In October 2019, the Secretary of State asked the Department for Transport to carry out an evidence stocktake to gather the facts on the safety of motorways and make recommendations. In March 2020, the evidence stocktake and an action plan was published. One of those actions was to improve safety for users of motorways and other high-speed roads through the provision of improved guidance and advice. The proposed update to The Highway Code is intended to provide additional guidance on motorway driving and to improve the safety of motorways and other high-speed roads for users and people whose work takes them into contact with the high-speed road network.

Smart Motorways recently came under fire when South Yorkshire’s Police & Crime Commissioner wrote an open letter to the Transport Secretary which said that smart motorways without a hard shoulder are “inherently unsafe, dangerous and should be abandoned”. His comments were made following a Coroner’s ruling this month that the absence of a hard shoulder on part of the M1 in South Yorkshire contributed to the deaths of two men. 

A Department for Transport spokesman said that a recent ‘stocktake’ of smart motorway safety “showed that in most ways smart motorways are as safe as, or safer than, the conventional ones. The Transport Secretary has tasked Highways England with delivering an 18 point action plan to ensure they are safer still.

Baroness Vere, parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Transport, says in the foreword to the consultation document:

"One of the biggest changes to the road network in recent years is the way that motorways are built and operated. Modern motorways use technology to monitor and manage the flow of traffic. The technology is controlled from regional control centres which can activate and change signs and speed limits. This helps keep the traffic flowing more smoothly. On some stretches, the hard shoulder has been removed to accommodate growing traffic and there are different arrangements in place to safely manage incidents and breakdowns. On other stretches of motorway, the hard shoulder is used to carry traffic at busy times and variable speed limits help to control the flow of traffic."

The proposed changes include new and additional guidance on:

• the availability, appearance, and safe use of emergency areas
• the use of variable speed limits to manage congestion
• the use of the red ‘X’ sign to close lanes and provide a safer area for the people and vehicles involved in incidents and roadworks
• the use of hard shoulders that become extra lanes during periods of congestion
• how road users can help keep themselves safe in the event of a breakdown
• how safety cameras are employed to promote compliance with speed limits and lane closures

CIHT are seeking members' views on the consultation, click here to submit your views on CIHT Connect. 

Access the full consultation paper here.