The four -week failure for smart highway technology intended to protect drivers in M62

The technology designed to keep safe drivers on smart highways failed in several sections of the strategic road network (SRN) last year, according to a new official analysis.

In an incident, National Highways revealed that its automatic highway detection signaling system (Midas) suffered an interruption in a highway section, between 10-11 unions of the M62, for almost a month-28 days, 8 hours and 4 minutes.

The data published as part of the Fourth stake in the safety of smart highwaysand Analysis of the Road and Rail Office (ORR) for Annual Safety Evaluation in the SRNAlso show that several sections of all smart highways (ALR) in the M1 have a higher dead or severe rate (KSI) now that before the loss of hard shoulder (see the table below).

Source: Stocktake report. M1 J39-42, J16-19 and J24-25 have higher KSI rates after the opening compared to before the opening

The SRN of England is composed of 4,555 miles of highways and roads, of which 446 miles (9.8%) are smart highways, which considers three different types.

Controlled highways Add variable and mandatory speed limits to a conventional highway to control traffic speed, while retaining a permanent hard shoulder. Air electronic signs show messages to drivers, such as warning of an incident that is coming, decelerating the traffic that approaches an incident or closing lanes using an X network.

ALR MATAULATIONS Apply the controlled technology of the highway, permanently convert the hard shoulder as a lane in operation and present emergency areas to stop into an emergency. Alr highways have also stopped vehicle detection technology (SVD).

Hard Dynamic Highways (DHS)As the stretching of the M62 that suffered the interruption of the four -week long security system, also applies the controlled technology of the highway, while the hard shoulder opens selectively as an operating lane during the periods when there is a lower speed limit in force and electronic signs to guide the drivers when it is safe to use it. The emergency areas are installed on DHS and ALR highways.

The detained vehicle detection system (SVD) used on ALR highways is measured with three key metrics: the proportion of properly identified vehicles correctly identified by SVD (exceeding 80%); the proportion of SVD alerts that are not related to a stopped vehicle event (less than 15%); and the average time to detect detained vehicles (less than 20 seconds).

Looking at 12 smart highway sections, the Orr analysis shows: four did not meet the objective for detection rates; The objective for false discovery rates was not achieved by one; and two did not meet the objective for average detection times.

Despite this, the Orr report says that the SVD system continues to offer safety benefits for road users.

However, in the light of these last findings, the AA is again asking for the restoration of the hard shoulder on smart highways.

“It’s time to accept calls ‘intelligent’ highways have failed,” Edmund King, the AA

“The data published by the national roads show that several sections of the entire lane that are executed in the M1 have a higher KSI rate now than before the loss of the hard shoulder,” said the president of AA, Edmund King.

“At the same time, a third of the tested radar detection schemes failed to meet the standard, two of which failed and worsened over a period of 12 months.

“Surprisingly, the M62 J10-12 had a system failure for almost a month.”

He added: “This loss of security technology, in which the drivers they trust have been asked to be endangered unnecessary.

“It is not surprising that a third of drivers say they feel less safe on smart highways compared to three years ago.

“It is time to accept the so -called ‘intelligent’ highways have failed and the side of most drivers who want the restoration of the hard shoulder.”

The Director of Policies and Standards of IAM Roadsmart, Nicholas Lyes, was also critical. “After the many billions of pounds that have been spent on smart highways, the metrics do not show a safer network compared to what he replaced,” he said.

“It also reveals that in those sections of all intelligent highways without a hard shoulder, the rate of fatal and serious collisions involving detained vehicles is almost double that of a conventional highway and those with a dynamic hard shoulder.

“Given the public’s hostility towards all the smart highways that the lane executes, they will feel relieved to know that there are no plans to build.

“However, the question signs remain on what to do with existing stretching and how the government continues with the expansion of future capacity.”

Orr has told National Highways to improve the data it collects in technology interruptions on ALR smart highways, so that the company can better understand the effects of interruptions on road users.

Security improves in SRN but it is unlikely that the ‘challenging’ objective will be met

In its report, the ORR concludes that security continues to improve on England highways and the main roads, but it is unlikely that national roads meet their main security objective established by the Government.

Excluding 2020 and 2021, when there was significantly less traffic due to pandemic, these last figures show that the least number of people dead or seriously injured in the strategic road network (highways and main roads) registered, despite the fact that traffic increases by 2.2% between 2022 and 2023.

At the request of Orr, National Highways provided the regulator with a plan to improve network security, and the company is on the way to complete the actions described at the end of 2025.

However, the ERR evaluation is that it is unlikely that national roads meet their goal of reducing the number of people murdered or seriously injured in the strategic road network at the end of 2025.

KSI victims, security and traffic objectives in SRN, 2005-2023

Source: Orr

The regulator has said that national roads must remain focused on delivering the remaining actions in their plan to even close the gap to their goal.

Feras Alshaker, director, performance and planning in the ORR, said: “It is good that security continues to improve on the strategic road network, and we must recognize the work that National Highway has been doing to improve safety on its roads.

“National roads should now focus on implementing the remaining actions of their plan to further improve road user safety.”