Smart motorways slammed as a ‘catastrophic waste of time, money and effort’

You may think ‘smart’ motorways make your journeys faster and safer – but new analysis from the AA shows that many are doing quite the opposite, with its president calling the schemes a “catastrophic waste of money, time, and effort”.

National Highways released evaluations on Thursday 5 February which reveal that parts of the M25 (junctions 23-27), passing through Hertfordshire and Essex, and M6 (junctions 5-8), part of the Birmingham network, are actually losing money and performing “very poorly.”

Six more projects were rated “not on track” for value, with some schemes slowing traffic instead of speeding it up, according to the National Highways data.

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The different types of smart motorways

To understand the issue at hand, it’s good to know the different types of smart motorways you’re likely to drive on. These include:

• Controlled Motorways: Keep a hard shoulder but add safety tech and gantries.
• Dynamic Hard Shoulders (DHS): Shoulder becomes a lane during peak traffic.
• All Lane Running (ALR): Shoulder permanently converted into a lane with emergency areas every 0.75 miles.

There are few success stories and safety concerns

Only three schemes were rated “on track” for value for money after five years, with the M3 ALR section (junctions 2-4a) in Surrey and Hampshire seeing improved journey times, according to the National Highways data.

The standout success? The M25 Controlled Motorway (junctions 16-23), which passes through Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire. This motorway was widened, kept its hard shoulder, and improved both traffic flow and safety.

But the analysis also found some smart motorways are now more dangerous than ever. Despite improved journey times, the M3 ALR (junctions 2-4a) – as well as the M1 ALR (junctions 39-41) located in West Yorkshire– saw a sharp rise in deaths and serious injuries.

These reports took years to surface and experts aren’t happy

Many of these evaluations were completed between 2017 and 2019, and many of the reports are dated September 2023. The AA warned that inconsistencies in the data – some measuring fatalities, some serious injuries, some per distance travelled – make it hard to compare schemes or trust the results.

Edmund King, AA president, said the reports reveal a “catastrophic waste of money, time, and effort,” with many schemes “slowing journeys, creating traffic jams, costing the country money, and making motorways less safe.”

King highlighted that the data shows that the most successful motorways are those that have been widened, kept their hard shoulder, and added safety technology. He urged the government to “use this style as the blueprint” and warned that the AA has been “calling for this standard for far too long.”

Driver confidence in these schemes remains low. A recent AA survey of smart motorways found that 47% of participants feel anxious or nervous using the hard shoulder as a running lane during peak times – up from 30% in the same survey last year.

“We need the return of the hard shoulder to help give confidence to drivers, both now and in the future,” King said.

However, a National Highways spokesperson told Carwow: “Our latest analysis continues to show that overall, smart motorways remain our safest roads. They are also providing much needed extra capacity for drivers, helping to reduce congestion and lower carbon emissions.”

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