A £6bn programme to convert motorway hard shoulders into driving lanes was branded a waste of money this weekend after it emerged that motorists are enduring slower journeys only two years after the first schemes were completed.
Studies by Highways England suggest the benefits of providing an extra lane on the country’s busiest roads are soon lost to extra traffic.
In addition, the AA reports that some drivers are reluctant to use the new lanes because of safety concerns, as refuges for broken-down vehicles are 1½ miles apart.
Journey times along one clockwise 16-mile section of the M25 were almost 8% longer during most evening peak periods despite the hard shoulder being opened to traffic in late 2014. Adding a lane on another 10-mile section did not improve journey times overall.
The hard shoulder is now a full-time “running lane” on sections of the M25, M1 and M6. It will be removed from another 97 miles by 2020.
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Critics called for a rethink. “After all the billions spent and the disruption and roadworks on the M25, there has been no improvement,” said Stephen Joseph, head of the Campaign for Better Transport. “If you build roads, they fill up with traffic.”
Some sections of the M25 have seen an increase of up to 11,000 vehicles a day in the two years to April 2016.
Highways England said: “Smart motorways have improved safety and made journeys faster, despite increases in traffic.”