Harris corrects evidence to Transport Select Committee22/07/2021 Highways England’s acting chief executive has had to write to the MPs to correct his evidence about the time it takes for a stationary vehicle on a smart motorway to be spotted. |
Harris backtracks on 'unlikely' stopped vehicles15/07/2021 Highways England’s acting chief executive has had to write to the MPs to correct his evidence about the time it takes for a stationary vehicle on a smart motorway to be spotted. |
Baroness Vere admits public trust was undermined on smart motorway safety01/07/2021 Highways England undermined trust in smart motorways when it failed to give an accurate timeline for a 2016 pledge to make technology to detect stopped vehicles ‘part of the standard for all lane running going forward’, a minister has told MPs. |
Smart motorways 'less safe to save costs'21/06/2021 Highways England has been criticised for drawing a ‘false equivalence’ between different types of hazard on motorways in assessing the safety of different smart motorways. |
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. |
AA calls for independent inquiry over SVD26/04/2021 The AA has called for an independent investigation into the system used to detect stopped vehicles on smart motorway all lane running (ALR) schemes. |
Highways England backtracks on SVD spacing19/04/2021 Highways England has admitted that radar units used to detect stopped vehicles on smart motorways are too far apart, despite having previously placed an £18m order based on the existing spacing. |
AA raises red flag over smart motorway scheme's refuge spacing31/03/2021 A new all lane running smart motorway has just four emergency areas on one carriageway over a 10-mile stretch, despite Grant Shapps telling MPs that he had ordered such areas to be ‘no more than a mile’ apart. |
Exclusive: Errors in report cast doubt on smart motorway safety system16/03/2021 Highways England has admitted a string of errors were made in a report on the effectiveness of the stopped vehicle detection (SVD) system used to increase safety on smart motorways, casting doubt on whether the system managed to pass the company’s own evaluation. |
Highways England gets Red X for camera roll-out04/03/2021 Only half of the cameras capable of enforcing violations of lane closures on smart motorways are fully operational, a year and a half after a change in the law made it possible for camera evidence to be used for prosecutions. |
Highway Code set for smart motorway update02/03/2021 Highways England has proposed changes to the Highway Code to improve safety on smart motorways, including advice on dynamic hard shoulders despite their upcoming ban. |
MPs investigate 'genuine worries' about smart motorways25/02/2021 MPs are to launch a new inquiry into ‘the benefits and safety of Smart Motorways’. |
Police to probe smart motorway deaths after coroner comments16/02/2021 A police force has taken the first step towards a possible criminal investigation into the role that the absence of a hard shoulder played in the death of two men on a smart motorway section of the M1. |
Highways England 'considering findings' of CCTV stopped vehicle trial19/01/2021 Highways England has met a pledge in its Delivery Plan to carry out a large-scale trial of a CCTV-based alternative to its existing stopped vehicle detection system. |
Highways England could face corporate manslaughter charge over smart motorway death05/01/2021 Highways England could face a corporate manslaughter charge over the death of passenger from a broken down vehicle on a smart motorway. |
Smart motorway opens without new spec17/09/2020 A £164m all lane running scheme on one of the country’s busiest stretches of motorway is now fully open. |
Smart motorway alliance reaches out to supply chain05/08/2020 Highways England’s Smart Motorway Alliance is set to hold a virtual supply chain strategy briefing event. |
Smart motorway sees crashes rise 50% in five years13/07/2020 New data suggests that ‘smart motorway’ schemes may become more dangerous in the long-term as extra space is taken up by increased traffic. |
Smart motorways: Before and after09/04/2020 The Department for Transport’s ‘stocktake’ of smart motorways was launched last October and originally due to take weeks. It was published in March this year and argued that smart motorways were a safety improvement – but a qualified one. An action plan has been launched to address concerns. However, Dominic Browne argues that questions remain. |
Highways England to launch £32m stopped vehicle detection procurement23/03/2020 Highways England plans to launch a £32m tender for stopped vehicle detection (SVD) systems this April, as part of its programme of safety improvements to smart motorways. |
Highway Code changes to create new road user hierarchy
Comment: Highways England must do more for road users and taxpayers
Government successfully defends RIS 2 from legal challenge
