MilesheetSmart motorways: what the rules actually are
New schemes were cancelled, but hundreds of miles remain. What a red X means, where the refuges are, and what to do if you stop in a live lane.
The government halted the rollout of new smart motorway schemes in 2023, but the ones already built have not gone anywhere. Anyone driving for work in England will use them regularly, and the rules are not always obvious.
The three types
All lane running (ALR). The hard shoulder has been permanently converted to a running lane. There is no hard shoulder at all, only emergency areas at intervals. This is the type that generated the controversy.
Dynamic hard shoulder. The hard shoulder opens as a running lane at busy times and closes otherwise. Whether you may use it depends entirely on the overhead signs.
Controlled motorway. The hard shoulder stays a hard shoulder, but variable speed limits apply. The least contentious version, and much the most common on approaches to cities.
The important consequence: you cannot tell which type you are on by looking at the road. You have to read the signs.
Telling the three types apart
| Type | Hard shoulder | How you know | What to do if you stop |
|---|---|---|---|
| Controlled motorway | Kept as hard shoulder | Variable limits, hard shoulder present | Use the hard shoulder |
| Dynamic hard shoulder | Open at busy times | Signs say whether lane 1 is open | Depends on whether it is running |
| All lane running | None | No hard shoulder anywhere; emergency areas only | Emergency area, or stay belted and call 999 |
You cannot tell which you are on from the road surface. The signs are the only reliable indicator.
What the signs mean
| Sign | Meaning | Enforceable? |
|---|---|---|
| Red X over a lane | Lane closed — do not drive in it | Yes, by camera |
| Speed in a red ring | Mandatory limit | Yes |
| Speed without a red ring | Advisory | No, but there is a reason for it |
| Blank gantry | No restriction in force | — |
The red X is not advisory
A red X above a lane means that lane is closed. Driving in it is an offence, enforced by camera, and the reason it is closed is frequently a stopped vehicle you cannot yet see.
Vehicles have been detected in closed lanes at very high rates on some stretches. Assume the sign knows something you do not.
Speed limits on gantries are mandatory
A speed limit displayed in a red ring on a gantry is a legal limit, not a suggestion, and it is enforced. A limit without the red ring is advisory. Most drivers do not know there is a difference.
If you break down
This is the part worth reading before you need it.
If you can reach an emergency area or exit, do so, even on a flat tyre. Damage to a wheel is cheaper than the alternative.
If you can get to the left verge, do that, exit the vehicle by the left-hand doors, and get behind the barrier.
If you cannot move and are in a live lane — hazard lights on, stay belted in with headrests up, and call 999. Getting out into a live lane is the most dangerous option available. This is the exact reverse of the advice for a traditional hard shoulder, and it is the bit that catches people who learned to drive before ALR existed.
What it means if you drive for work
Two practical things.
Emergency areas on older ALR stretches can be a mile or more apart, though newer standards brought them closer. If a warning light appears, take the next exit rather than pressing on to the next services.
And keep the vehicle in a condition that makes a live-lane stop unlikely: tyres, fuel, oil, coolant. A breakdown on an ALR motorway is a much worse event than the same breakdown on a conventional one, which makes routine maintenance a safety measure rather than an expense.
Sources
- The Highway Code — Motorways (rules 253 to 273)
- The Highway Code
- The Highway Code — Annex 6: vehicle maintenance, safety and security
- GOV.UK — Speed limits
General road safety information. Always follow the signs and signals in force at the time.