THE rollout of new smart motorway schemes will be paused until a full five years’ worth of safety data is available.

In line with the Transport Committee’s most recent recommendations, the rollout of new All Lane Running (ALR) smart motorways will be paused until a full five years’ worth of safety data becomes available for schemes introduced before 2020. After this point, the Government will assess the data and make an informed decision on next steps.

Although available data shows smart motorways are comparatively the safest roads in the country in terms of fatality rates, while their rollout is paused, the Government will ensure current smart motorways without a permanent hard shoulder are equipped with technology to make them as safe as possible.

This will include investing £390 million to install more than 150 additional Emergency Areas so drivers have more places to stop if they get into difficulty.

The Transport Committee’s report endorsed its focus on further upgrading the safety of existing ALR smart motorways rather than reinstating the hard shoulder.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “While our initial data shows that smart motorways are among the safest roads in the UK, it’s crucial that we go further to ensure people feel safer using them.”