New UK smart motorway plans being scrapped

Motoring Motoring: In The News
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The building of all new smart motorways is being cancelled over cost and safety concerns, the government has announced.

Some 14 planned schemes, including 11 already on pause and three set for construction, will be scrapped due to finances and low public confidence. Seven of the 14 projects that have been cancelled were going to involve converting stretches of motorway into “all-lane running” roads where the hard shoulder is permanently removed. They will now remain as “dynamic” smart motorways where the hard shoulder can be opened as an extra lane during busy times.

The construction of two stretches of smart motorway from junctions six to eight on the M56, and from 21a to 26 on the M6, will continue as they are already more than three quarters complete.

Edmund King, the AA’s president, said he welcomed the decision to scrap planned smart motorways and said it was a “victory for common sense”, calling for the hard shoulder to be reinstated on existing smart motorways, including a permanent red ‘X’ and new lane markings. He hoped the government’s decision marked the end of “deadly” smart motorways. He added: “We have had enough coroners passing down their deadly and heart-breaking judgments where the lack of a hard shoulder has contributed to deaths”.

Meanwhile, the RAC called the plans a “watershed announcement”, saying its research showed that smart motorways were “deeply unpopular with drivers”.

Mrs Mercer’s MP, Labour’s Sarah Champion for Rotherham, said she was relieved the government had listened to motorists. But she said she wanted to know if schemes currently in construction would be restored, and why a ban had taken so long despite a government review and two parliamentary select committee reports.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak - who pledged to ban smart motorways during his leadership campaign - said “all drivers deserve to have confidence in the roads they use to get around the country”.

The Department for Transport said the new schemes would have cost more than £1bn, and cancelling them would allow time to track public trust in smart motorways over a longer period.

Good news but only half a “victory” - people will still be killed unnecessarily on smart motorways … :090:

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Remember when I came across one on the M25.

First thought “My G they are death traps”, that was years ago,

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it was so obvious to all how dangerous this idea was, all except politicians that is, many of whom are too thick and stupid anyway. My late father always said that if someone was useless at everything they go into politics, how true that is. I have come to the conclusion that politicians have to think up the most rediculous ideas to justify being an MP.

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Anyone could have seen the stupidity of this, you wonder how much they were paid by those with a vested interest.

Excuse a perfect example of your father’s opinion.

The former minister agreed with the interviewer that it was a disgrace that what was delivered was not what he had signed off on. “It should never have happened,” he said.

The thinking was that losing the hard shoulder was a lesser price than buying land to widen the carriageway.

Do not buy this, plenty of money to waste for hare-brained failures.

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Nobody held responsible for needless loss of life, is the most disgusting aftermath.

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Indeed, would rather avoid them by going on ‘A’ roads.

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Thank goodness for some common sense at last, they are obviously death traps :scream:

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what really annoys me about this is the amount of public money wasted on planning, consultancy, pilots etc. Nobody in office is ever held to account for throwing public funds down the toilet. It happens time and again.

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The individuals who were responsible for those killed, have deaths on their conscience. MP’s obviously do not understand fully what they are signing off, it appears.

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What on earth is a smart motorway? Do they have dedicated cleaners keeping them smart? or do they go where ever you want them to?