As the debate over smart motorways continues, the UK government faces increased pressure to reintroduce hard shoulders, following a spate of safety incidents and public dissatisfaction.
The UK government is facing heightened calls to bring back hard shoulders on smart motorways, as safety worries persist. These concerns have been reinforced by the RAC, particularly following Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s cessation of new smart motorway projects a year ago. Originally designed to boost road capacity economically by converting hard shoulders into active lanes, smart motorways have been criticized after multiple incidents of vehicles breaking down in active traffic lanes. The RAC points out the paradox in spending vast amounts of public money to rectify issues on these motorways and advocates for either reinstating traditional hard shoulders or implementing dynamic lane systems.
In addition, the Department for Transport has terminated future smart motorway plans and is allocating £900 million to improve the existing infrastructure, with a focus on safety enhancements. A report from National Highways indicates that motorways without hard shoulders pose a thrice higher risk for vehicles that break down, compared to those with emergency lanes.
In a separate incident highlighting roadway safety, seventeen football supporters were hospitalized following a minibus crash on the A1(M) near Pontefract. The accident involved a black Skoda Fabia and an Iris minibus carrying South Shields FC fans. Emergency responders, including the Yorkshire Ambulance Service, attended to the scene, and the impacted section of the A1(M) was closed overnight for investigation. Lee Picton, the sporting director of South Shields FC, expressed the club’s commitment to support the injured fans through this ordeal.
