Ministers halted the rollout of 120 miles of sensible motorway final night time as security fears in regards to the 'loss of life entice' roads continued to develop after 24 deaths and scores of accidents.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps additionally mentioned £390million could be spent on constructing 150 further emergency laybys so drivers whose automobiles have damaged down do not need to cease in reside visitors.
It should enhance the variety of laybys on sensible motorways by about 50 per cent and imply they're not more than a mile aside.
At present they're as much as 1.5 miles aside, which motoring teams warn is unsafe.
The event is a victory for the Day by day Mail, which has campaigned for higher security on the controversial roads.
The choice follows a suggestion by the Commons Transport Choose Committee which mentioned there was not sufficient security and financial knowledge to justify persevering with with the mission.
In a November 2 report, the committee described the Authorities's resolution in March 2020 that each one future sensible motorways could be all-lane-running variations as 'untimely'.
Considerations have been raised following deadly incidents involving broken-down automobiles being hit from behind as a result of a scarcity of a tough shoulder.
The Authorities has pledged to enhance security on present all-lane-running motorways, however family of people that have died on the roads have urged ministers to go additional by reinstating the exhausting shoulder.
Mr Shapps mentioned he was adopting the report's suggestions in full.
Initiatives deliberate for the M3, M40, M62 and M25 will probably be placed on maintain and others already underway will proceed till full.
Know-how used to identify stranded vehicles may even be examined extra rigorously.
Mr Shapps mentioned: 'Whereas our preliminary knowledge reveals that sensible motorways are among the many most secure roads within the UK, it is essential that we go additional to make sure individuals really feel safer utilizing them.
'Pausing schemes but to start out building and making multimillion-pound enhancements to present schemes will give drivers confidence and supply the information we have to inform our subsequent steps.'
The conversion of seven dynamic exhausting shoulder motorways, the place the exhausting shoulder is open at busy instances, to all-lane-running motorways can be being paused, whereas alternative routes of working them are being examined.
However regardless of halting the development of 120 miles of 'all-lane-running' (ALR) sensible motorway - through which the exhausting shoulder is changed with a lane in everlasting use, an extra 100 miles will go forward as a result of these stretches are greater than 50 per cent full and it was deemed safer to complete them.
The 120 miles will probably be paused till April 2024 so 5 years of security knowledge may be collected from greater than 200 miles of schemes earlier than a call is made on whether or not it's protected to roll out new ALR roads.
The delayed schemes are made up of stretches totalling 60 miles on every carriageway.
CAMPAIGNER WHOSE YOUNG SON DIED ON SMART MOTORWAY WELCOMES ROLLOUT PAUSE
Mr Shapps additionally agreed to think about letting the Workplace of Rail and Highway log out all new roads on well being and security grounds.
The watchdog may even overview radar know-how meant to detect automobiles marooned in reside lanes inside 20 seconds. Officers declare it is not efficient.
He may even re-evaluate dynamic exhausting shoulder and managed motorways. The previous have a tough shoulder used as a reside line intermittently, whereas the latter retain a tough shoulder however use variable velocity limits.
AA president Edmund King mentioned: 'Eventually we've a Transport Secretary who has taken a optimistic and pragmatic strategy.'
However he added: 'The AA view stays that managed motorways with a tough shoulder are the most secure possibility.'
Nicholas Lyes, RAC head of roads coverage, mentioned the choice was 'an unqualified victory for drivers'.
Claire Mercer, who blames sensible motorways for her husband's loss of life, hailed it as a optimistic transfer, however mentioned all motorways ought to have a tough shoulder.
Her husband Jason, 44, died in June 2019 when a lorry hit him on the M1 the place the exhausting shoulder had been become a reside lane.
Mr Mercer and supply driver Alexandru Murgeanu, 22, had been concerned in a shunt, and had been struck and killed once they stopped to trade particulars.
Mrs Mercer, 45, mentioned: 'The undercover report the Day by day Mail did was a large stepping stone within the marketing campaign and proved... these roads actually are as harmful as we mentioned they had been.'
Whereas at this time's report doesn't go so far as she would really like, she added: 'At the very least it'll save lives.'
She referred to as the Authorities announcement a 'sticking plaster' and a missed alternative, including: 'They'd take heaps extra steps much more rapidly if it was their family members that had been being killed or maimed.'
Mrs Mercer, from Rotherham, mentioned policymakers didn't want any additional evaluation to conclude that sensible motorways had been lethal and mentioned transport secretary Grant Shapps wanted to order all lane one operating to be halted, successfully recreating exhausting shoulders.
'It is by no means wanted any of those opinions, any of those investigations,' she informed the PA information company.
'It did not work. It killed individuals. They should cease killing individuals.'
Mrs Mercer mentioned she welcomed the pause, however mentioned it fell effectively wanting her goal of an entire reversal of the sensible motorway coverage.
She mentioned: 'At the very least there will probably be marginally much less casualties between at times.'
However she added: 'All they ever wanted to do is flick a swap.
'I am from an engineering background and should you suppose a machine is defective you flip it off earlier than you examine it.
'We now have had overview after overview after overview into sensible motorways and by no means as soon as have they turned off the primary lane whereas they examine them.
