The many benefits of being in control

摘要

Amid all the controversy and cherry-picked statistics over the safety of smart motorways, one key fact is in danger of being lost in the mix: motorways that have both traffic control technology and a permanent hard shoulder are significantly safer than roads that have only one of these. These days, Highways England refers to these stretches of its network as 'controlled' motorways; they have also been called managed motorways. For the most part, they are seen as a form of smart motorway, reflecting the technology, something that can often muddy the water. But the statistics that break down the safety record of the various types of motorway make clear that controlled motorways, which can also have the concrete central reservations that are part of the specification of all lane running (ALR) schemes, are best in class. Awkwardly, this is something Highways England seems hesitant to trumpet.