Radar technology to detect broken down vehicles has been retrofitted to 111 more miles of England’s smart motorways in the past year, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said.
The Cabinet minister told the Commons Transport Select Committee the stopped vehicle detection system “should have been part of the plan from the outset”.
He added that “good progress is being made” on improving the safety of smart motorways but he is “impatient” for more action.
National Highways has committed to ensuring every stretch of motorway where the hard shoulder has been permanently removed will have radar technology fitted by the end of September.
Incidents of people being killed after being hit from behind while stopped in live traffic lanes on smart motorways sparked safety fears.
Mr Shapps said National Highways will soon publish new data showing the roads “remain among the safest in the country, notwithstanding the concerns that we all have”.
Read More: Radar tech to spot broken down cars added to 111 more miles of smart motorway
‘Smart motorways’ are death traps when the emergency lane where drivers can escape in a breakdown from fast moving traffic becomes a running lane so there is no escape. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps was never going to scrap them because they are part of the ‘Great Reset’ driverless vehicles agenda.
This is what my brother Paul, who works on the motorways every day, wrote to Shapps in January 2020
Good Morning Grant,
Further to my emails earlier this week I would like to thank you for your stance on stopping any further rollout of ‘SMART’-DUMB motorways pending a review of their safety. Let me advise you on the statement that if they cannot be made as safe or safer than conventional motorways they will be scrapped. The simple answer to that is they can’t so scrap them NOW. I will explain why and don’t be fooled by DUMB and DUMBER (Highways England ) that their stopped vehicle radar technology is the answer IT IS NOT.
Knowing that a vehicle has stopped sooner will not reduce the risk in those precious seconds after a vehicle comes to a stop in a live lane. You have to understand the risk to life is instantaneous once a vehicle becomes stranded even if a lane closure was instigated immediately you will still have a number of vehicles already within the closed section who will not see the sign until they get to the next gantry by which time it could be too late.
You are in a position now where peoples’ lives are in your hands as I am in my job when dealing with stranded coaches in dangerous locations. What you need to ask yourself is would you like to put yourself in the position of auditioning for a funeral just because your car had happened to suffer a breakdown or indeed would you put your family in this position. Well that is exactly what has been done to every family that uses the motorway. It needs to STOP and it needs to STOP now before anymore are killed.
Obviously it is going to take time to reinstate the EMERGENCY LANE/HARDSHOULDER but we could start by closing lane one on smart motorways where possible on certain sections although we have to be careful we do not introduce any more confusion for the motorist which has already been done by this ludicrous design. Think about it from a common sense point of view mate. Then get that clown running Highways England and everyone else involved in all the lies and propaganda and there has been plenty, sacked. In a sane world they would be up for corporate Manslaughter at the very least. My claim that these have been MURDER BY DESIGN is a very valid one. Thank you and I am hoping you will make the right decision.
Paul Icke
Avenger Vehicle Services