Smart motorway speed limits under review after thousands ‘unfairly’ fined

Majority of motorists caught in 2017 were
driving slower than 70mph

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The variable limits system is designed as a preemptive measure
against congestion, using predictions about traffic levels. But an
investigation by The Sunday Times found that the motorists who
received fines on motorways with variable speed limits soared to
72,348 in 2017 – double the number fined the previous year and a
“tenfold rise in five years”.

Almost seven in ten of those drivers were fined for
travelling at 69mph or less in areas with a national speed limit of
70mph, the newspaper says. In some cases, speed limits were being
reduced to as low as 40mph on smart motorways, which stretch a
total of more than 236 miles in England alone.

The Daily Telegraph says these lowered limits
are causing “frustration” among drivers, many of whom claim they
are being forced to “drive slowly along stretches of relatively
deserted motorway”.

An AA spokesperson told Autocar that the system is creating “distrust”
and that lowering limits when there are few signs of heavy
traffic causes confusion, because some drivers are “unaware of how
the system works”.

Following the backlash from drivers, Highways England has
ordered a thorough review of how variable speed limits are set, in
a bid to reduce the amount of people who are unfairly
penalised. 

The government-owned company, charged with operating
and maintaining England’s motorways, claims that
operators managing Britain’s 20 smart motorways have received
“updated training” to remove “inappropriate” speed limits, the
Daily Mail reports. 

Drivers are to also to be giving “more warning” about
limit changes, the newspaper says.