Third Report - Rollout and safety of smart motorways

The government committed to further investigating the benefits of a health and safety assessment by the ORR and establishing an expert panel to review regulatory responsibilities and assess costs, benefits, and risks of additional ORR assessment, with recommendations later in the year.

The government states it agrees with the recommendation and will immediately pause the rollout of All-Lane Running (ALR) smart motorway schemes yet to commence construction. This pause will remain until five years of safety data is available for ALR motorways introduced before 2020.

The government agrees in principle with the recommendation but primarily responds by detailing a £390m commitment to retrofit over 150 additional Emergency Areas (EAs) on all-lane running motorways by 2025. It does not commit to making all changes to road design and operation dependent on a formal health and safety assessment by the ORR.

The government states it agrees with the recommendation but does not commit to pausing the rollout of all-lane running motorways. Instead, its response focuses on assessing the effectiveness and operation of Stopped Vehicle Detection (SVD) technology and other safety measures, with an initial report expected later this year.

The government agreed in principle with the Committee's concerns but deferred action, stating that National Highways is researching the feasibility of emergency corridor rules. Initial research is due in early 2022, followed by further assessments and consultation by late 2022.

The government agrees to commission the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) to evaluate the success of the Action Plan in reducing live lane stops and breakdowns, with annual reports starting later this year. However, the response does not address retrofitting emergency refuge areas or inserting the emergency corridor manoeuvre into the Highway Code.

The government agreed with the recommendation to evaluate the action plan. It highlighted existing Post Opening Project Evaluation (POPE) reports by National Highways and committed to continuing work with the ORR to improve data and insights, and with Transport Focus on safety perception research.

The government agrees with the recommendation and will pause the conversion of seven Dynamic Hard Shoulder schemes to All-Lane Running motorways until the next Road Investment Strategy. They will consider alternative operating approaches, continue data collection on safety performance, and install further safety measures on existing DHS motorways.

The government agrees with the recommendation and commits to revisiting the case for controlled motorways compared to all-lane running motorways. An initial report comparing business cases will be published later this year, with updates as further data becomes available.

The government agrees with the recommendation and will revisit the case for controlled motorways, comparing their business case with that of all-lane running motorways. An initial report on this comparison will be published later this year, with updates over the next few years.

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.