The government has today announced that the rollout of “all lane running” smart motorways is to be paused in the UK amid safety concerns.
Following the publishing of the recent Transport Committee report, ministers from the Department for Transport (DfT) have said that schemes to convert stretches of the M3, M25, M62 and M40 into smart motorways will be held off on until “five years’ worth of safety data are available”.
Where work is already underway, a £390 million retrofit programme will instead see additional emergency refuge areas and Stopped Vehicle Detection technology installed where possible.
The decision to halt the controversial rollout follows a recommendation by the Commons Transport Select Committee – which highlighted that there wasn’t enough safety and economic data to justify continuing with the project.
In the review of smart motorways commissioned by transport secretary, Grant Shapps, in March 2020, the government said dynamic smart motorways were confusing and should be phased out in favour of all-lane running – which would remove the hard shoulder permanently – but MPs on the Transport Committee said that the decision was “premature” and based on insufficient evidence.
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The report urged the government to instead “consider alternative options for enhancing capacity” on motorways.
Our report on smart motorways called for a pause to the rollout of all-lane running smart motorways until sufficient safety data had been gathered, as well as other key recommendations.
Smart motorways – which were first introduced in England in 2014 to increase road capacity and manage traffic by converting the hard shoulder to a live running lane – have been heavily criticised by safety campaigners and MPs alike, with concerns voiced following a growing number of fatal incidents involving broken-down vehicles on smart motorways being hit from behind.
Most-notably, demonstrators carried 38 cardboard coffins to the Houses of Parliament last November 2021 in protest over the government’s initial motorway plan, with each coffin representing one of the people officially listed as being killed on smart motorways between 2014 and 2019.
Around 53 people are thought to have died on smart motorways since 2014.
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Claire Mercer – whose husband, Jason, died on a smart motorway stretch of the M1 in June 2019 – is one of the most prominent campaigners for the abolishment of smart motorways entirely, and is the founder of the Smart Motorways Kill campaign group.
Ms Mercer says her husband would still be alive had there been a hard shoulder, and has said that “none of this is enough”.
She wants to see hard shoulders brought back in every instance.
The rollout of “all lane running” smart motorways is to be paused in the UK amid safety concerns / Credit: RAC
Speaking on the decision to pause the smart motorway rollout for five years, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “While our initial data shows that smart motorways are among the safest roads in the UK, it’s crucial that we go further to ensure people feel safer using them [and] pausing schemes yet to start construction and making multimillion-pound improvements to existing schemes will give drivers confidence and provide the data we need to inform our next steps.”
He added: “During the pause, we will continue to make sure all existing ALR smart motorways are equipped with best-in-class technology and resources and are as safe as they can possibly be.”
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Tory MP Huw Merriman – who chairs the Commons Transport Select Committee – added: “It was clear to our committee that the public needs more reassurance that these motorways are safe to use.
“With conflicting and patchy evidence covering a limited number of years, more time was required to properly assess the impact on safety.”
Campaigners have long argued that the scrapping of hard shoulders has put drivers at greater risk of accidents / Credit: Flickr
Labour’s shadow transport secretary, Louise Haigh, said ministers were “wrong to press ahead” with smart motorways when “the strong evidence warned against it,” and added that “smart motorways in their current form, coupled with inadequate safety systems, are not fit for purpose and are putting lives at risk.”
“Today’s announcement is a welcome step,” she admitted.
“But Ministers should go one step further and reinstate the hard shoulder while this safety work and the accompanying review of the evidence takes place.”
Last year was the first year, since 2017, that tuition fees were increased in line with inflation, and now that the Office for Students is forecasting that 43% of institutions will be in deficit without further action to ‘shore up’ their finances, the Government has announced in its ‘landmark’ Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper – published this week – that fees will need to rise again.
To support universities in continuing to deliver world-class teaching and research, tuition fees will rise in line with forecast inflation for the next two academic years.
