Progress on smart motorway safety work as details of extra emergency areas announced

The commitment to construct over 150 additional emergency areas by 2025 was part of the Government’s response to the Transport Select Committee’s report, ‘The roll out and safety of smart motorways’. In January 2022 the Government committed £390m over the duration of the second Road Investment Strategy to roll out an emergency area retrofit programme. This will see nearly 50% more emergency areas across the ALR network, compared to January 2022.

The technology currently used on smart motorways, all focused on drivers, is made up of a system of different features including:

• variable speed limits to help keep traffic moving
• enforcement cameras to deter the minority who break speed limits and ignore Red X signals
• clearly signed and orange-colour emergency areas, set back from the road with telephones linking directly to its regional control rooms
• CCTV cameras that operators can remotely move and zoom to monitor and manage congestion and incidents, where notified; the system has the ability to see 100% of the carriageway
• signs and signals to provide better information which can alert drivers to hazard ahead and display Red X signals to close a lane or lanes to other traffic when a stopped vehicle is identified in them and a detection system (MIDAS) to monitor traffic for changes in flows and speeds.
• On all operational ALR motorways stopped vehicle detection technology is also in place to help further reduce the risks associated with live lane stops, and enable National Highways to respond more quickly to help drivers.

National Highways is the wholly government-owned company responsible for modernising, maintaining and operating England’s motorways and major A roads.

Real-time traffic information for England’s motorways and major A roads is available via the Traffic England website, local and national radio travel bulletins, electronic road signs and mobile apps. Local Twitter services are also available.

For further information please contact National Highways' press office (24hrs) on 0844 693 1448 and select the most appropriate option:

Option 1: National enquiries (9am to 5.30pm) and out of hours for urgent enquiries
Option 2: North West (9am to 5.30pm)
Option 3: Yorkshire and North East (9am to 5.30pm)
Option 4: West Midlands (9am to 5.30pm)
Option 5: East Midlands (9am to 5.30pm)
Option 6: East (9am to 5.30pm)
Option 7: South East (9am to 5.30pm)
Option 8: South West (9am to 5.30pm)

Notes to Editors

National Highways is the wholly government-owned company responsible for modernising, maintaining and operating England’s motorways and major A roads.

Real-time traffic information for England’s motorways and major A roads is available via the Traffic England website, local and national radio travel bulletins, electronic road signs and mobile apps. Local Twitter services are also available.

For further information please contact National Highways' press office (24hrs) on 0844 693 1448 and select the most appropriate option:

Option 1: National enquiries (9am to 5.30pm) and out of hours for urgent enquiries
Option 2: North West (9am to 5.30pm)
Option 3: Yorkshire and North East (9am to 5.30pm)
Option 4: West Midlands (9am to 5.30pm)
Option 5: East Midlands (9am to 5.30pm)
Option 6: East (9am to 5.30pm)
Option 7: South East (9am to 5.30pm)
Option 8: South West (9am to 5.30pm)