In a survey conducted by the RAC, over 1,900 motorists were questioned about their driving habits on all-lane running (ALR) smart motorways. 21% of respondents said they frequently avoided using lane one, while 28% admitted to only using the inside lane occasionally. 

The survey revealed that most drivers (68%) thought other motorists don’t use the inside lane, despite it being free. An additional 20% claimed to witness this sometimes, and 5% only occasionally. 

When asked about why they do this, over three-quarters (77%) reported fears of encountering a stationary vehicle when there is no hard shoulder. A further 40% of motorists worry about being crashed into if they had to pull over. 

52% of ALR users claim they avoid lane one because of the belief that it is mostly for the use of HGVs, meaning they would have to frequently overtake these vehicles. An additional 38% of pollees reported that they steer clear of the inside lane because the traffic there is often much slower than 70mph. 

When questioned about what would make them feel safer on smart motorways, three-quarters of drivers (74%) said they would like to see an increase in refuge zones. A similar number (72%) would be reassured by technology that detects stationary vehicles.

RAC road safety spokesperson Simon Williams commented on the findings: “Ever since the first all lane running smart motorway opened on the M25 in April 2014 there has been a considerable amount of controversy about safety, which worsened significantly following several high-profile fatal collisions.

“Consequently, these roads continue to be deeply unpopular with drivers who, before their introduction, had been used to having the relative refuge of a hard shoulder available in an emergency.

“On top of this our latest research worryingly shows that half of drivers actively avoid using the inside-most lane for a variety of reasons, not least the fear of being crashed into, meaning much of the extra carriageway capacity they were meant to bring is wasted.”

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A successful trial of the CCTV system demonstrated that analytical technology can identify stranded vehicles in live lanes in all conditions. National Highways, however, has determined the video analytics service platform (VASP) is not up to scratch.

AA president, Edmund King, has voiced concern over the decision, expressing that CCTV systems could be “incredibly useful”.

National Highways have refused to share the results of its large-scale trial of the systems, despite the technology being cited in the Government’s smart motorway action plan as another solution. 

Other trials of the VASP have yielded positive results. Reports indicate that the system alerts incidents of interest to operators’ desks, allowing for a quicker response and more precise data.

However, the VASP has one obvious drawback. The CCTV cameras are currently incapable of automatic manoeuvrability and have to be reoriented manually. 

It is likely that this is the main concern from National Highways, who have instead favoured the existing radar-based stopped vehicle detection (SVD) system.

The report added: “The trial did observe external factors that could limit the use of CCTV to detect stopping vehicles, the main one being the reliability of camera feeds.”

National Highways did not explain, though, why CCTV technology is not being progressed. A spokesperson commented: “Our preferred approach is the continued rollout of stopped vehicle detection. It is the most effective solution.”

“In line with our company approach for continuous improvement, we will continue to review and, where possible, improve how we identify stopped vehicles.”

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Emergency areas on the four aforementioned schemes will be placed around 1.5 miles apart – almost double the distance of the new target promised by government ministers. As the policy was introduced after the design of these projects, Highways England is technically not breaking any rules or promises. 

However, in January of this year, the DfT publicly supported a recommendation from the Transport Select Committee that states: “The Department and National Highways should retrofit emergency refuge areas to existing all-lane running motorways to make them a maximum of 1,500 metres apart, decreasing to every 1,000 metres (0.75 miles) where physically possible.

“The Stocktake and Action Plan launched a new standard to achieve closer spacing of EAs at 0.75 miles where feasible, up to a maximum of 1 mile. This is now a design requirement for new ALR smart motorways schemes which entered the design phase from November 2020.’”

These issues have sparked concerns over new stretches of all-lane-running motorways that will not comply with the latest policy, such as one situated in Hampshire. For around 30 miles of road, there are only 13 emergency areas, leaving distances between refuge locations of over double the recommended length of 0.75 miles.

Louise Haigh, the shadow secretary of state for transport, said: “This exposes the glaring flaws in the Transport Secretary’s action plan. It looks like ministers are cutting corners with road safety and risking more avoidable tragedies. The Government should stop taking people for fools, think again, and guarantee safety work is completed before the new smart motorways are opened.”

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The organisation leading the study is set to receive a reported £2m, which falls under the £20m allocated to zero-emission road freight trials under the DfT’s plan. Decarbonising lorries will help to build a more environmentally friendly road network across the UK.

Heavy goods vehicles are currently responsible for almost a 5th (18%) of all road CO2 emissions, despite making up just 1.2% of traffic. By 2040, all new diesel and petrol lorries in Britain are due to be banned, meaning a new system is needed to provide alternative power for these large vehicles. 

The ‘e-highway’ will involve the installation of overhead wires on up to 19 miles of the M180. The technology, similar to that which powers trains and trams, will charge a battery that has been fitted into each lorry as it’s being driven. Lorries cannot run on a single charge like electric cars, because they require too much power.

Similar plans have been trialled in Germany and Sweden on a smaller scale. If the study goes ahead, this will be the first large-scale deployment of such technology worldwide. The vehicles and their power cables could be on British roads as early as 2024.

William Wilson, CEO of Siemens Mobility Limited, said: “Investing in proven technologies like e-highways can help us go further and faster to decarbonise the UK’s transport network, and support jobs and growth to level up the country.

“By building on successful trials from other countries like Germany, our ERS consortium M180 trial will help the UK move a step closer to replacing more polluting trucks with clean, efficient electric HGVs.”

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The government-owned company has said this is its ‘biggest ever motorway safety campaign’, and is one part of their 18-point action plan. The main message is that drivers should ‘go left’ if they encounter an issue with their vehicle, and will be broadcast across TV, radio, social media and digital channels.

If road users cannot exit the motorway, they are encouraged to move into an emergency area, onto the hard shoulder, into services, the left-hand verge or an A-road lay-by and switch on their hazard warning lights.

The advert was launched shortly after the Department for Transport (DfT) promised a targeted campaign on the subject. Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, said: “With regard to an information campaign so that people understand how to use all motorways, not just smart motorways, that £5m campaign was one of the calls of the stocktake.”

Acting Chief Executive of Highways England, Nick Harris, also stated: “This campaign is just one of the many steps we are taking to invest in our network with safety as our number one priority, doing everything we can to help drivers feel confident on our motorways.”

Some have criticised the campaign for not being specific enough to smart motorways. Labour’s Shadow Transport Secretary, Jim McMahon, said: “It reduces it down to an insult, insinuating that drivers who became stranded were somehow careless. They were not. They were the victims of an ill-conceived scheme, which is still leaving people at risk today.”

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This comes a year and a half after the law initially changed in order to allow camera evidence to be used for prosecutions.

Since not all of the Hadecs 3 cameras are completely operational, it has been reported that in some cases, the government-owned company is still sending warning letters to drivers who are in violation of lane closures.

Highways England has stated that the ‘phased national roll-out programme’ of the enforcement cameras (expected to be completed by July 2023) has been delayed due to COVID-19, meaning that some systems have been unable to be tested and the technology upgraded.

The lack of ability to catch motorists who do break the rules is causing concern among some groups, at a time when smart motorways are already under fire for safety concerns.

AA President, Edmund King, said: “One premise of smart motorways is that the technology is meant to make them safer. Having red X technology without widespread enforcement may undermine the effectiveness of the whole system.

‘Most drivers will still abide by the red X but a minority of drivers, if they believe they will get away with it, will continue to put other drivers at risk by ignoring the warning. Widespread enforcement is needed as soon as possible or more lives will be put at risk, as 38% of breakdowns on smart motorways happen in live lanes”.

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