New M1 refuge areas ‘not enough’ as hard shoulder is the ‘difference between life and death’

People whose lives have been impacted by smart motorways^[1] claim that new refuge areas installed on the M1 are 'not enough' after new that more will be installed on the M1^[2].

Emergency refuge areas are located on smart motorways^[3] where the hard shoulder has been turned into an extra running lane^[4]. In comparison to January 2022, a new programme will see around 50 percent more emergency areas across the all-lane running smart motorways network, aiming to give drivers added reassurance.

This includes the installation of more additional emergency areas on the M1, between junctions 32 and 35a South Yorkshire, and between junctions 39 and 42 in West Yorkshire. It comes after the government cancelled plans to build more all-lane running smart motorways in April due to a “lack of public confidence”.

Are you a true Nottinghamian? Test your knowledge^[5]

But it also refused to reinstate the hard shoulder on existing smart motorways and cancel projects which are more than 75 per cent complete. And now, a mum who has been scarred for life after a crash on the M1^[6], said the additional refuge areas are "not enough".

Ana Borges, a mental health act administrator from Kegworth^[7], drives every day on the M1 to get to work in Arnold^[8]. But on the morning of April 25, her life turned upside down.

The 43-year-old was driving on the northbound carriageway near J24a - where there is no hard shoulder - when she noticed she had a flat tyre. Ms Borges moved to the left lane^[9] and drove at 10 miles an hour for around two minutes - with her hazard lights on.

She said she was planning to keep driving at a low speed until reaching the section with a hard shoulder, or a refuge area. Next thing Ms Borges remembers about the crash is the huge impact that sent her car "spinning".

The mum said she suffered injuries and had to undergo surgery - adding that her scars are permanent. She has now raised her concerns over how the absence of a hard shoulder can potentially impact emergency services.

She claims that she has waited 34 minutes for the ambulance to reach her after the incident, adding: "They were struggling to reach me."

At the time of the crash, traffic was stopped on the northbound carriageway between J24a and J25 for Nottingham just before 7.30am. In a statement at the time, traffic monitoring website Inrix said two lanes were closed after a collision involving a car and lorry.^[10]

There were reports of queues around four miles long as a result of the crash. Ms Borges added: "It was terrible. There were miles of cars queueing.

"I think it took them a long time to reach me because of that. It is the difference between life and death.

"The refuge areas are not enough. Because I was trying to reach the yellow part when I had a flat tyre - so it is still not enough."

She said: "I do not think they are looking from the driver's side or the emergency services' side. It is good to have a hard shoulder when there is an emergency."

Ms Borges said she now feels nervous about being in a car on a smart motorway, even as a passenger. She said she thinks the hard shoulder should be reinstated, adding: "It is disappointing and it is a frustration, to be honest. When you drive on a motorway, you do not know what it is going to happen - it is very stressful."

Claire Mercer, whose husband Jason was killed^[11] on a stretch of the M1^[12] with no hard shoulder in 2019, also added: "You use the hard shoulder for two things - break down and emergency vehicles.

"What they say is that if they put more refuge areas in, chances are you will break down near one - but you would have to be very lucky. But it does not address the problem of emergency services not being able to get through."

In Nottinghamshire, the M1 J23A-24 and J25-28 is a controlled motorway with a hard shoulder. The section between junctions 24 and 25 is all-lane running smart motorway and has seven emergency areas, with a place to stop in an emergency every 1.06 miles on average.

It is understood that measures are in place for the emergency services following an incident to close lanes and help people reach the scene. This includes setting Red X signals - which all drivers need to obey by law.

A National Highways spokesperson said: “While our motorways are some of the safest in the world, we’re delivering £900 million in further safety improvements on existing smart motorways, including providing 150 additional emergency areas. The Government has also confirmed no new smart motorways will be built, recognising the lack of public confidence.

“We continue to give motorists clear advice when using smart motorways. We would urge drivers to always respect the Red X and give emergency services the space they need to reach incidents and treat those affected.”

Greg Cox, Divisional Director for Nottinghamshire at East Midlands Ambulance Service^[13] said: “Protecting the health, safety and welfare of our ambulance staff, while also ensuring the safety of those injured at the scene, is our highest priority.

“Therefore, we follow prepared action plans when providing an emergency response on a smart motorway. In addition to this, our crews are highly trained to deal with these road conditions and will conduct a dynamic risk assessment of the location if necessary.”

Group Manager for Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service^[14], Dave Stevenson, said: "Whenever a member of the public rings 999 and our fire engines are mobilised to an emergency, we respond as quickly and safely as possible. Our emergency response vehicles are assisted by blue lights and sirens in order to progress through any traffic across the county.”

Earlier this month, Nottinghamshire Live launched a campaign calling for an end to all smart motorways^[15]. In addition to this, we have also written to Secretary of State for Transport Mark Harper^[16], asking him to meet some of the bereaved families who lost loved ones on smart motorways.

References

1. ^{^} smart motorways (www.nottinghampost.com)
2. ^{^} on the M1 (www.nottinghampost.com)
3. ^{^} smart motorways (www.nottinghampost.com)
4. ^{^} an extra running lane (www.nottinghampost.com)
5. ^{^} Test your knowledge (xd.wayin.com)
6. ^{^} a mum who has been scarred for life after a crash on the M1 (www.nottinghampost.com)
7. ^{^} Kegworth (www.nottinghampost.com)
8. ^{^} Arnold (www.nottinghampost.com)
9. ^{^} Ms Borges moved to the left lane (www.nottinghampost.com)
10. ^{^} collision involving a car and lorry. (www.nottinghampost.com)
11. ^{^} whose husband Jason was killed (www.nottinghampost.com)
12. ^{^} of the M1 (www.nottinghampost.com)
13. ^{^} East Midlands Ambulance Service (www.nottinghampost.com)
14. ^{^} Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service (www.nottinghampost.com)
15. ^{^} Nottinghamshire Live launched a campaign calling for an end to all smart motorways (www.nottinghampost.com)
16. ^{^} e have also written to Secretary of State for Transport Mark Harper (www.nottinghampost.com)