Rishi Sunak bans new smart motorways over safety concerns

Campaigners against smart motorways have won part of their battle as the prime minister bans building any new roads, ITV News' Politics Reporter Harry Horton has the latest

New smart motorways have been banned from being built in the UK as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak acknowledged fears over safety and cost.

Fourteen planned smart motorways – including 11 which were paused and three earmarked for construction – will be removed from government road building plans.

This is due to financial pressures and the lack of public trust in the road system.

The Department for Transport said the construction of these schemes would have cost more than £1 billion.

Smart motorway campaigner Claire Mercer, whose husband died in a crash on the M1, welcomed the Government’s decision to scrap new smart motorways but said she would continue pushing for the hard shoulder to return on every road.

She said: “It’s great, it’s very good news.“I’m particularly happy that it’s been confirmed that the routes that are in planning, in progress, have also been cancelled. I didn’t think they’d do that.

“So it’s good news, but obviously it’s the existing ones that are killing us. And I’m not settling for more emergency refuge areas.“So it’s half the battle, but we’ve still got half the battle to go.”

What is a smart motorway?

Around 10% of England’s motorway network is made up of smart motorways.

The key difference is they use various methods to manage the flow of traffic, such as converting the hard shoulder into a live running lane and variable speed limits.

But fears over smart motorways safety have continued to grow, following deadly incidents when vehicles stopped in live lanes without a hard shoulder were hit from behind.

What about the smart motorways in use?

Construction of two stretches of smart motorway at junctions six to eight of the M56 and 21a to 26 of the M6 will continue as they are already more than three quarters complete, the department confirmed.

Existing stretches will remain but be subjected to a safety refit which will add 150 emergency stopping places across the network.

Why did Rishi Sunak decide to ban smart motorways?

In January 2022, the Government paused the expansion of motorways where the hard shoulder is used as a permanent live traffic lane.

This was so five years of data could be collected to assess whether they are safe for drivers.

In his Tory leadership campaign last summer, Mr Sunak vowed to ban smart motorways.

“All drivers deserve to have confidence in the roads they use to get around the country,” the Prime Minister said.

“Many people across the country rely on driving to get to work, to take their children to school and go about their daily lives, and I want them to be able to do so with full confidence that the roads they drive on are safe.”

Transport Secretary Mark Harper said: “We want the public to know that this Government is listening to their concerns.

“Today’s announcement means no new smart motorways will be built, recognising the lack of public confidence felt by drivers and the cost pressures due to inflation.”

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