'Simply flip off lane one and you have your exhausting shoulder again. You simply must thrown one swap at eight management centres and you have your exhausting shoulder again instantly.'
Sheffield coroner David Urpeth informed an inquest that 'a scarcity of exhausting shoulder contributed to this tragedy' and that sensible motorways 'current an ongoing threat of future deaths'.
Mrs Mercer has mentioned the improper particular person had been jailed when lorry driver Prezemyslaw Szuba was given a 10-month sentence in 2020.
She mentioned: 'They only hold saying let's speak about it.
'Cease sitting there speaking about this whereas persons are dying.
'It is really easy to show the primary lane off whereas they examine it they usually've by no means wished to try this.'
She mentioned: 'You simply must know that persons are dying in conditions the place they weren't dying earlier than.
'They've drastically modified one thing and extra persons are dying.
'It is a easy as... should you needed to cease on a motorway, would you fairly it was in a reside operating lane or on a tough shoulder?
'You do not want a lot of stats and evaluation.'
Mrs Mercer mentioned she thought the choose committee report and the Authorities's response had been a 'disappointment' and agreed they had been missed alternatives.
She mentioned: 'There's been missed alternatives each single day since they've realised they've finished one thing improper.'
And she or he added: 'It is all simply compromises and sticking plasters. It isn't going to kind the scenario. They're simply persevering with to thrown good cash after dangerous.'
Mrs Mercer mentioned: 'They're underneath plenty of strain from giant personal contractors to maintain sensible motorways going.'
She described the response as 'tweak it a bit, change this, change that, however just about keep on'.
And requested if it was a missed alternative, she mentioned: 'Positively. There's been missed alternatives each single day since they've realised they've finished one thing improper.'
Mrs Mercer is campaigning for a judicial overview into sensible motorways and she or he mentioned she thought the principle influence of Wednesday's announcement was that it could pressure the Authorities to have interaction with this authorized motion.
Her feedback had been echoed by Conservative MP Sir Mike Penning who claims he was misled when he supported the rollout of sensible motorways in his function as roads minister from 2010-2012.
He mentioned: 'It appears illogical to me to resolve to pause the rollout of latest all-lane-running (ALR) sections on the premise that extra security knowledge is required however to permit present ALR sections to proceed to function.
'Certainly, the prevailing sections must be quickly reconfigured to maintain the left-hand lane as a form of exhausting shoulder.'
Tory MP Karl McCartney, who sits on the transport committee, mentioned exhausting shoulders must be reinstated, including: 'The report didn't go far sufficient. Onerous shoulders are there for a cause.'
Fellow committee member Greg Smith mentioned: 'I am deeply sceptical of the protection of all-lane operating and so-called sensible motorways.
'Roads have to be protected, and I simply do not see how all lane operating probably may be.'
Former roads minister Sir Mike Penning mentioned: 'The Authorities has not gone far sufficient.
'It appears illogical to pause the rollout of latest ALR sections on the premise that extra security knowledge is required, however permit present sections to function.
'Both we're comfortable that ALR is protected or we're not.'
However Mr Shapps rejected reinstating exhausting shoulders, insisting it could result in extra deaths by pushing as much as 25 per cent of visitors on to harmful smaller roads.
He identified that the transport committee had not referred to as for exhausting shoulders to be reinstated.
He informed the Mail: 'There will probably be campaigners who say 'No, no, no, simply return to reinstating the exhausting shoulder,' however the committee did not suppose that was a good suggestion.
'Though individuals suppose they're protected, they don't seem to be.
'One in 12 fatalities happen on the exhausting shoulder.'
He acknowledged, nevertheless, the information was 'incomplete' on whether or not ALR motorways had been protected.
He mentioned: 'We do not have sufficient, so we'll pause for 5 years' knowledge as per the committee request after which be capable to reassess it.'
Shapps offers undercover report 'large credit score'
By Transport Correspondent for the Day by day Mail
The Day by day Mail's investigation into sensible motorways was praised by Grant Shapps final night time after he agreed it had highlighted harmful flaws - and that it may save lives.
The Transport Secretary mentioned the Mail deserved 'large credit score' for sending an undercover reporter right into a CCTV management centre in South Mimms, Hertfordshire, chargeable for sensible sections of the M25, M1 and M4.
He mentioned our findings 'spurred us to maneuver quicker' and announce yesterday's security measures. Amongst our revelations final 12 months was that a couple of in ten security cameras had been damaged, misted up or going through the improper approach.
His personal subsequent probe discovered 14 per cent of cameras - which spot drivers stranded in reside lanes of visitors - had been out of motion.
Mr Shapps mentioned: 'I used to be very involved to learn the Mail investigation. What your reporter discovered about cameras, it is true. I do not suppose that is ok. If we're calling it sensible, it rattling effectively must be sensible. These cameras must be mounted instantly.
'What your investigation confirmed was the protection tradition must be in a totally completely different place.
'The Mail is due large credit score for backing up one thing that I believe plenty of motorists, myself included, could be involved about.
'The Mail has finished an amazing service to the general public and motorists.
'Your actions... will undoubtedly save family members sooner or later.'
