Grant Shapps told the Transport Select Committee that a complete roll out of the radar based system will be brought forward after meeting with Highways England. The technology had earlier been due to be installed on all motorways where hard shoulders have been removed by March 2023.

He added that he “does not want to carry on” with the smart motorway system he inherited and pledged to get rid of ‘dynamic’ hard shoulders – which come in and out of use as running lanes – which can cause “confusion for drivers”.

“What I commit to is making sure,” he added, “that the motorways we have in this country are safer than the motorways that came before them.”

The Transport Secretary was asked if he would scrap smart motorways and he replied: “The right thing to do is put additional measures in place,” to make smart motorways safer, but he added he is “not going to carry on building” them.

Grant Shapps also said he has ordered Highways England to introduce more emergency refuge areas on smart motorways where necessary, so they are no more than three quarters of a mile apart.

A spokesman for the AA welcomed the bringing forward of the date by which stopped vehicle detection technology will be seen on all smart motorways, and said that the retrofitting of further emergency areas was just as crucial.

Earlier in the session Grant Shapps was asked by the Committee's former chair Lilian Greenwood if he will set a target for car traffic reduction in the forthcoming transport decarbonisation plan, given that the country is aiming for a net zero carbon future.

“I want to be clear, I am not anti-car,” he replied. “We want cars that are green and do not damage the environment,” but added: “I do not start from the view that we should banish all cars from our roads.”

Lilian pressed him on the issue and pointed out that there are also congestion and liveability issues to consider in towns and cities from there being too many cars. “I agree with you entirely about congestion, but I do not want to give the impression that somehow cars are bad and everything else is good,” the Transport Secretary remarked. “I do not think it is that simple, not least when 10% of new cars now being sold are electric.”

(Photograph: Highways England)

CIHT are runnning a debate on their CIHT Connect platform where members can post their views on Smart Motorways - see here for more