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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
National
Gwyn Topham Transport correspondent

UK ministers urged to release ‘withheld’ safety reports on smart motorways

Traffic speeds in both directions on a four-lane motorway; the cars and lorries are blurred. A blue sign ahead indicates the exit for the A57 to Sheffield and Rotherham.
A section of ‘smart motorway’ on the M1 close to Junction 31: its hard shoulder is converted into a live lane of traffic to increase capacity. Photograph: Mark Kelly/Alamy

Road campaigners and motoring organisations have urged UK government ministers to immediately release a series of “withheld” safety assessments of smart motorways – some dating back to 2022.

Designed to increase capacity, smart motorways have the hard shoulder converted into a live lane of traffic, relying on occasional laybys and electronic overhead signs to close lanes in emergencies.

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