M1 smart motorway to be reviewed after horror crash killed two near Sheffield

Jason Mercer and Alexandry Murgeanu were both killed following a ‘minor crash’ near Meadowhall between J34 and J35.

The two men got out of their cars to exchange details after the incident – but both were then hit by a lorry and died at the scene.

Their death prompted Jason’s wife Claire to lead the calls for the ‘deadly’ scheme to be scrapped.

The Government has now launched a review into All Lanes Running Smart Motorways after Sarah Champion MP raised the issue during transport questions in the Commons.

Commenting on the announcement, Sarah said: “I am delighted that the Government has committed to review All Lanes Running.

“The so-called ‘Smart Motorway’ is nothing of the sort. By removing the hard shoulder, a vital safety refuge is lost.

“The Government was warned about the dangers of these schemes by the Transport Select Committee in 2016, three years before Jason’s death.

“But they chose to press on with increasing capacity on the cheap, at the expense of the safety of motorists.

“Jason’s death need never have happened. No-one else should have to suffer as Claire has.

“I hope that the Government will now see sense, prioritise motorists’ safety and stop these dangerous projects.”

There are two types of smart motorways in the UK. The first is where the hard shoulder is opened to traffic when it is busy. The second is where the hard shoulder is open all the time.

It was on the latter where both Jason and Alexandry were killed.

Transport Minister George Freeman said he would meet with the pair but also said: “I'm delighted to confirm the Secretary of State will be announcing a very short review in order that we can make sure that we deal with that problem quickly.”

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps told MPs ‘we know people are dying’ on smart motorways but added greater detail is required on how safe they are compared to full motorways.

He insisted he wants to ensure all motorways in the country are ‘as safe as they possibly can be’ and said the review could report within a matter of weeks.