Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to introduce smart highways.

The Highways Agency is investing record amounts in roads, which includes making motorways ‘smarter', using technology to actively manage traffic flows to reduce congestion and improve safety. On most sections of smart motorway the hard shoulder is used to provide additional capacity for road users: either through being converted into a traffic lane permanently, or opened to traffic when needed during busy times.

To date we have delivered 14 of these types of schemes, and are in the process of constructing a further 6. Following the Spending Review in 2013 there are now plans to deliver a further 18. Collectively this will see smart motorway applications covering around 437 miles of the strategic road network supporting the economy, reducing congestion and providing much needed additional capacity on the busiest motorways.

Beyond this, the Department for Transport will be considering future enhancements within its route strategy proposals which are due to report next year and will establish outline operational and investment priorities for all routes in the strategic road network out to 2021.