Poll results: UK to pause smart motorway rollout

The rollout of new all lane running smart motorway schemes has been paused until a full five years’ worth of safety data is available.

The decision followed a transport select committee report published in November, 2021 which concluded that the Department for Transport and Highways England had failed to deliver on promises to implement safety improvements for all-lane running Smart Motorways.

Although both bodies have claimed that smart motorways are comparatively the safest roads in the country in terms of fatality rates, the absence of a hard shoulder on all lane running motorways has contributed to a number of deaths in recent years, and road safety campaigners have been calling for a rethink on the government’s plans.