Development

UK delays more all-lane smart motorways for five years

New “all-lane running” smart motorways have been paused while their safety is assessed, the government has said

Using the hard shoulder as a permanent live traffic lane increases capacity, but critics say it has contributed to road deaths.

Five years of safety and economic data for the schemes will now be collected from the motorways built before 2020.

However, hard shoulders will not be reinstated on current stretches of all-lane running motorways.

The government’s move comes after MPs said in November there was not enough safety and economic data to justify this type of route.

In the event that a car breaks down on all-lane running smart motorways, drivers are meant to aim for emergency refuge areas.

But critics say the schemes can leave cars stranded in fast-moving traffic.

Highways England says there are roughly 400 miles of smart motorway – roads which use technology to maintain the flow of traffic and give information on overhead displays – already in action.

About 200 of these lack a permanent hard shoulder, 63 miles use it as a live running lane some of the time.

Wednesday’s decision means that another 100 miles of all-lane running currently in construction can still be completed, while 57 miles are paused for now.

What is a smart motorway?

A smart motorway is a stretch of road where technology is used to regulate traffic flow and – hopefully – ease congestion. There are three main types:

Controlled, which have a permanent hard shoulder, but use technology such as variable speed limits to adjust traffic flows

Dynamic, where the hard shoulder can be opened up at peak times and used as an extra lane; when this happens, the speed limit is reduced to 60mph

All-lane running, where the hard shoulder has been permanently removed to provide an extra lane; emergency refuge areas are provided at regular intervals for cars that get into trouble

All three models use overhead gantries to direct drivers. Variable speed limits are introduced to control traffic flow when there is congestion, or if there is a hazard ahead. These limits are controlled by speed cameras.

If drivers get into trouble, they are meant to aim for the emergency refuge areas (essentially laybys) placed at intervals along the road.

According to government figures, 38 people were killed on smart motorways between 2014 and 2019.

The roll-out pause means work on the M3 between junctions 9 and 14, the M40/M42 interchange, on the M62 between junctions 20 and 25, and on the M25 between junctions 10 and 16 will be suspended.

Schemes that are already under construction will be completed, the government said, and on existing all-lane running motorways, £390m of public funds will be provided for more refuge areas and technology to detect stopped vehicles.

Refuge areas should be no more than 1.5km apart, and should be 1km apart where possible, it said, as opposed to being up to 2.5km between them at the moment.

The Department for Transport (DfT) said where hard shoulders have been removed, they won’t be reinstated, as they “do not always provide a safe place to stop” and could also push more traffic onto local roads.

But campaigner Claire Mercer, whose husband Jason was killed on a stretch of smart motorway near Sheffield in 2019, said: “The only acceptable thing would be for all hard shoulders to be returned permanently, 24/7, on all motorways.”

If that doesn’t happen, she said: “We’ll carry on fighting, and pushing the legal challenge.”

Jason was killed when he and another driver stopped in a live lane of an all-lane running motorway after a minor collision and were hit by a lorry.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “While our initial data shows that smart motorways are among the safest roads in the UK, it’s crucial that we go further to ensure people feel safer using them.”

As part of its review, the government said it will look at how so-called controlled motorways, which have a hard shoulder, compare with all-lane running ones.

Michael Patterson broke down on an all-lane running stretch of the M5 in August 2020 and “couldn’t find” a refuge bay so “just came to halt, mercifully on the inside lane”.

He said there was “no immediate closure of the lane” he had stopped in, which resulted in “three very scary near-misses”.

“I had abuse hurled at me, horns sounding at me,” he added.

“Nothing happened for five or 10 minutes in terms of the lane being controlled so I dialled 999, and the emergency services sorted it out, but the highways people didn’t turn up for about 20 minutes.

“I got myself over the crash barrier, but if I’d had my youngest son with me, who is physically disabled, learning disabled, and autistic, I never would have got him out of the car.”

The government said in March 2020 that all new smart motorways would be all-lane running, but in November that year MPs on the Commons transport select committee said more safety data was needed.

Committee chairman Huw Merriman has said the committee first raised safety concerns in 2016.

Sir Mike Penning, who supported smart motorways when serving as roads minister between 2010 and 2012, said the government had not gone far enough, and should bring back hard shoulders while it was reviewing the data.

‘Sitting ducks’

Motoring organisation the AA said drivers become “sitting ducks” if there are not enough refuges and not accurate enough technology to warn of dangers.

