‘A broken down vehicle in a live lane becomes a sitting duck...’
As work continues on upgrading the M6 in our region to a ‘smart motorway’ Dave Knapper looks at claims the new system poses a threat to driver safety
COMMUTERS in North Staffordshire have long been waiting for a solution to the daily congestion on the M6 as the busy route continues to attract a heavy volume of traffic.
In response to the dreaded sight of tailbacks, the Highways Agency unveiled its ‘smart motorway’ scheme to get rid of the hard shoulder and have four ‘running lanes’.
As the multi-million project edges to its conclusion between junctions 16 and 18 – and continues further south between 13 and 15 – MPS want to see the brakes firmly put on the roll-out of anymore smart motorways after raising concerns over the safety of the programme.
In England there are currently 100 miles of ‘all lane running’ motorways with 225 miles worth in the pipeline.
There are three types of smart motorway – controlled; dynamic hard shoulder (where the hard shoulder is used during busy traffic) and ALR (all lane running) when the hard shoulder is a permanent fourth lane.
It is the ALR programme which is now in the spotlight. The Campaign for Safer Roadside Rescue and Recovery (CSRRR) has branded it ‘crazy’ and say recovery workers are in danger.
The group was set up by Samantha Cockerill - whose partner Steve Godbold, a vehicle recovery worker, was killed in September 2017 when an HGV strayed on to the hard shoulder of the M25. Samantha has won the backing of an all-party parliamentary group.
Conservative MP Tracey Crouch, who sits on the committee wants it halted. The politician for Chatham and Aylesford told 5 Live Investigates: “We need the government to pause and reflect on whether we’re getting this right.”
A Freedom of Information request obtained by the RAC from the Highways Agency, has shown at the end of 2017 there were 100 miles of ALR motorway in England.
Last year, on these stretches there were 16 crashes across all lanes which caused injury involving stationary vehicles, such as broken-down cars.
The figures also show that over the same period, there were 29 similar crashes involving vehicles parked up on the hard shoulder for the whole of the rest of the network in England – which includes roughly 1,800 miles of road.
The AA has also raised concerns over the loss of the hard shoulder. Jack Cousens, head of roads policy for the organisation said: “Should a vehicle break down in a live lane they become sitting ducks, especially if someone has ignored the red X put above the lane.
“It also makes attending a breakdown or a major collision much more difficult. As all four lanes are being used, the emergency services no longer have access to the hard shoulder to make their way to the incident.”
The Highways Agency says there is ‘statistically robust, independent evidence’ that shows ‘smart motorways are as safe as traditional motorways’.
A spokesperson said: “Smart motorways are good for drivers; they add extra lanes giving extra space so more people can travel, they use technology which makes journeys more reliable and evidence proves they are as safe as traditional motorways.
“We recognise that as well as being safe, drivers want to feel safe and we have and will continue to make some changes to the design of motorways. This includes making emergency areas more visible (M1, M3 and M5); introducing systems that detect stationary vehicles; and raising awareness of the need to comply with lane closures. For future schemes we will be reducing the maximum space between emergency areas to one mile, where practical. All of this is being done to help road users feel safer.” The agency also says there are ‘regular refuge areas available’ in place of a hard shoulder while a CCTV control room looks to spot breakdowns.
The upgraded 20-mile section in Cheshire will include 104 traffic sensors, 258 electronic signs and 70 CCTV cameras. It is due to be completed by spring next year.
Talke-based haulier Barry Proctor has sided with the MPS and says the ALR initiatives are not safe. Barry, who runs Barry Proctor Services, said: “I spoke to someone the other day who had broken down in the roadworks between junction 17 and 18 on the M6 and it was terrifying for them as the traffic went past. He couldn’t get out of the car and was just sat there. If there is no hard shoulder and you break down you could be stranded. I don’t think they are safe and I agree with the MPS.
“There has not been enough investment in the motorway network and when you compare what we have built compared to what has been done in Germany and France its barely anything. With so much being spent on HS2 I can’t understand the lack of investment in the motorways.”
A spokesman for road safety charity Brake added: “The safety of all road users must be the priority when making changes to our road network. We urge the Government to prioritise safety over capacity and to ensure that any change to our road environment, such as all-lane running smart motorways, is robustly tested, and the public properly informed, before wider roll-out on our roads.”