….Dev was another victim of the growing network of smart motorways that the government has introduced as a quick and cheap answer to congestion. Vehicle traffic continues to rise, with drivers clocking up a record 328bn miles on Britain’s roads last year, according to the RAC Foundation, compared with the 285bn recorded in 1998. To ease congestion and improve traffic flow, Highways England, which looks after the country’s main roads, has been converting some stretches of the hard shoulder on motorways into an extra lane.
These motorways are supported by technology that supposedly makes them safe by closing lanes to traffic when necessary — for example, if a car becomes stranded. Emergency refuge areas are also dotted along the smart motorways at intervals.
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PDF Version here Are Britain’s smart motorways death traps_ _ The Sunday Times Magazine _ The Sunday Times