Smart motorways given green light after bosses turned ‘blind eye’ to safety fears

Whistleblower claims National Highways suffered ‘systemic cultural failure’ when told of staff concerns

Smart motorways were given the go-ahead because National Highways bosses turned a “blind eye” to safety fears, a whistleblower has claimed as he released a dossier of classified documents.

A senior engineer has said the Government-owned company responsible for turning hard shoulders into live lanes suffered a “systemic cultural failure” when told of staff concerns over safety.

The National Highways employee also accused successive government ministers of failing to widen motorways because they feared the “Swampy effect” – environmental activists, like Swampy from the 1990s, who fought road building with high-profile tunnel and treetop protests.

People protest against smart motorways outside the Department for Transport in November 2021 CREDIT: Heathcliff O’Malley

link to full article here

link to pdf version here 

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top