- Prime Minister previously promised a “total ban” on new smart motorways
- Transportation Secretary Mark Harper did not rule out building more roads.
- Dr Alan Billingsis now calls on Prime Minister not to reverse ban
A police chief has urged Rishi Sunak to halt the rollout of smart motorways and prevent “further deaths”.
The Prime Minister previously promised a “complete ban” on new smart motorways after branding them “unsafe”.
But Transportation Secretary Mark Harper later did not rule out building more controversial highways.
Dr Alan Billings, South Yorkshire’s police and crime commissioner, is now calling on the Prime Minister not to back down on the ban, describing the roads as “inherently dangerous”.
The Prime Minister previously promised a “complete ban” on new smart motorways after branding them “unsafe”.
Smart highways that operate in all lanes are designed to reduce traffic by allowing drivers to travel on the shoulder.
Control room operators, aided by CCTV cameras and a radar system, monitor roads and close lanes during a breakdown or collision.
However, dozens of drivers have died on the roads, including some who have been left stranded in lanes busy with fast-moving traffic.
And in a damning letter to Mr Harper seen by the Mail, Dr Billings wrote: “I have always said that I believe they are inherently dangerous and that we should design roads that remove the danger and not build new dangers.”
Dr Billings went on to say he was “encouraged by the opposition to smart motorways expressed by the Prime Minister” in the leadership contests and “hoped this had not changed”.
National Highways is struggling to hire employees to spot breakdowns and close lanes to avoid collisions, it was reported.
He added: “I am therefore writing to urge you to re-examine these motorways and would appreciate a response from you saying that you will do so.”
“We don’t want to have more deaths where our coroners conclude that a missing shoulder is a contributing factor.”
Claire Mercer, whose husband died on a smart motorway in 2019, said: “It is disgraceful that Mr Sunak and other politicians have used this as a political football.
“Meanwhile, people continue to die on these roads and families are forced to pick up the pieces.”
Earlier this month, the Mail revealed how motorists were facing “smart motorway roulette” as power cuts affected vital warning signs.
And leaked emails sent by National Highways employees also revealed concerns about staff shortages in the control room.
Sarah Champion, a Labor MP who has been campaigning to ban smart motorways, said: ‘Smart motorways are deadly, and I have been telling the Government that for years.
“It is not right that my constituents are used as guinea pigs while the truth about these roads stares the Government in the face.”