In news that will not surprise any drivers who use smart motorways regularly, new data from National Highways shows that several are not delivering value for money and, in some cases, making congestion worse.
Stretches on the M25 and M6 were reported as offering ‘very poor’ value for money, with only three out of 16 on track to deliver financial benefits. The AA labelled the introduction of smart motorways as a ‘catastrophic waste of time, money and effort’.
The first smart motorways trial started 20 years ago on the M42 in the West Midlands between junctions 3A and 7 as a dynamic hard shoulder scheme.
This trial evolved into a permanent conversion of the hard shoulder, with the schemes extended to 17% of the motorway network between 2010 and the cancellation of the programme in 2023.
Edmund King, AA president, said: “This has been a catastrophic waste of time, money and effort. Many of the schemes have slower journeys which causes traffic jams, loses the country cash and worsened the safety record of motorways.”
The road safety benefits of smart motorways have also been brought into question as two schemes show a worsening safety record. The all-lane running section of the M3, between junctions 2 and 4a, shows an increase in the number of those killed or seriously injured by around a third.
Meanwhile, the M1 stretch of all-lane running, between junctions 29 and 42, also shows an increase in crashes where people were killed or seriously injured (KSI). The scheme was also given a ‘poor value for money’ rating as journey times did not improve.
There was a marginal reduction in those killed or seriously injured on the M25, between junctions 23 to 27. However, at either end of this stretch are two controlled motorways which were widened, retained the hard shoulder and installed safety technology (M25 16-23 and M25 27-30). In both cases, a significant reduction in KSIs was observed.
King continued: “Motorways which have been widened, the hard shoulder kept and safety technology added have proved the most successful. We have been calling for this standard for so long and urge any Government that looks to improve motorways to use this style as the blueprint.”
