Smart motorways: Rotherham MP criticises new safety report

Refuge areas are positioned on sections of motorways where there is no hard shoulder

More refuge areas are needed on smart motorways to stop people dying, an MP has said in response to a new report.

The independent report looked at how sections of motorway with no hard shoulder could be made safer.

Rotherham MP Sarah Champion said more refuge areas were needed on one section of the M1 between junction 32 to 35 near the town following a fatal crash.

National Highways, which looks after England's motorways, said it was "committed" to making further changes.

Labour MP Ms Champion said she was "appalled" no extra refuges were being installed near Meadowhall, where one of her constituents, Jason Mercer, was killed in 2019.

"Fundamentally, it was the lack of a safe refuge that led to the death of Jason Mercer," she said.

"No additional refuges will be built, the hard shoulder will not be returned, and motorists will continue to run huge risks should they break down or be forced to stop."

Smart motorways are monitored by cameras and sensors, alerting control room operators to potential obstacles

Mr Mercer died when a lorry crashed into his vehicle near Sheffield in 2019.

An inquest found his death could have been avoided had there been a hard shoulder.

According to the new independent report, commissioned for National Highways, the number of serious injury or fatal crashes per year has increased since smart motorways were introduced in South Yorkshire in 2017.

On a 10-mile stretch of the M1 from junction 32 to 35, there have been 63 crashes, National Highways has said. Some of these crashes have been fatal.

The report identified some actions to take, including a skid-resistant road surface and clearing vegetation to improve visibility.

However, Ms Champion said the actions were not "real safety improvements on this lethal stretch of road".

"The result is an insult, offering no real answers and no solutions," she added.

National Highways said while all road journeys involve risk, "the chance of death on smart motorways is less than on any other major road".

Chief executive Nick Harris said: "We do understand the strength of feeling about safety on this section of the M1 and are committed to making further improvements.

"Our report details the measures we have completed and those we are developing to take forward, including an extra emergency area north of Woodall motorway service area to junction 31."