UK's Smart Motorway Schemes Found to be Poor Value for Money
A report by National Highways has found that most of England's smart motorway schemes were built at a cost that was not justified by their performance. The 11 motorway schemes evaluated over a five-year period have been rated as "poor" or "very poor" value for money, with only two schemes receiving a positive assessment.
The smart motorways were introduced in 2013 as a way to increase capacity and reduce congestion on England's motorways by converting the hard shoulder into a live lane. However, many motorists fear driving on them, with fatal collisions occurring after breakdowns despite official statistics showing that smart motorways are relatively safe.
According to the report, traffic growth on some smart motorway sections has not met expectations since the 2008 financial crisis, resulting in slower journey times and increased congestion. The cost of these schemes is estimated to be around £2.3 billion at 2010 prices.
The Association of Automobile Clubs (AA) has described the scheme as a "catastrophic waste of time, money and effort", with drivers feeling anxious or nervous using smart motorways. The AA's president, Edmund King, has called for the return of the hard shoulder to give confidence to drivers and suggested that controlled motorways should be the standard bearer for future motorway improvements.
Critics have argued that National Highways failed to address concerns about safety on smart motorways, with some sections experiencing an increase in road accidents. The report's findings raise questions about the effectiveness of these schemes and whether they provide good value for money.
A report by National Highways has found that most of England's smart motorway schemes were built at a cost that was not justified by their performance. The 11 motorway schemes evaluated over a five-year period have been rated as "poor" or "very poor" value for money, with only two schemes receiving a positive assessment.
The smart motorways were introduced in 2013 as a way to increase capacity and reduce congestion on England's motorways by converting the hard shoulder into a live lane. However, many motorists fear driving on them, with fatal collisions occurring after breakdowns despite official statistics showing that smart motorways are relatively safe.
According to the report, traffic growth on some smart motorway sections has not met expectations since the 2008 financial crisis, resulting in slower journey times and increased congestion. The cost of these schemes is estimated to be around £2.3 billion at 2010 prices.
The Association of Automobile Clubs (AA) has described the scheme as a "catastrophic waste of time, money and effort", with drivers feeling anxious or nervous using smart motorways. The AA's president, Edmund King, has called for the return of the hard shoulder to give confidence to drivers and suggested that controlled motorways should be the standard bearer for future motorway improvements.
Critics have argued that National Highways failed to address concerns about safety on smart motorways, with some sections experiencing an increase in road accidents. The report's findings raise questions about the effectiveness of these schemes and whether they provide good value for money.
anyway i was reading this report that said most of em are actually wasted resources... like 11 schemes evaluated over 5 yrs & only 2 got a thumbs up from the experts 
they built em to increase capacity but its more like traffic growth didnt match expectations & now ppl r worried bout driving on em 
even tho stats say smart motoways r relatively safe still. its funny cuz the AA is all like "catastrophic waste" 
thinkin we should go back 2 hard shoulders 
i dunno, seems like NH didnt do enough 2 address safety concerns...
& then u gotta navigate through a lane dat was meant 4 emergencies only
It just doesn't add up. I've used smart motorways a few times and I gotta say, I'm not a fan. The whole idea of the hard shoulder being converted into a live lane is weird. What's next, turning a parking spot into a bus lane? 
It's all about the safety concerns, right? If drivers are anxious or nervous driving on them, that's not a good sign.
. They've been pushing these smart motorway schemes for years, and now that they're not meeting expectations, they're trying to cover it up by saying they were "poor" value for money? Give me a break! 
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. If drivers are still anxious driving on them after all these years, what's the point of even having smart motorways? 
Shouldn't we be investing in actual infrastructure improvements rather than just tinkerin' with old systems? 
and accidents have actually gone up in some areas... like, what were they thinking?! 
did you know that in 2022, the UK saw 43,000 road accidents on smart motorways alone? 
that's like, what, 100 deaths or so... pretty scary stuff 
. The cost is just too high, considering some sections are actually slower than before 
... maybe we just need to go back to basics? 
. Anxious drivers on smart motorways is no joke 
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. Now it's just a big open lane that makes me feel like I'm in a game show where one wrong move can be disastrous 
. The hard shoulder was always the best way to go, and I think they should bring it back ASAP 
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. i totally feel for drivers who are anxious about driving on them, edmund king from the AA is spot on saying we should go back to having hard shoulders - it's not that hard to give people a bit of confidence on the road 
. what's even more annoying is that nh failed to listen to safety concerns... can't they just admit that maybe smart motorways aren't as great an idea as they thought? 
maybe returning the hard shoulder wud be a good idea? 
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. I get it, some folks love the idea of having a live lane, but for others, it's just not worth the anxiety 
. Just a thought 
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