The BBC Panorama programme on smart motorways aired on 27th Jan 2020 clearly highlights the issues with smart motorways in their current form. The options are scrap the scheme or actually address the issues with them - and the main one (I think) is the lack of the piece of kit that actually makes them “smart”. This is the automatic Stationary Vehicle Detection (SVD).

During the programme, Grant Shapps (Secretary of State for Transport) said that automatic detection will be introduced to smart motorways in 3 years. I’m afraid this is not good enough - it needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency. All smart motorways must have SVD or they aren’t smart and are therefore unsafe - a potential death trap for everyone that travels on them.

I don’t think scrapping them is the solution as it reintroduces more congestion (reducing capacity by about 25%), which is not great for  national productivity. Ensuring all sections have SVD and more regular Emergency Refuge Area (ERA, at least every mile) - makes them safer than they are now!