Every new ‘All Lane Running’ (ALR) motorway will open with technology in place to spot stopped or broken-down vehicles quickly, while all existing ALR motorways will have the technology fitted six months earlier than originally planned, the government has said.
The pledge comes as Highways England publishes the Smart motorways stocktake first year progress report 2021 setting out the progress it has made against an action plan published last year to boost safety and backed by a £500 million investment. The first-year progress report includes commitments to speed up the completion of safety measures, as well as the latest safety data.
ALR motorways – which don’t have hard shoulders – are fitted with technology and features not seen on conventional motorways, such as set-back emergency areas, and red X signs on gantries to close live lanes. Radar detection to spot stopped vehicles is also being rolled out.
To accelerate improvements, by the end of September 2022, Highways England will:
Install radar technology on all existing stretches of ALR motorway, 6 months earlier than planned.
Upgrade special cameras 10 months earlier than planned, so that they can be used to spot and prosecute motorists ignoring red X signs and illegally driving down closed lanes, putting themselves and others in danger.
Install around 1,000 additional approach signs 6 months earlier than planned, alerting drivers to their nearest place to stop in an emergency.
Work to update the Highway Code to provide more guidance about driving on ALR motorways will also be bought forward and is due to be published this year, ahead of schedule.
Data from the progress report, covering the five years from 2015 to 2019 inclusive, shows that ALR motorways are one of the safest types of road in the country. Drivers on a conventional motorway are 33% more likely to be involved in a fatal accident than drivers on an ALR motorway.
The data also demonstrates that the fatality rate on strategic road network A roads is three and a half times that on ALR motorways.
The figures have been compiled on a 5-year basis because single-year figures are too low and fluctuate too much to draw conclusions from. For the year 2019, there were 9 fatalities on ALR motorways, one less than in 2018, and a total of 15 fatalities on motorways without a permanent hard shoulder, four more than in 2018.
The increase in fatalities in 2019 was accounted for by so-called ‘Dynamic Hard Shoulder’ motorways, where the hard shoulder operates only part-time. All these motorways are being withdrawn and replaced with ALR motorways.
Despite the data, it is known, says the government, that drivers can feel less safe driving along motorways without a hard shoulder, which is why Highways England is pressing ahead to provide reassurance and boost safety measures.
Department for Transport and Highways England April 2021
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