A National Highways traffic officer has claimed smart motorways have been "an appalling failure from day one" in a poignant letter to Nottinghamshire Live. They have called for them to be abolished and the hard shoulder reinstated, while describing them as an "awful place to work on".
A smart motorway is a section of a motorway that uses traffic management methods to increase capacity and reduce congestion in particularly busy areas. These methods include using the hard shoulder as a running lane and variable speed limits to control the flow of traffic.
It is estimated however that 79 people in total have been killed on these stretches of the motorway. The government has cancelled all plans for new smart motorways, in recognition of the lack of public confidence felt by drivers.
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But there have been no changes announced to smart motorways that are currently running.The National Highways traffic officer, who penned a letter anonymously to Nottinghamshire Live, said that smart motorways "should be abolished now".
The letter reads: "As a National Highways traffic officer the so called smart motorways should be abolished now and the hard shoulder reinstated. I've lost count of the times that I have come across vehicles broken down in a live lane that the technology has failed to find.
"I have lost count how many times the technology has failed completely leaving everyone completely at the mercy of fate, they have been an appalling failure from day 1, they are an awful place to work on. Time they were abolished now."
The Government and National Highways continue to invest £900 million in further safety improvements on existing smart motorways, and to give motorists advice when using existing smart motorways. A spokesperson for National Highways said: “In April the Government announced that plans for new smart motorways would be cancelled in recognition of the current lack of public confidence felt by drivers and cost pressures.
"The Government and National Highways continue to invest £900 million in further safety improvements on existing smart motorways, and to give motorists clear advice when using existing smart motorways. The latest published data (2016 to 2020) shows that, overall, in terms of serious or fatal casualties, smart motorways are our safest roads.”
National Highways are also investing in a £105 million programme between now and March 2025 to further improve operational technology, including CCTV, aiming to make journeys even safer and more reliable. It is understood that smart motorways have a whole system of inter-related safety features, not present on conventional motorways, aiming to help keep drivers and their passengers moving safely.
Earlier this month, Nottinghamshire Live has launched a campaign calling for an end to all smart motorways. In addition to this, w e have also written to Secretary of State for Transport Mark Harper, asking him to meet some of the bereaved families who lost loved ones on smart motorways.
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