Meanwhile, the RAC said many drivers “have deeply held concerns over the safety of motorways where the hard shoulder is permanently removed” and added it was pleased the pause button had been hit.

Duncan Smith, executive director of operations at National Highways, told the BBC he was “convinced” smart motorways were safe and that there was “more we can do convince people that they are safe”.

The government agency, which monitors the South East’s major roads, is putting up more signs for emergency bays and rolling out a radar-based system which should alert its control room about a stranded vehicle within 20 seconds.

Analysis box by Katy Austin, Transport correspondent

The point of smart motorways is to increase capacity and cut congestion, without the cost and disruption of building new roads or widening existing ones.

This a significant moment in their journey. The rollout of “all-lane running” won’t go into reverse, but the brakes have been applied.

Further safety and economic data will be gathered, and the effectiveness of planned improvements assessed, before any new projects get under way.

Some campaigners will never accept anything less than hard shoulders being reinstated where they’ve already made way for an extra lane of traffic.

The government’s view remains that this would not be the right thing to do, and the focus should be on upgrading safety instead.

Development

President’s Wife Launches Renewed Hope Initiative Programme for South West Women In Abeokuta

No fewer than 120 women from the six south west states are to get the sum of N60million from The Renewed Hope Initiative, a social intervention programme of the wife of the President, Mrs. Oluremi Tunubu.
Mrs. Tinubu, who disclosed this on Tuesday at the launch of the Renewed Hope Initiative Women Agricultural Support Programme for the south west and flag off of the 2024 Ogun State Planting Season, held at the Cultural Centre, Kuto, Abeokuta, also said that N10million would be given to 100 persons with disability to capitalize their existing businesses.
She said: “Today, we are supporting 20 women farmers per state with the sum of N500,000 each. To this end, a draft of N10million per state for the South West zone will be handed over to the first ladies of Ekiti, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo states who are the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) state coordinators for onward disbursement to all beneficiaries in their respective states.
“The Renewed Hope Initiative Social Investment Programme will be empowering 100 persons with disability, small business owners in Ogun State with a sum of N100,000 each to recapitalise their existing businesses.”
Senator Tinubu also disclosed that the Renewed Hope Initiative would be collaborating with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture to empower farmers, saying that 75% of the beneficiaries who will be young female farmers and 25% young male farmers would be specially identified, trained and empowered under the programme.
The first lady, while adding that the pre-identified 80 women farmers in each state for agricultural support program would be carried along, urged women farmers to seize the opportunity to expand their agricultural ventures and contribute to local and national food production.
“In a short while, the Renewed Hope Initiative will be collaborating with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture to empower potential farmers. In this phase, 75% of the beneficiaries will be young female farmers while 25% will be for young male farmers. They will all be specially identified, trained and empowered.
“I want to implore our women farmers receiving support today to seize this opportunity to expand their agricultural ventures, contribute to local and national food production and serve as role models for others aspiring to join the agricultural sector,” she added.
Earlier in his remarks, Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun disclosed that his administration through the Oko’owo Dapo scheme has assisted over 50,000 women to grow their businesses with additional funding from the Federal Government’s Nigeria for Women Project.
Abiodun, who added that the total investment of the scheme now stands at about N1.5billion, said the Ogun Broiler Empowerment Scheme through which day old chicks were given to women and broilers taken from them every 90 days, have also empowered over 500 women agric entrepreneurs.
Governor Abiodun while noting that his administration has also launched Ibi-Dero, an initiative specifically targeted at pregnant indigent women for pre-natal delivery, post-natal and neo-natal care free of charge, maintained that his administration has succeeded in reducing Maternal and Child Mortality Rate in the state.
The State helmsman noted that his administration has prioritized the welfare and empowerment of women as a result of their population, adding that his government has also implemented programmes aimed at boost the status of women by including them in politics, governance and economic activities as well as providing education for girls.
Abiodun added that the Renewed Hope Initiative Women Agricultural Support Programme, holds a special resonance as it mirrors the resilience and tenacity of women in the state and the South West, saying that the spirit of women is integral to driving agricultural innovation and economic growth.
Governor Abiodun, while noting that Renewed Hope Initiative program symbolizes the determination of his administration to uplift women farmers, fortifying the agricultural framework and aligning with the sustainable development goals to ensure food security and sufficiency, added that investing in women extends beyond moral obligations.
In her welcome address, the first lady and the state coordinator of the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) in Ogun State, Mrs. Bamidele Abiodun, noted that the Initiative is to celebrate and empower women in agriculture, commending the first lady for sponsoring students with interest in agriculture to Belarus for more studies.
She noted that supporting women in agriculture in the state would help to improve the agriculture value chain, adding that the discrimination against people with disabilities would soon become a thing of the past with the determination of Senator Oluremi Tinubu to make the required difference.
In her remarks, the South West Zonal Coordinator for the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) and wife of the Governor of Oyo State, Mrs.Tamunominini Olufunke Makinde noted that the support program would assist women in agriculture thereby improving the agriculture sector of the states, urging the beneficiaries to use the support judiciously.

