THE MP for Northwich has backed a decision to pause the rollout of smart motorways, until more safety data becomes available.

Mike Amesbury said he welcomed the pause, but went on to outline concerns he has about the lack of a hard shoulder on the motorways, calling it 'dangerous'.

The rollout of All Lane Running (ALR) motorway schemes will paused until a full five years' worth of safety data is available for schemes introduced before 2020.

That recommendation came after a report was published by the Transport Committee, and after the data becomes available it will assessed before a decision is made on the next steps.

Weaver Vale MP said: "I’m sure there are benefits from technology that includes variable speed limits but the concern I have raised with National Highways is about the lack of a hard shoulder.

"Breaking down in a live lane must be horrendously frightening and dangerous.

"In addition, the emergency services have sometimes struggled to reach people trapped in their cars following a collision.

"Personal experience tells me the M56, which passes through my constituency, can be dysfunctional, particularly on the stretch between junctions 12-14 - although this is not accepted by the authorities.

"I suspect it is the sheer volume of traffic at that point.

"But I remain unconvinced a section of smart motorway is the answer (this has not been proposed so far by the way)."

Although available data shows smart motorways are comparatively the safest roads in the country in terms of fatality rates, while their rollout is paused, the Government will go further by ensuring current smart motorways without a permanent hard shoulder are equipped with best-in-class technology and resources to make them as safe as possible.

This will include investing £390 million to install more than 150 additional Emergency Areas so drivers have more places to stop if they get into difficulty. This will represent around a 50% increase in places to stop by 2025, giving drivers added reassurance.

The Department for Transport has welcomed the Transport Committee’s report, which endorsed its focus on further upgrading the safety of existing ALR smart motorways rather than reinstating the hard shoulder.

As concluded by the Committee, evidence suggests hard shoulders do not always provide a safe place to stop, and by reducing motorway capacity, they could put more drivers and passengers at risk of death or serious injury if they were to divert onto less safe local roads.