Vehicles vulnerable
The most prolonged power outage lasted four days and 22 hours in July on the M6, near Junction 18 in Cheshire. That electricity failure meant stopped vehicle detection systems which identify motorists stranded in live lanes went down.
It also meant regional staff were unable to control signals to set speed limits to slow traffic, the “Midas” system which alerts controllers to queuing traffic did not work, and CCTV was offline, meaning control room staff could not get “eyes on” even if alerted by emergency services or motorists to a collision.
One of the M25’s busiest junctions near Heathrow Airport had no signs or signals for a whole day and 20 hours in August after power failed on that section of the smart motorway, one with multiple lanes and gantries relaying safety messages, but with a hard shoulder.
The data records how “multiple devices” went down in June across three junctions of the M4 in Berkshire for 1 day and 16 hours.
Also that month, the M1 suffered a similar problem at junction 34 near Sheffield for one day and seven hours.
Regional operations centres in the East, North East and North West each experienced two shut downs lasting longer than 24-hours.
The radar system meant to detect live lane breakdowns was logged as not working at 24 locations on 32 separate days over a 129-day period between April 10 and August 16.
Such “stopped vehicle detection” failures put the lives of stranded motorists at risk as National Highways staff at regional operations centres are less likely to be alerted to life and death emergencies where motorists do not have hard shoulders to pull onto.
The statistics show the M1 and M6 motorways were the most likely to suffer the radar system going offline due to localised power outages.
These unexpected outages are in addition to routine and planned system shut downs, which allow engineers to update software or carry out network repairs.
Government ‘stalling’
Claire Mercer, whose husband Jason, 44, was killed on the M1 smart motorway in 2019 and has campaigned against the schemes ever since, said: “This data is yet more proof that there is a fundamental problem with smart motorways. But, the Government still won’t take it seriously.
“Their determination to keep existing smart motorways comes despite numerous deaths of motorists stranded on live lanes, many life-changing injuries, coroners warning of a risk of future deaths, and select committees reports highlighting safety concerns.”
Dr. Thomas Hughes is a UK-based scientist and science communicator who makes complex topics accessible to readers. His articles explore breakthroughs in various scientific disciplines, from space exploration to cutting-edge research.
