Smart Motorways should be reviewed
Published 16th Feb 2021
Kent’s Police and Crime Commissioner calls for a review of Smart Motorways
Matthew Scott, Kent’s Police and Crime Commissioner, says Smart Motorways are “unsafe” and should be reviewed.
The traffic management plan, which removes hard shoulders to increase capacity, is used on one of Kent’s busiest routes: the M20. Last month a South Yorkshire coroner ruled the system had led to the death of two people on the M1 and said he believed they posed a risk to life.
Kent’s PCC Matthew Scott agrees. He wants the government to consider how smart motorways can be improved.
He said,
“Smart motorways are not safe enough. There are not enough refuge areas if people breakdown. I think they are a risk. I know they’re supposed to improve congestion, but they are simply not safe.”
“I hope the government will review their use and take action to make them safe, whether that is increasing the number of refuge areas or going back to a hard shoulder system.”
Note to editors
A 6 mile stretch of the M20 was converted to a smart motorway, between junctions 3 and 5. It opened in April 2020.