The 78-page review was commissioned by Transport Secretary Grant Shapps in October 2019. The accompanying action plan contains 18 measures to improve safety and public confidence for smart motorway users. The measures are primarily focussed on engineering measures, but there is also £5 million dedicated to improving understanding and awareness of smart motorways for users. CIHT believes that communication is a vital aspect of making smart motorways work for people. Comprehensive monitoring of any on-going issues must also be in place, this is however not mentioned in the 18-point plan.

In January CIHT issued a statement on smart motorways calling for improvements to the following factors: installation and use of appropriate technology, clear and accurate communication with drivers, greater understanding of smart motorways by customers and guidance on how we should safely use them and appropriate spacing of refuges would all help.

The 18-point plan picked up most of our recommendations. We will continue to push for improved communication on how they will deliver on their recommendations and the engineering solutions associated with it.

Some of the measures from the 18-point plan:

• ‘dynamic hard shoulder’ motorways abolished to end confusion
• 'stopped vehicle detection’ to be rolled out at pace and places to stop in an emergency spaced closer together. 
• reducing the distance between places to stop in an emergency to three quarters of a mile where feasible so that on future schemes motorists should typically reach one every 45 seconds at 60mph. The maximum spacing will be 1 mile
• more communication with drivers. We recognise that we could do more therefore we are committing to an additional £5 million on national targeted communications campaigns to further increase awareness and understanding of smart motorways, how they work and how to use them confidently

For the full 18-point plan, please see here. 

Grant Shapps said:

That work has now concluded and overall, evidence shows that in most ways smart motorways are as safe as or safer than conventional ones.

But I am clear that there is more we can do to raise the bar on smart motorway safety. The extended package of measures I have set out will help rebuild public confidence in our motorway network and ensure that safety is firmly at the heart of the programme.

To see the government announcement, please see here.