New photo Calls to stop rollout of smart motorways over safety fears – as no hard shoulder turns stranded drivers into ‘sitting ducks’

A GROUP of MPs are calling for the rollout of smart motorways to be halted over concerns they are putting road users in danger.

Campaigners want the current highway scheme to be reviewed, as the removal of the hard shoulder could be putting broken-down motorists and recovery workers at risk.

Smart motorways use the hard shoulder as an extra lane in heavy traffic

MP Tracey Crouch called for the “government to pause and reflect on whether we’re getting this right”.

There are currently more than 100 miles of All Lane Running smart motorways in England — with 225 more miles planned by 2025, according to Highways England.

Some smart motorways use the hard shoulder as a fourth lane only when traffic is heavy, while ALR motorways permanently use the hard shoulder as an additional lane.

This means drivers who break down on the high-speed roads could be forced to sit in lanes exposed to live traffic, where other drivers are unaware the hard shoulder has been closed due to a stationary vehicle.

ALR smart motorways have the hard shoulder permanently set as a fourth lane

PA:Press Association

Crouch told BBC 5 live the rollout of further ALR smart motorways should be stopped “until we have a better understanding about how we can protect those who have broken down and the recovery workers that come to assist them”.

The Campaign for Safer Roadside Rescue and Recovery (CSRRR) also want the rollout of the ALR scheme to be stopped.

While they admit smart motorways have offered improvement to traffic flow, the CSRRR said: “These improvements have come at the cost of reduced safety of those who work on the hard shoulder, particularly recovery operators who don’t have access to the use of red warning beacons”.

Obtained by the RAC, figures from Highways England showed there were 16 serious crashes along the 100 miles of ALR motorways where at least one vehicle was stationary in 2017.

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A further 29 crashes occurred on the rest of the English network involving vehicles stopped in the hard shoulder.

Ellie Montgomery, her husband and three daughters, were involved in a collision in December last year after their vehicle broke down in a live lane.

The family’s car was struck by a lorry while sat stationary on the M6, as the hard shoulder was blocked off to be converted into a smart motorway.

Three of the five occupants in the car suffered injuries in the collision.

Ellie slammed the planned rollout of more ALR smart motorways, telling BBC 5 live they were a “sitting duck” when their people carrier broke down.

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She said: “It turns the motorway into a deathtrap.

“There is no amount of technology that can overcome the danger of not having a hard shoulder as a safety net.”

A Highways England spokesperson said: “Smart motorways are good for drivers; they add extra lanes giving extra space so more people can travel, they use technology which makes journeys more reliable and evidence proves they are as safe as traditional motorways, which are already among the safest roads in the world.

“Feedback from road users show the majority feel confident driving on a smart motorway, and that they are safer and improve journey times.”

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News Pictures Calls to stop rollout of smart motorways over safety fears – as no hard shoulder turns stranded drivers into ‘sitting ducks’

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