A Smart Motorway is defined as a concept that utilises technologies and procedures to monitor and respond to fluctuating traffic conditions on our motorways. Smart Motorways which are being currently designed and installed, have evolved from several years of feedback, lessons learnt and improvements since their first deployment on the M42 motorway in 2006.
Why do we need Smart Motorways?
According to several studies, the financial impacts of congestion on the strategic road network is estimated to cost £2 billion per year, an amount likely to increase further due to the predicted traffic growth up to 2035. The key aim of Smart Motorways is to reduce congestion and improve journey times by better managing the traffic using roadside technology infrastructure, associated control centres, systems and operational regimes.
Smart Motorways support the economy by providing much needed capacity on the busiest motorways, while maintaining safety for motorists and those who work on the roads.
Other benefits of differing types of Smart Motorway operational regimes have included reductions in accidents and reduced impacts on the environment associated with emissions from stationary or slow moving vehicles.