THE SMART MOTORWAY network has come under fire this morning with everyone from MPs and the families of people who have lost their lives on them calling for them to be scrapped.
The news coincides with demonstrations outside the houses of parliament and the admission from one MP that he was ‘misled’ while backbench MPs are stating that the rollout ‘must be halted’.
MPs misled on Smart Motorway rollout
One prominent MP who was part of the team that delivered the Smart Motorway roll-out was Mike Penning MP who chairs the parliamentary group on roadside rescue and recovery. He’s been quoted by Good Morning Britain as saying:
“He was misled, Smart Motorways have been implemented in a way that is vastly different to what was proposed to me back then. I fully support the recommendations [to reconsider them] of the committee and I urge the government to adopt them as a matter of urgency.”
Alongside the MPs calling for the roads to be scrapped is the voice of Claire Mercer. Her husband, Jason Mercer was killed on one of the roads when his vehicle was struck by a lorry after they broke down, seemingly unable to make it to the ‘safety' of a roadside refuge.
Jason and Alexandru Murgeanu were both killed in the crash, an incident that it is thought would not have happened had a hard shoulder been available to seek refuge in.
Ms Mercer and the other protesters have carried coffins across London’s Westminster Bridge, each one representing a death that has taken place on one of the new roads since the introduction of the scheme.
From there they marched to Parliament Square, where they have been called for All Lane Running Roads to be scrapped.
