The Road Haulage Association has welcomed the Secretary of State for Transport’s action plan to boost motorway safety.
Commenting, RHA chief executive Richard Burnett said: “Mr Shapps is the first Secretary of State for many years who has listened to what we have to say and who is taking action.
Responding to the Transport Secretary’s action plan to boost motorway safety, RHA chief executive Richard Burnett said:
“We have been voicing our concerns about the safety of smart motorways since their introduction in 2006.
“We have always considered there to be too few refuge areas following the initial pilot scheme on the M42 when they were 500m apart and we welcome an increase in their number. However, if Smart Motorways are to be smart, they should not have been rolled out before the ‘stopped vehicle detection systems’ were in place across the whole network. Waiting another three years is just too long.”
Concluding, Richard Burnett said:
“I am pleased at Mr Shapps’ announcement that an additional £5 million is to be spent on a national, targeted communication campaign to increase drivers’ understanding of how to use smart motorways properly. In addition to this, we consider it essential that HGV drivers have, mandated into the Driver CPC, a section dedicated to Smart Motorway use.
“We look forward to working with Mr Shapps and his team to develop and deliver the campaign across the entire UK logistics and supply chain.”
