… to be relieved that they are putting off more “smart” motorways?

[Giggorata]

According to the government's own figures, 38 people have been killed on smart motorways between 2014 and 2019.
I don't know how this compares with figures for bog standard motorways but it seems horrific to me that there is nowhere to go if you break down. It's freaky enough being on a normal hard shoulder, with vehicles zooming past at speed.
They also tell us that refuge areas should be no more than 1.5km apart, and should be 1km apart where possible. At the moment there is up to 2.5km between them.
I'm not happy with breaking down in the middle of even a 1km stretch of motorway and being unable to access a refuge area.

Unfortunately, they say they won't reinstate hard shoulders on the existing all-running stretches of motorway.
That's 400 miles of smart motorway already in action, with about 200 miles without any permanent hard shoulder.
Another 100 miles of all-lane running currently in construction can still be completed, apparently.
Bloody scary.

38! Is that while they were being smart? Or does that include when they are being used with a hard shoulder.

How sad

Glad to see this, it's a start. I find them terrifying. If you're on a proper hard shoulder you're supposed to leave the car for your own safety, since even permanent hard shoulders can cause confusion in other motorists and you can get hit while parked. Don't know why anyone thought smart motorways would be a good idea.

While I agree that Smart Motorways have their problems...

The A1. Its a Duel Carriageway, not a motorway. No hard shoulder. You can cross over the opposite carriageway at points. Have tractors etc. But its got a 70 limit, like a motorway. (But no speed cameras so there's people going a lot faster).

Why are A roads like this considered safe, but not Smart Motorways?

There's a UK TV documentary on the known dangers of smart motorways & the increase in deaths, I can't remember the title though.

584 people killed on all motorways in 2014 to 2019 according to Department of Transport so logically 546 died on non smart motorways in the same period.

Were the 38 killed as a result of the motorway being smart ie hard shoulder crash when the over head gantry sign failed to update to indicate a stuck vehicle?

I don’t think it’s a terrible idea to hold off on the expansion until we have more safety data. I don’t think the smart motorway is really the issue though, the (lack of) smart drivers are the problem.

I was very glad to hear this in the news but think the battle must continue to get rid of existing - so-called! - Smart motorways.

Good - the thought of them scares the hell out of me. I've had several incidents over the years where I've had to pull over and not having a hard shoulder would've sent me into a complete panic.

They were a very bad idea.

No quick route for emergency services to get through either with no hard shoulder, would be interesting to see the effects on response times

YANBU, I've had 2 experiences of cars just cutting out in me, both times very quickly had to manoeuvre onto the hard shoulder, had that not been there me and my children could have been smashed into behind and had it been a lorry likely died. They are really dangerous and I won't drive on them. The worst is the stretch of the m62 with no hard shoulder the m6 is terrifying too. Hopefully the existing "smart" motorways will be converted back

Thank god, I don't use the m4 for this very reason! It was an appalling motorway before they turned it into a smart one

I'm relieved that they've put a hold on doing anymore. The stretch of M25 near me was due to be changed to smart motorway very shortly and I was dreading having to drive on it after they'd changed it.

I think they're utter madness. The actual benefit of an extra lane is absolutely minimal because a lot of the time it's blocked off because of an accident or someone broken down.

It must be absolutely terrifying to need help when stuck on a lane without a proper hard shoulder.

I drive a lot on M42 which was the first place to introduce a smart motorway (15years ago!) The benefits for congestion are huge and I personally find the signs and layout very clear. I’ve just looked up details though and on M42 the emergency lay-bys are between 500-800m apart… the standards have clearly got more relaxed if 2.5km is now acceptable. The hard shoulder is also still separated from the main carriageway by a solid line (whereas on newer ones it’s dashed with the assumption that the hard shoulder is open by default rather than the other way around).

I think they can be useful and safe but perhaps they need to go back to the design of the early ones.