Tuesday, 03 October 2023
“Smart Motorways are unpopular because they are unsafe”
An Open letter to the Conservative Party Conference:
Dear Mr Sunak & Co,
Last year (while campaigning to become the next Prime minster! I feel it’s important to add) you said “Smart Motorways are unpopular because they are unsafe”.
A year later what changes have you made to this unsafe environment? None, not one new thing has been suggested or implemented on smart motorways since Grant Shapps 18 (remember that figure for later) Point Action Plan which was published to much fanfare over three years ago!
At the same time, you claim to be helping motorists by backing them in the “war on drivers”. The average motorists feel they are paying six ways to Sunday for so much more now and being legislated to the hilt, and despite this and your war proclamation, you’ve still left them with a cut price, dangerous, sinking motorway system.
We all know campaigning is all baby kissing and photo opportunities, but you made that statement because you knew it would be a crowd pleaser, but since you have now got to your coveted position and have the power to make good on your promises we see no action, no crowd pleasing and definitely no lifesaving.
Even an announcement earlier this year that there would be no new smart motorways built was not what is seems, many would understandably read the previous sentence as stating that no new smart motorways would be built! Not so apparently. Apparently, what it means to the man that said “Smart Motorways are unpopular because they are unsafe” is as follows:
- Most of the panned Dynamic Smart Motorways will now be converted into ALR Smart Motorways (never has a hard shoulder) – so the net result of this step is less hard shoulders than if you’d stuck to the original smart motorway plan!!
- Still continue with several projects as planned because they are “substantially complete” with no explanation as to why they can’t just open with the first lane closed.
- Scrap a total of approx. five projects completely (but still continue with the above 13 + 3 projects).
Why are you refusing to see the human costs here? Why does it have to be pointed out time and time again that this will be your Grenfell? I’ve been carrying a banner for three and a half years
now saying, “it will be a coach full of School Kids soon” and that very nearly came true last week. Can you imagine 50 scared and injured school children trying to get up a live lane of a motorway to get over an accessible part of the crash barrier or to an emergency refuge?
On the subject of these emergency refuges, in the one in a million chance that you do happen to break down right at one, can you explain how they help emergency vehicles get through four lanes of stood traffic please? Because if you can’t I fail to see how they are a suitable replacement for a hard shoulder.
The government(s), DfT and National Highways have already wasted billions and billions of the tax payers money on smart motorways, and time and again its proven that a parking space every three miles, no path for emergency vehicles and a tech system that’s not up to the job are not a suitable replacement, but still you plough on, the only debate is whether this will be your HS2 before it’s your Grenfell.
One last thing, do we not have disability discrimination laws in this country anymore? I thought all spaces open to the public had to be accessible and safe to anyone regardless of mobility and ability. So, a scheme that disproportionately discriminates against the less able would seem to be a complete contravention of any such laws.
All it would take is the flick of a switch, there is no extra costs involved, no education campaign needed, just turn the first lane off and we have the hard shoulder back.
Regards
Smart Motorways Kill
On behalf of Smart Motorways Kill
Email: info@smartmotorwayskill.co.uk
P.S. the 18 “Action” plan? – just five points on that plan have been completed in over three years, Five! And one of them made the road surface more dangerous than it was before!
Pdf copy here