Committees

The roll-out and safety of smart motorways

Inquiry

This inquiry will look at the safety of smart motorways and public confidence in their use as well as their impact upon congestion.

Concerns about the safety of smart motorways have been emphasised recently with a number of fatalities on them and criticism by coroners investigating those deaths.

In 2020, the Department for Transport published an evidence review of smart motorway safety. This concluded that “in most ways, smart motorways are as safe as, or safer than, conventional motorways”, and made pledges to improve their safety.

Read the call for evidence for more details about the inquiry.

Upcoming events

View all events

No upcoming events scheduled

Past events

Wednesday 30 June 2021
9:30am Public
The roll-out and safety of smart motorways - Oral evidence 30 June 2021
9:30am
  • The Baroness Vere of Norbiton (Minister for Roads, Buses and Places at Department for Transport)
  • Jill Adam (Director of Strategic Roads, Economics and Statistics at Department for Transport)
  • Nick Harris (Acting Chief Executive at Highways England)
  • Mike Wilson (Chief Highways Engineer at Highways England)
Room 16, Palace of Westminster
Wednesday 16 June 2021
9:30am Public
The roll-out and safety of smart motorways - Oral evidence 16 June 2021
9:30am
  • Sarah Simpson (Transport Planning expert at Royal HaskoningDHV)
  • Professor David Metz (Honorary Professor at UCL Centre for Transport Studies)
  • Mike Mackinnon (Consultant at MMB Associates, and former Civil Servant at Department for Transport)
10:45am
  • Miss Becky Needham (Road Safety Officer at Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents)
  • Jonathan Spruce (Fellow at Institution for Civil Engineers, and Interim Director at Transport for the North)
  • Kate Carpenter (Fellow at Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation)
Room 15, Palace of Westminster
Wednesday 19 May 2021
9:30am Public
The roll-out and safety of smart motorways - Oral evidence 19 May 2021
9:30am
  • Edmund King (President at Automobile Association)
  • Mr Nicholas Lyes (Head of Roads Policy at RAC Motoring Services)
  • Elizabeth de Jong (Director of Policy at Logistics UK)
  • Chris Todd (Assistant Chief Constable at West Midlands Police)
Room 6, Palace of Westminster

Contact us

Please note: The Transport Committee examines policy issues relating to the Department for Transport and its associated bodies. It is unable to investigate, or adjudicate on, individual cases.

  • Email: transcom@parliament.uk
  • Phone: General enquiries: 020 7219 2226/ Text relay: 18001 020 2226/ Media enquiries to Owen Sheppard 07858 193131 / sheppardo@parliament.uk or Olivia Rose 07720 165936 / roseo@parliament.uk
  • Address: Transport Committee, House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA/ Twitter: @TransportCttee