Driving can be a pretty stressful experience at the best of times. From middle lane hogging to people distracted by their phones, from people who adopt one driving speed, paying no regard to the limit or driving conditions, to roads that have more bunkers than a golf course, it can certain raise one's blood pressure. Not to mention profiteering on fuel prices which is milking drivers dry, lack of patience, and the tiresome 'war' between motorists and cyclists. Two words are worse than all of this...smart motorways.
If you clock up a lot of miles like me, the chances are you've ventured onto the so-called 'smart motorway' network. A new report for BBC Panorama reveals there have been hundreds of incidents where safety equipment has been out of action, often for up to five days at a time. It confirmed what I've long suspected...that they are not fit for purpose.
Whilst watching the programme, which aired earlier this week on BBC1, I made a few notes. Some of what I've written down is startling. At least 79 people have been killed since they were introduced in 2000. The Department for Transport promised 150 new refuges, yet only 13 have been finished, with a further 34 under construction. These are the areas where you are supposed to head if your car breaks down, and often they are spaced far more widely apart than feels comfortable.
The group Campaign Against Smart Motorways is lobbying for the return of the hard shoulder to all motorways, as there are currently 400 miles of smart motorway in England. Imagine breaking down in a live lane, only to find the technology that is supposed to alert authorities to your plight isn't working ; you are literally like a sitting duck.
According to figures from the Office of Rail and Road in 2022, over 2300 faults occurred on the radar system which is designed to flag up issues. One in ten broken down vehicles don't get detected by the radar.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak cancelled all future smart motorway projects around a year ago, citing financial pressures and a lack of public confidence in them. I once got a puncture on the section of the M1 near Meadowhall which has no hard shoulder, and mercifully managed to drive a little longer than felt comfortable to limp into the yellow refuge area. The AA patrol told me that smart motorways have made their job a lot more dangerous.
I just can't fathom who thought they were a good idea in the first place. I'm not convinced they have improved traffic flow on the likes of the M62 and the M60, and whilst breaking down in the hard shoulder is still pretty scary, it's nowhere near as terrifying as being stuck in a live lane, hoping that other motorists have their wits about them and swerve around you.
The AA's President Edmund King said: "We have been exposing the dangers of smart motorways for more than a decade and have made representations to more than a dozen transport secretaries and ministers. Four-fifths of our members tell us they want smart motorways scrapped and the hard shoulder reinstated. Now is the time to stop this failed experiment. Efforts have been made to retrofit safety at great expense, but you can never fully correct such a flawed design. We are calling on all political parties to abolish smart motorways".
Your car letting you down is always a stressful experience, but I can't help thinking about cases like Derek Jacobs, who around a year ago had stopped his VW van on the M1 in Derbyshire after a blowout affecting one of his tyres, and was crushed by his own van when a woman driving a Ford Ka failed to spot the breakdown in time. The Assistant Coroner said Mr Jacobs would not have died if there had been a hard shoulder for him to stop in.
Mr Jacobs' widow told the Telegraph she felt the inquest into her husband's death was going to be a whitewash, and said: "I want the hard shoulder reinstated immediately. You wouldn't take lifeboats off boats and say 'we don't use them very often'".
I can't add much to those words, other than my complete agreement. Any political party that is serious about adding a hard shoulder back to all existing smart motorways would definitely earn my vote. I'd also like to add Little Chefs back to the roadside, but that's perhaps a pipe dream. More on saving the Full English breakfast next week,
Alex Cann Column - 05/03/26
Alex Cann's weekly blog - 9th January
