The new smart motorway on the M56 near Manchester Airport was at the centre of a heated debate in the House of Lords over driver safety fears. Although the Government paused building new smart motorways in January for a five-year safety review, work on roads already under construction, including the M56 and M6, will continue.
Smart motorways use technology to detect accidents or breakdowns, triggering signage to close lanes or reduce speed limits. A report from the Transport Select Committee last year said that where the hard shoulder has been converted to a live lane, there should be emergency refuge areas ideally every 1km and at least every 1.5km. The government has agreed to correct existing smart motorways to adhere to this.
However, it’s understood emergency areas on the M56 smart motorway, where the hard shoulder has been converted between junction 6 at Hale Barns and junction 8 at Bowdon, will be further apart. This has raised concerns for driver safety when the new motorway is opened by National Highways on September 12.
