The following is just one of the many letters Mike Rawson has written over many years in his efforts to make the government accept how dangerous smart motorways really are. Mike has also written to the chief constable for Essex police asking them to investigate Highways England for corporate manslaughter.
Dear Mr Andy McDonald
I am writing to you in your capacity as Shadow Transport Secretary and not as a constituency MP.
I am a retired Metropolitan Police Traffic Sergeant who, since 2013, has campaigned against the dangerous SMART MOTORWAY policy.
I have read the STOCKTAKING REVIEW ordered by the Transport Secretary. I am appalled, but not surprised, at what is claimed in the report.
‘In-House’ government reviews of its own policies cannot be trusted by the electorate and this report simply confirms this assertion.
The report is, at the very least, complacent and the decision to end the Dynamic system (in which the Emergency Hard Shoulder is sometimes a Live Running Lane) by turning those areas of operation into ALL LANE RUNNING simply compounds the danger and stupidity of the Smart Motorway policy.
I am sure you will have read the report and I will not take anymore of your time in detailing the many aspects which give me cause for concern.
It will not have escaped your attention the report seeks to justify All Lane Running, by claiming overall collisions have reduced when compared to conventional motorways, whilst acknowledging collisions involving STOPPED vehicles in live lanes and sudden lane changing have increased.
(these categories – stopped in live lane and injudicious lane changing are linked – drivers swerving to avoid broken down vehicles).
Highways England points out there has been a reduction in ‘drifting’ off the carriageway since the introduction of ALR but I cannot understand how adding a lane to the motorway reduces the instances of drivers falling asleep at the wheel.
The report, intentionally in my opinion, fails to acknowledge the enormous increase in ‘near misses’ on ALR motorways compared to conventional motorway with an Emergency Hard Shoulder. This omission is inexcusable.
I am calling for a Judicial Review of the Smart Motorway Policy. All of the 44 deaths attributable to the policy must be carefully examined and, where the primary cause of death is the absence of an emergency hard shoulder, the evidence forwarded to the Crown Prosecution Service for consideration to be given to prosecuting Highways England for Corporate Manslaughter.
Mr McDonald, the grieving families deserve nothing less and now I come to the point of this email. I am asking if you will support this call for a Judge Led enquiry into the Smart Motorway Policy?
Perhaps I should add, as you maybe unaware, in 2016 at my request, the Transport Committee held their ALL LANE ENQUIRY and recommended to government the policy be stopped until more evidence became available.
The government deliberately ignored the recommendation and some forty people have since been killed on these dangerous motorways. Just what more evidence is needed to justify the ending of this policy and to return Emergency Hard Shoulders to Britain’s motorways making them as safe an environment as is possible?
The Chancellor announced in his budget a staggering £27bn Road Investment Program. Safety on our high speed motorways no longer needs to be sacrificed in order to save money.
Will you please give careful consideration to the call for a Judicial Review and perhaps consider asking questions of the Secretary of State at the next parliamentary Transport session?
I can, with respect, suggest two important questions – ‘How can a broken down vehicle be driven to an Emergency Refuge Area? (if it could be driven it wouldn’t be broken down) and, if the Secretary of State was to receive a call from his family late at night informing him they were terrified because they were stopped in a live lane of a motorway, would he be concerned for their safety?
Yours sincerely
4.5
5
0.5