Lethal smart motorway ‘kept as it is because of speed fine cash’

Relatives of motorists who died on stretch with no hard shoulder concerned over £6m in tickets issued

A STRETCH of smart motorway on which four motorists have been killed after being stranded with no hard shoulder has become a “cash cow”, raising more than £6million in speeding fines since 2017, The Sunday Telegraph can reveal.

A total of 62,337 tickets were issued between junction 30 and 35a of the M1 in just two years and eight months, boosting Government coffers by up to £6,233,700.

Relatives of those killed there who are calling on ministers to scrap smart motorways fear the Government’s refusal to do so could be because variable speed limits are proving so lucrative.

Figures obtained by The Telegraph show the majority of speeding motorists were caught after Highways England reduced the speed limit from 70mph on the 16-mile stretch of the M1.

Of the 62,337 tickets, 52,948 were for motorists who exceeded new lower speed limits introduced by Highways England, the Government-owned company responsible for maintaining the motorway network.

So far this year, 12,075 tickets – more than half the 21,078 fines issued on the road in 2019 – were for ignoring temporary limits of 60mph, 50mph, 40mph and even 30mph displayed on gantries.

Claire Mercer, whose husband Jason, 44, was killed in June when he pulled over near junction 34 but could not find an emergency refuge area and was hit by traffic, said: “While no one condones speeding, my worry is the Government may be determined to keep smart motorways because they are producing so much money for the Treasury through these fines.

“The Government remains determined to continue rolling out smart motorways despite a rising death toll. Are they literally saving money and not lives?”

Last week, The Telegraph revealed that four people were killed on this smart stretch of the M1 in 10 months after being hit by traffic in a live lane that used to be the hard shoulder.

The Government vehemently denied it was expanding smart motorways to make money.

A Department for Transport spokesman said: “Speeding is unacceptable, which is why there are tough penalties and rigorous enforcement... Cameras on smart motorways help to keep these roads safe for users and ensure they also benefit from more reliable journeys. Ideally, people wouldn’t speed and put their own life and that of others at risk so fines would be redundant.”

The statistics, obtained in a Freedom of Information request to South Yorkshire Police, revealed how a single camera on the northbound M1 between junctions 30 and 31 made £1,893,300 from fines since July 2016. This year alone, it issued 3,884 fines when the speed limit was lowered from 70mph.

In 2019, the number of fines has increased six-fold compared to 2016, when the majority of the route was not “smart” and had a 70mph limit. During the latter half of 2016, just 1,600 speeders were caught, meaning an estimated 3,200 fines were imposed that year.

Money raised from fixed penalty notice goes to the Consolidated Fund, the Government’s bank account, and is not ring-fenced to be spent on transport.

In the next few months, motorists who fail to move out of lanes marked with a red “x” signs will also be fined.

Samantha Cockerill, who set up the Campaign for Safer Roadside Rescue and Recovery after her partner, Steve Godbold, a vehicle recovery worker, was killed by a lorry which strayed on the hard shoulder of the M25, said: “I am astounded money earned from speeding tickets is not reinvested into road safety infrastructure, like having refuge areas closer together and educating the public about what to do if you break down on smart motorways. Is this more about money than safety?”