Road campaigners and motoring organisations have urged UK ministers to immediately release a series of safety assessments on smart motorways, some dating back to 2022. The reports, known as post-opening project evaluations (popes), are believed to have been suppressed because they cast further doubt on the safety and economic benefits of the schemes.
Smart motorways convert the hard shoulder into a live traffic lane, relying on electronic signs and laybys for emergencies. The Department for Transport (DfT) insists the reports will be published imminently and do not undermine the case for smart motorways, which it describes as statistically the safest roads. However, motoring organisations have called for the restoration of the hard shoulder following a number of deaths in breakdown incidents.
The last pope report released in 2021 examined a section of the M1 and found that journey times had slowed, severe injury accidents had increased, and a forecast economic boost of £1bn had turned into a £200m deficit. Nine further reports were due in 2022. National Highways said it had provided the reports to the DfT, which is undertaking its final review.
Claire Mercer, of the Smart Motorways Kill campaign, whose husband Jason died on the M1 in 2019, said: 'The longer it takes, you think either they are that uninterested, or there really is something going on.' Jack Cousens of the AA added: 'These safety reports have been withheld for far too long, and we urgently need to see them published.'
The DfT has cited the need to 'fully assure' the complex findings, but a response from National Highways to blogger Chris Ames suggested officials were anxious to manage how results were presented. Ames was told 14 reports would be released before Christmas 2023 'subject to the DfT agreeing the communications handling plan'. He said the continuing delay suggested the contents 'must be really, really bad'.
