Industry reacts to scrapping of new smart motorways
Following the Prime Minister’s decision to rule out the building of new smart motorways, the industry has been giving its reaction. Max Sugarman, Chief Executive at Intelligent Transport Systems UK (ITS UK), said: “Whilst we acknowledge that the Government will stop construction of all new smart motorways, it is important to note that these roads […]
All new smart motorway projects scrapped
The Government has announced there will be no new smart motorways built, after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak decided drivers had lost confidence in the scheme. The Department for Transport issued the following statement: Plans for new smart motorways will be cancelled, delivering on the Prime Minister’s summer campaign pledge. New smart motorways – including the […]
Lanes open on upgraded M56
An extra lane’s been opened on each carriageway of the M56 between Altrincham and Hale in Greater Manchester, designed to to improve journey times and reliability for the tens of thousands of drivers who use the route daily. The upgrade between junction 6 for Hale Barns and junction 8 at Bowdon cost £85 million. The […]
National Highways investigates Smart Motorway outage
National Highways says it does not believe there were any injuries or incidents as a result of a software outage on the smart motorway network yesterday (22 February). Operation Control Director Andrew Page-Dove told the BBC that engineers worked to repair the system as soon as possible, and that National Highways had increased patrols and […]
Harris admits SVD might take months more to fully work on smart motorways
National Highways CEO Nick Harris has admitted that smart motorways’ safety technology will not work properly for another five months. The Telegraph quotes Mr Harris’s appearance in front of the Transport Select Committee in which he said, “Many of the schemes are not meeting the very challenging performance specifications we set. It is working and […]
NH told to deliver better performance from Smart Motorway technology
The Office of Rail and Road says National Highways is on course to achieve its overall safety target for the Strategic Road Network in England. The company has also met its Stopped Vehicle Detection technology installation targets; however, the system is not yet meeting performance expectations. This is the first annual assessment from the ORR […]
Berkshire M4 upgrade now fully open
A 32-mile motorway upgrade stretching from Greater London across Berkshire which will cut congestion and further improve journeys is now fully open, National Highways has announced today (Monday 5 December). As part of a phased opening, the eastern section of the M4 between junctions 3 (Hayes) and 8/9 (Maidenhead) has now moved to 70mph. This […]
Research suggests drivers are avoiding inside lane on smart motorways over safety fears
Half of drivers say they frequently or occasionally avoid using lane one on all lane running smart motorways. The RAC, which carried out the research, says this is “a revelation that completely undermines the very reason so many hard shoulders have been permanently turned into running lanes: to increase road capacity”. The RAC spoke to […]
Coroner warns of more smart motorway deaths without education
A coroner has warned that the public needs to be told that nobody may be watching if they break down on smart motorways. The Telegraph reports that Nicola Mundy, senior coroner for Doncaster Coroner’s Court, has written to National Highways to warn that there is a “lack of public understanding” regarding the need to contact […]
National Highways apologises for random lane closures on smart motorways
National Highways has apologised after what it calls “unexpected issues” left motorists seeing random lane closure signs on sections of smart motorway in England. The BBC reports problems were reported by drivers on the M6, M1 and A1(M), with “mile upon mile” of lane closure warnings and “unreadable” overhead signs. Speed limits were placed on […]
