Highways England Chief Admits Smart Motorways Too Confusing For Motorists

Smart Motorways

Is the hard shoulder open or not?

Highways England Chief Jim O’Sullivan announced to MPs that dynamic smart motorways will no longer be built because many motorists fail to understand and use them as intended. He said to the Transport Committee: “I don’t think we will be building any more dynamic hard shoulder smart motorways. They’re just too complicated for people to use.”

A dynamic smart motorway is one where the hard shoulder is used as a relief lane during busy periods. Their presence has increased over the past few years and they are currently used on parts of the M1, M4, M5, M6, M42 and M62 motorways. Their usage is intended to increase road capacity and reduce congestion.

Mr O’Sullivan explained that there is clear confusion as to whether the hard shoulder is open or not. Dynamic smart motorways often have hard shoulders open to motorists during busy morning and evening commuting periods, which has proven problematic, confusing and potentially dangerous.

When motorists’ daily routines change, they have been using the hard shoulder when it is open only to emergency vehicles. More worryingly, motorists have been using the hard shoulder to stop when it is a running lane.

There has been no decision made upon other types of smart motorways. All running lane smart motorways use the hard shoulder as an open lane, unless an accident occurs. Controlled smart motorways use average speed cameras with the hard shoulder used exclusively for emergencies.

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