541.

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