Development

Banks, Breweries, Foreign Companies Set To Storm 13th Gateway International Trade Fair

Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State

Foreign companies from across West Africa have indicated interest in participating at this year’s Gateway International Trade Fair billed to take place between April 19 and April 29.
Also, stakeholders in the food, beverages, health, agriculture and other manufacturing sectors, banks, as well as players in small and medium scales businesses have also indicated their interest in booking pavilions and spaces at the Trade Fair Complex.
According to the organisers, companies like Leadway Assurance, Lafarge, International Breweries, Apples and Pears, Rite foods, Industrial Platform, Remo (Arise), GB foods, Bank of Industry (BOI), Gateway Mortgage Bank, Providus Bank, First Bank, Sterling Bank, Lotus Bank and several regulatory agencies, such as NAFDAC are expected at the exhibition.
The theme for this year’s event is “Achieving Economic Prosperity Through Business Connection, Trade and Investment.”
The Ogun State Government had assured of adequate security of lives and property during the event, while other logistics have been put in place to make the trade fair a world-class event.
President of the Ogun State Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (OGUNCCIMA), Engr. Mike Akingbade, while speaking on preparations so far, said his organisation has been working in tandem with the state government to ensure a hitch-free exercise.
He promised that the new innovations being introduced this year are geared towards ensuring that more participants attend the showpiece.
Special Adviser to Governor Dapo Abiodun on Industry, Oluyemisi Somorin-Dawodu, had earlier said that this year’s trade fair would be more than just the exhibition of products, adding that other economic and trade-related activities have been lined up to make the experience more worthwhile for participants.
According to her, new innovations such as a raffle draw with the grand prize of a two-bedroom bungalow and an entertainment village are expected to add glamour to the event.

Development

Excitement builds as Ogun hosts international trade fair

Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State

Few days to the commencement of the 13th Gateway International Trade Fair, excitement has continued to build across the Southwest geopolitical zone of Nigeria as stakeholders get prepared to storm Abeokuta, Ogun State for the much awaited yearly event.
The trade fair, which holds from April 19 and 29, 2024 at the M.K.O Abiola International Trade Fair Complex, Abeokuta, will also feature increased exhibitors and product offering as well as a more effective transportation system to ease movement of visitors to the Trade Fair Complex.
Preparations are well underway to welcome participants to the trade fair, according to the Special Adviser to Governor Dapo Abiodun on Industry, Oluyemisi Somorin-Dawodu, while speakng to journalists on the trade fair with the theme “Achieving Economic Prosperity Through Business Connection, Trade and Investment.”
Somorin-Dawodu added that this year’s trade fair is more than just the exhibition of products as a lot of other economic and trade-related activities have been lined up to make the experience more worthwhile for participants who will be coming from far and wide.
As part of the new innovations, residents of the state and other stakeholders will have the chance to win the grand prize of a two-bedroom bungalow in a raffle draw to be conducted during the Fair.
An entertainment village, expected to add more glamour to the event, while meeting the needs of visitors, has also been introduced by the organisers.
Somorin-Dawodu added that new innovations introduced into the event this year are generating excitement among stakeholders as the date draws closer.
She said that both the Ogun State Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (OGUNCCIMA), which organises the annual Trade Fair and the Ogun State government are working round the clock to give participants unforgettable experiences.
“We decided to make the Fair bigger and better. Among other innovations, we have introduced the raffle draw that will help to bring more people to the Trade Fair, and there will be daily prizes.
“The main prize is a two-bedroom bungalow. And we have also introduced the Entertainment Village where we are going to be selling drinks, food, etc. There will be good music and a live band,” the Special Adviser said.
Also speaking, OGUNCCIMA President , Engr. Mike Akingbade said more participants are being expected at the trade fair as a result of the new innovations introduced by the state government.
“I can tell you that we are working happily towards holding a more improved trade fair,” he said.