South Yorkshire’s police and crime commissioner says smart motorways pause 'doesn’t go far enough'

Ministers announced last week that they will immediately cease building any more smart motorways until five years’ worth of safety data is available.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps also announced plans for more emergency refuge areas on existing stretches of smart motorways, and that an independent evaluation will be undertaken into of the effectiveness of stopped vehicle detection technology.

The smart motorway – which runs from junctions 32 to 35a on the M1 in South Yorkshire – has been the subject of criticism since they were rolled out for their lack of emergency stopping areas, leaving vehicles stranded in open lanes of fast-moving traffic.

South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner, Dr Alan Billings said that although the announcement is a ‘positive move’, ‘it simply doesn’t go far enough’.

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Dr Billings added that he believes smart motorways are ‘inherently unsafe’, and says he ‘often hears from members of the public about how they feel anxious using these stretches of smart motorway’.

“If there is a collision and traffic comes to a halt, a smart motorway presents a huge challenge for recovery workers when there is no hard shoulder to drive along and they have to navigate through stationary vehicles.

“HGV drivers have told me how hazardous it is trying to navigate around stationary vehicles in a live lane.

“I welcome the government’s decision to review the safety of smart motorways, but continue to urge them to abandon the scheme altogether.

“We should be designing dangers out of roads not building them in.”