The committee said that there is insufficient safety and economic data to justify the continuation of the project, which has resulted in at least 38 fatalities in vehicle collisions between 2014 and 2019.
A 'smart motorway' is intended to alleviate road congestion by utilising live traffic management, such as by opening up the hard shoulder as a live traffic lane. Sections of the M1, M4-6, M25, M42 and M62 can operate as smart motorways. However, serious safety concerns have been raised following fatal incidents involving broken-down vehicles being stranded in live lanes and subsequently struck from behind by a fast-moving vehicle.
Radar-based 'Stopped Vehicle Detection' systems have been installed at roadsides to detect stranded vehicles and alert operators to dispatch personnel and activate lane closure signs. However, analysis by Highways England earlier this year found that less than five per cent of England’s smart motorway network had installed...