The roll-out and safety of smart motorways

Transport Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 26 Feb 2021 Closed: 7 Jul 2022 Parliament page
This inquiry will look at the safety of smart motorways and public confidence in their use as well as their impact upon congestion. Concerns about the safety of smart motorways have been emphasised recently with a number of fatalities on them and criticism by coroners investigating those deaths. In 2020, … Read more
7 Recommendations
4 Conclusions
1 Report
3 Oral sessions
6 Letters
3 Events
Oral evidence sessions 3 sessions
Jill Adam · Department for Transport Mike Wilson · Highways England Nick Harris · National Highways The Baroness Vere of Norbiton · Department for Transport
Jonathan Spruce · Institution for Civil Engineers Kate Carpenter · Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation Mike Mackinnon · MMB Associates Miss Becky Needham · Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents Professor David Metz · UCL Centre for Transport Studies Sarah Simpson · Royal HaskoningDHV
Chris Todd · West Midlands Police Edmund King · The AA Elizabeth de Jong · Fuels Industry UK Mr Nicholas Lyes · RAC Motoring Services
Recommendations & Conclusions
1 result
11 Conclusion Acknowledged
Third Report - Rollout and safety …
Examining the available evidence base, we are not convinced that reinstating the hard shoulder on...
Examining the available evidence base, we are not convinced that reinstating the hard shoulder on all all-lane running motorways will improve safety. The evidence suggests that doing so could put more drivers and passengers at risk of death and serious … Read more
Government Response
The government acknowledges the committee's conclusion, reiterating that while the hard shoulder offers relative safety, it is not a safe place to stop, and that the government is right to focus on upgrading the safety of all-lane running motorways.
Department for Transport
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Government Response AI assessment · 11 of 7 classified

Total 7 recs + 4 conclusions
Correspondence 6 letters
21 Oct 2021 Correspondence from John Larkinson, Chief Executive, Office of Rail and Road, relating to the roll-out and safety motorways, dated 17 June 2021
Parliament page
22 Sep 2021 Correspondence from Baroness Vere of Norbiton, Minister for Roads, Buses and Places, relating to smart motorways and publication of Highway Code update, dated 14 September 2021
Parliament page
14 Sep 2021 Correspondence from Baroness Vere of Norbiton, Minister for Roads, Buses and Places, Department for Transport, relating to the roll-out and safety of smart motorways, dated 7 September 2021
Parliament page
13 Jul 2021 Correspondence from Baroness Vere of Norbiton, Minister for Roads, Buses and Places, Department of Transport, relating to the roll-out and safety of smart motorways, dated 9 July 2021
Parliament page
13 Jul 2021 Correspondence from Nick Harris, Acting Chief Executive Officer, Highways England, relating to the Roll-out and safety of smart motorways, dated 8 July 2021
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15 Jun 2021 Correspondence to John Larkinson, Chief Executive, Office of Rail and Road, dated 28 May 2021
Parliament page