What is a Smart Motorway?

First deployed on the M42 in 2006, smart motorways use real-time information to adjust for fluctuating road conditions such as peak hour congestion. This way, they keep the traffic flowing more smoothly. Essentially, a smart motorway increases capacity without the need for disruptive and expensive road widening. As of today, there are about 500 miles of smart motorways in England, with an additional 300 miles planned by 2025.

Smart motorways are monitored by regional traffic control centres. A Motorway Incident Detection and Automatic Signalling (MIDAS) system analyses traffic data to help determine the functions of a smart motorway. Comprehensive CCTV coverage allows for ease of operation. Gantry and verge-mounted electronic road signs are constantly updated to provide real-time information like lane closure and speed limits to motorists.

There are three types of smart motorways:

Controlled smart motorways make use of variable speed limits, displayed using electronic overhead gantry signs. Here, the hard shoulder is reserved for emergency use only.
On a controlled smart motorway, a red X signal indicates that the lane is closed. The police can fine you and add points to your license for driving on the closed lane. Lanes are closed if there is an incident, such as a crash or break down. They can also be closed to help emergency services reach the affected area quickly.

Dynamic hard shoulder motorways also make use of variable speed limits and closable lanes. However, they use the hard shoulder as a live lane when extra capacity is required on the motorway. Note that the hard shoulder is closed by default, and is distinguished from the motorway by a solid white line. If the sign above the hard shoulder is blank or features an ‘X’, the lane is closed.

Gantry and verge-mounted signs give you the information you need while driving on this type of motorway. For emergencies, these motorways use refuge areas or lay-bys at least every 1.6 miles. If you’re driving at 60 mph, you will notice them approximately every 75 seconds. A programme is currently being rolled out to paint these areas orange so they can be easily recognised.

As in the above cases, all-lane running smart motorways also use variable speed limits based on traffic. The difference here is that the hard shoulder is a permanent live lane by default. Unlike dynamic motorways, you will not see a solid line that separates the motorway and hard shoulder. Facilities for emergency and refuge areas for motorists remain the same as that of dynamic hard shoulder smart motorways.

Follow these basic tips to make sure you’re using smart motorways properly:

Smart motorways have recently come under scrutiny after a BBC Panorama investigation found a 20-fold increase in near-miss incidents on a particular stretch of the M25. It also revealed that 38 people had been killed on smart motorways in the last five years. Many motorists expressed that removing the hard shoulder compromises safety.

In response to the widespread concerns, British transport minister Grant Shapps introduced an eighteen-point plan to improve safety on smart motorways. The Department of Transport action plan includes:

Despite the major safety concerns, there is no plan to halt or reduce the expansion of smart motorways. Highways England reports that since the first smart motorway opened in 2006, jour­ney reli­a­bil­ity has improved by 22% and per­sonal injury acci­dents have been reduced by more than half. Share this article to help increase awareness about what a smart motorway is and make the UK roads safer for all. Be sure to check out the Gumtree advice hub for more information on driving safely.