UK motorway gets first ‘orange’ smart motorway emergency area

The first new-style smart motorway emergency area, where drivers can stop in an emergency, is being trialled on the M3 motorway in Surrey. Highways England is trialling the redesigned emergency area in response to public concern about smart motorways. It has a highly visible orange road surface and better signs to help improve its visibility make it more obvious to drivers on smart motorways. It is also hoped that it will encourage drivers to only use them in emergency situations. The first of the new emerg
July 17, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
The first new-style smart motorway emergency area, where drivers can stop in an emergency, is being trialled on the M3 motorway in Surrey.


8101 Highways England is trialling the redesigned emergency area in response to public concern about smart motorways. It has a highly visible orange road surface and better signs to help improve its visibility make it more obvious to drivers on smart motorways. It is also hoped that it will encourage drivers to only use them in emergency situations.

The first of the new emergency areas went live late last week. More upgrades are planned should the trial be successful. This change is part of an ongoing review into the design and spacing of emergency areas on smart motorways that is due to report in the autumn.

Smart motorways use variable speed limits to manage traffic and tackle congestion, new technology to give drivers better information on road conditions ahead and, in smart motorway upgrades delivered since 2004, convert the hard shoulder into an extra traffic lane. Highways England says evidence shows that smart motorways are successfully adding extra capacity, improving journey times and are just as safe as conventional motorways.

If the redesigned emergency areas are successful and drivers find the changes beneficial, more orange emergency areas will be introduced across England’s network of smart motorways.

Urban Traffic Control

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • TomTom provides flexibility for Riyadh
    June 1, 2016
    With five years of traffic disruption ahead and an inadequate traffic monitoring system, the authorities in Riyadh needed a solution – and quickly. In preparation for embarking on what is currently the world’s largest metro construction project, the Arriyadh Development Authority (ADA) in Riyadh needed to put in place measures to minimise the additional congestion and travel delays the five-year project would inevitably cause.
    Read More
  • Yotta: we need EV charging map to drive change
    October 28, 2019
    When it comes to finding the location of EV charging points, we need to be thinking about the needs of ‘smart communities’ as well as smart cities, says Chris Dyer of Yotta
    Read More
  • Platform announcement: public transport is running 10 years behind schedule
    March 10, 2023
    Public transport worldwide is under pressure on a variety of fronts. Jon Salmon of Snapper Services UK explains why the industry should look more at data – and pick up some tips from the retail sector
    Read More
  • Mexico improves road safety with speed enforcement programme
    June 7, 2012
    A programme of road safety education and enforcement in the State of Jalisco in Mexico has reduced speed related fatalities by 40% in nine months Speed enforcement equipment will appear in greater number and visibility around the city of Guadalajara over coming months, as the Mexican State of Jalisco expands its road safety campaign. This comes hot on the heels of an initial programme of traffic speed education and enforcement in Guadalajara, which has yielded remarkable results, reducing speed related fata
    Read More

Highlighted Content