Sarah Champion MP states: “People are dying as a direct result of the Government refusing to invest in South Yorkshire roads.”

Leading a Parliamentary debate today, Rotherham MP Sarah Champion has challenged the Government to improve safety on All Lanes Running Smart Motorways (ALR) or face the prospect of more deaths.

Sarah demanded an immediate halt to the roll out of new schemes and for action to address long standing safety concerns on existing ALR motorways following five deaths in ten months on the 16 miles of M1 motorway in South Yorkshire.

During the debate, Sarah said:

“The safety of motorists must always be paramount… It is totally unacceptable to risk lives in the name of cost savings.”

Sarah outlined the serious problems with existing schemes, which include an inability to detect stationary vehicles, a lack of sufficient emergency refuges and high levels of motorist non-compliance with red X signs, which close lanes to traffic in the event of a stranded vehicle.

Sarah insisted the government take the opportunity of a recently announced review into smart motorways to change course and prevent further loss of life, saying:

“There is no evidence that shows me that ALR can ever be delivered safely. I therefore strongly believe the government must stop the rollout with immediate effect.’

‘Until the obvious and intrinsic risks which come with removing the hard shoulder are addressed, existing schemes should be revert to traditional motorways from today.”

Sarah also highlighted the death of her constituent, Jason Mercer, on the M1 in 2019. Mr Mercer died when, following a minor collision, he and another motorist were forced to stop in a live lane due to the absence of a hard shoulder. The vehicles were then struck by a lorry, resulting in the deaths of the two men. Since Mr Mercer’s death, Sarah has campaigned extensively alongside Mr Mercer’s widow, Claire, to highlight the risks of Smart Motorways.

Responding for the Government, George Freeman MP said he; “accept(ed) that there are real issues” with ALR and suggested that the Government might create a task force to listen to the concerns of Members of Parliament.

Commenting on the Government’s response, Sarah said:

“The Government’s response was woeful. They did little more than offer warm words and condolences in response to the deeply alarming evidence that ALR is costing lives.’ ‘

This is simply not good enough. People are dying. This was predicted. The Government was warned of the consequences before the rollout even began. How many more needless deaths will there be before safety is put ahead of the bottom line?”