A Highways England communications log suggests scrapping the hard shoulder thwarts access to crash scenes for life saving emergency services
Derek Jacobs was killed in 2019 after a breakdown on the M1. His son Matt, a photographer, took this portrait of him. CREDIT: Matt Jacobs/Narcosis Pictures
Scrapping the hard shoulder causes mayhem for emergency services trying to reach motorists injured on smart motorways, Highways England files obtained by the Telegraph reveal.
A log of communications from the Government-owned company shows its staff had to offer to “hand stop” traffic and even divert ambulances the wrong way down a carriageway to reach a motorist dying after being stranded in a live lane after a breakdown.
The dossier, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, shows for the first time the difficulties created by turning the hard shoulder into a fourth lane and removing easy access to crash scenes.
The files document attempts to reach Derek Jacobs, 83, who was killed after being hit as he tried to repair his van after failing to reach an emergency refuge area on the M1 in March 2019. Charles Scripps, 78, was a passenger in a car involved in the accident and died seven weeks later in hospital.
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