According to the Department for Education, legislation will then be brought forward, when parliamentary time allows, to enable automatic increases to fee caps in future years in line with inflation – but this will only be institutions that meet tough new quality thresholds set by the Office for Students.
Where standards are deemed to ‘fall short’, the Office for Students will then act quickly to stop the expansion of low-quality courses and will aim to hold providers to account.
University fees are set to increase in line with inflation for the next two years / Credit: PickPik
Universities that underperform could face financial and regulatory consequences, the Government has confirmed, as a way of ensuring public money is spent only on courses that deliver for students and the economy overall.
“Young people from all backgrounds feel they have been let down by a system that talks about opportunity but too often fails to deliver it,” commented Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, as the White Paper was published this week.
“Universities charge significant fees for their courses, but if they are going to charge the maximum, it is right that they deliver the world-class education students expect.
“These reforms will ensure value for money, higher standards across our universities and colleges and a renewed focus on the skills our economy needs.”
The Government has also said it will also work with universities and local authorities to ensure they offer ‘adequate accommodation’ for their students.
It will also support efforts to drive down the cost of living going forward.
Featured Image – StockCake
News
More than £2 million in compensation received by underpaid workers in the North West
Danny Jones
More than £2 million is said to have been dished out in compensation to workers in the North West alone, as the UK government is continuing to crack down on employers underpaying their staff.
Employees from nearly 500 different companies across the region have received the money they owed following a raft of fines in excess of £2.7 million.
Covering the likes of Greater Manchester and beyond, the companies responsible have been revealed by the government as part of the new Fair Work Agency (FWA), which is tasked with shoring up workers’ rights moving forward.
The FWA is part of Labour’s wider ‘Plan For Change’, and hopes not only to correctly reimburse those short-changed but also, with the clear threat of swift action, deter others from trying to do the same in the future.
Matthew Taylor CBE has been appointed Chair of the Fair Work Agency, a new body that will transform how employment rights are enforced across the UK.
How? By tackling exploitation, supporting businesses doing the right thing, and helping to build a fairer labour market. pic.twitter.com/duEeNlwDHr
— Department for Business and Trade (@biztradegovuk) October 14, 2025
Released publicly last Friday, 17 October, 80 companies that failed to properly pay approximately 19,000 workers in and around the North West have now been repaid by their employers.
Perhaps most concerningly is that the fines sweep across multiple sectors and sizes, from local independents and SME to well-known high street brands.
From April 2026 onwards, the updated Employment Rights Bill (which also includes the FWA) grants more powers to tackle employers underpaying workers and failing to fulfil both holiday and sick pay.
This announcement also comes after the National Minimum Wage rate was increased earlier this year, with millions getting a pay rise and those working full-time on the National Living Wage seeing their families supported by an extra £1,400 per year.
Under the ‘Make Work Pay’ initiative set out by the Labour Party, more than 15 million Brits are expected to benefit from the new measures.
Overall, roughly £6 million has been put back into the pockets of underpaid workers up and down the country following these fines, which are said to have totalled roughly £10.2m. The full list of companies in question can be seen HERE.
Speaking on the news, Employment Rights Minister Kate Dearden said: “This government is taking direct action to ensure workers get every penny they’ve earned, and to put an end to bad businesses undercutting good ones.
“We’re proud to have delivered a strong minimum wage, and enforcing it thoroughly is crucial in our mission to put pounds back in your pocket. I know this news will be welcomed by brilliant businesses across the country, those who know that happy, well-paid staff are at the heart of building a successful company.
“With our new Fair Work Agency and the coming Employment Rights Bill, this government is keeping our promise to Britain to make work pay again.”
If you fear you might be suffering from underpayment by your employer, you can check that your wages are correct online; alternatively, you can call the Acas helpline on 0300 123 1100 or contact their website for more information right HERE.
Emily Sergeant -
12th January 2022 
