Image: IAM RoadSmart
IAM RoadSmart is calling on the DfT and Highways England to listen to motorists when determining the best approach to developing the smart motorway network.
The majority of respondents (85%) to a survey, carried out by the road safety charity, want to see a halt on the construction of smart motorways until the safety case is fully proven.
Furthermore, 84% of the 4,500 people surveyed said they had little faith in the ability of the current safety systems to protect them until help arrived if they were to experience a breakdown in a running lane.
More than 80% reported feeling less safe travelling on a smart motorway compared to a conventional motorway.
Neil Greig, IAM RoadSmart director of policy and research, said: “Our members include many high mileage, experienced and confident motorway users but the results of this survey are clear to see, with the vast majority having very little, or no confidence, in the safety of smart motorways.
“We would urge the DfT and Highways England to listen to what smart motorway users are saying and to consider our findings, along with other in-depth research, to determine the best approach to developing the smart motorway network.
“Delaying decisions on smart motorways will only lead to more drivers getting stressed.
“Alongside more education for drivers, IAM RoadSmart wants to see strong leadership with clear decisions taken soon on whether the programme should be reversed, or provided with the appropriate funding that will speed up delivery of the promised refuges, CCTV and vehicle detection technology.”
Smart motorways, which use variable speed limits and hard shoulder running to manage traffic and tackle stop-start congestion, have existed in England since 2002.
The most common type in the UK, all-lane-running (ALR), was introduced in 2014 and involves opening the hard shoulder permanently to drivers.
I can understand the concerns that many have about smart motorways, but no one yet has come up with a suitable answer. If we were to “Bring back the hard-shoulder” then we would be back to the heavy congestion experienced before the smart motorways went in. (You only have to listen to the radio travel reports, to discover what happens when a lane is closed on a conventional motorway). When the holdups become regular, traffic tends to “rat run” through local routes to avoid the congestion, making travel far more risky for vulnerable road users. The only true answer, is for us all to find ways to travel less.
Martin, Ipswich
--1
On a conventional motorway with a hard shoulder, if an electrical problem causes the vehicle to ‘shut down’ in lane two or three, having a hard shoulder won’t help you if you can’t reach it, but I’ve never heard anyone complain about conventional M-ways being dangerous for that reason. A car can also ‘shut down’ on an unlit road at night just around a bend and still be hit from behind.
Hugh Jones, Cheshire
+2
Reverse this “Smart motorway “ decision. It’s dangerous, people have been killed! What are Highways England doing?Why are they waiting for more people to be killed? If a car has an electrical problem and the car just shuts down, there’s no time to find a refuge area. Bring back the hard shoulder!!!!!
Lynn Dickens, Pontefract
0
> More than 80% reported feeling less safe travelling on a smart motorway compared to a conventional motorway.
I agree. Watching out for gantry mounted speed cameras constantly makes me feel rather paranoid.
> IAM RoadSmart wants to see strong leadership with clear decisions taken soon on whether the programme should be reversed
Strong executive decisions on what exactly? On whether or not a road with a blue sign and no hard shoulders with a 70mph limit is somehow more dangerous than a road with a green sign and no hard shoulders with a 70mph limit?
Baffling.
David Weston, Newcastle upon Tyne
+4