Petition · past parliament
Scrap smart motorways and bring back permanent hard shoulders.
Rejected
14 signatures
What the petition asks
Smart motorways are highly dangerous, as when the traffic flow is heavy the hard shoulder vanishes and is used for traffic flow.
A hard shoulder is a vital safety feature of the motorways, as it provides a refuge for broken-down vehicles, and a through-way for the emergency services.
A hard shoulder is a vital safety feature of the motorways, as it provides a refuge for broken-down vehicles, and a through-way for the emergency services.
If motorways need additional lanes, these should be built in addition to the lanes we have already, and should definitely not be built in place of the hard shoulder. The government has a duty to keep people safe. Funding should be provided for additional lanes if they are deemed necessary, but the hard should should be preserved at all costs. People whose vehicles break down on a motorway are highly vulnerable to a serious accident if no hard shoulder is available.
Why it was rejected
There was already a petition about this issue. Duplicates are rejected so signatures collect in one place.
Timeline
| 3 Sep 2019 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 9 Sep 2019 | Rejected by the Petitions Committee |
Key facts
Signatures
14
Status
Rejected
Rejected
9 Sep 2019
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.