Last of the smart motorway ALRs ready to open15/10/2024 National Highways has begun to open a new all lane running scheme (ALR) on the M6, which narrowly escaped the cancellation of the smart motorway programme last year. |
Call to scrap All Lane Running as smart motorway deaths rise22/04/2024 Deaths on smart motorways have hit a record high, analysis by the Sunday Times has revealed. |
Emergency area roll-out making slow progress20/04/2023 National Highways has so far added just 13 more emergency areas (EAs) to all lane running smart motorways but says it is ‘confident’ that it will meet its commitment to add a total of 150 by 2025. |
King calls for pilot to reverse all lane running14/12/2022 The president of the AA has called on ministers to run a pilot project to restore the hard shoulder on an all lane running (ALR) smart motorway with a ‘lane discipline’ campaign to encourage drivers to make best use of the remaining three lanes. |
Two new sections of smart motorway open06/12/2022 National Highways has fully opened two new stretches of all lane running (ALR) smart motorway, including completion of a 32-mile section of the M4. |
Smart motorway drivers steer clear of lane one06/12/2022 Half of drivers on all lane running smart motorways say they avoid using lane one, ‘completely undermining’ the purpose of converting the hard shoulder, according to the RAC. |
M4 smart motorway moves to SVD testing08/07/2022 National Highways is lifting traffic management on the eastern section of its project to convert 32 miles of the M4 to all lane running and will now begin testing stopped vehicle detection technology on the stretch. |
Shapps agrees to pause smart motorways rollout12/01/2022 Ministers have broadly accepted the recommendations of a report by MPs into smart motorways, including pausing both all-lane running (ALR) schemes that have not started construction and the conversion of dynamic hard shoulder schemes to ALR, and revisiting the case for controlled motorways. |
All lane running gets red X from MPs02/11/2021 MPs have called on ministers to pause the rollout of all-lane running ‘smart motorways’ until the safety and economic case for the schemes is clear and National Highways has delivered and evaluated key safety improvements. |
Smart motorway opening delayed for SVD21/09/2021 The second phase of National Highways’ £85m conversion of a stretch of the M56 to all lane running will get underway next month but the opening of the project will be delayed for the installation of stopped vehicle detection (SVD) technology. |
Most drivers want all lane running scrapped, new survey shows15/09/2021 Public confidence in all-lane-running (ALR) smart motorway schemes appears to be collapsing, with 84% of drivers believing that safety is compromised by the permanent removal of the hard shoulder. |
M1 smart motorway 'will ease congestion'14/09/2021 National Highways is continuing work to convert a new section of the M1 to an all lane running smart motorway which will link to a section of smart motorway that has been found to have increased journey times. |
Smart motorway scheme delayed for stopped vehicle detection tech21/07/2021 Highways England has further delayed the opening of an all lane running smart motorway scheme to install stopped vehicle detection (SVD) technology on the M27, with the scheme now not due to open until next spring. |
All lane running smart motorways now more lethal, data shows04/05/2021 Fatality rates on all lane running (ALR) ‘smart motorways’ have exceeded those on conventional motorways for the past two years, with 15 people now confirmed to have died on motorways without a permanent hard shoulder in 2019. |
Shapps slammed over safety review hold-up09/03/2020 Ministers have been criticised for failing to conclude a review of smart motorways that was announced in the Autumn. |
Highways England facing bill of millions for smart motorway retrofit03/02/2020 With the publication of a review of smart motorway all lane running (ALR) schemes ‘imminent’, Highways England is facing costs running into millions of pounds to retrofit new safety measures to schemes that remain in construction. |
Widow to launch legal challenge over all lane running22/01/2020 The widow of a driver killed on a Smart Motorway has instructed lawyers to begin work on a legal challenge calling for them to be scrapped. |
Watchdog tells Highways England to up its game on safety11/11/2019 The head of the national transport consumer watchdog has called on Highways England to do more to improve the safety of ‘smart motorways’, including speeding up the roll-out of stopped vehicle detection. |
AA says only one in 10 feel safer on smart motorways15/10/2019 Only one in 10 drivers say they feel safer on all lane running (ALR) smart motorway schemes compared to a traditional motorway, according to a study by the AA. |
Drivers are 'sitting ducks': 17 minutes to spot live lane breakdowns30/08/2019 Highways England's control centres can take an average of 17 minutes to spot a broken down vehicle in a live lane of an all lane running ‘smart’ motorway when Stationary Vehicle Detection (SVD) systems are not in place. |
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