Stopped vehicle detection upgrades
Making journeys even safer with radar-based technology
What's happening
We've upgraded motorways across the country with technology which detects stopped vehicles .
Every existing motorway where the hard shoulder has been permanently converted to a live traffic lane (known as All Lane Running) now has the new radar-based technology in place.
This new stopped vehicle detection enhances the existing system of inter-related features that work together reduce the risks associated with live lane stops.
Adding the technology was a key commitment from the Government’s smart motorway evidence stocktake and action plan, published in March 2020. We delivered it in September 2022, six months ahead of the original target (subject to ongoing internal audit).
We are also adding stopped vehicle detection to All lane Running schemes still under construction, with no new stretches opening without it.
How it works
We've installed new radar units at the side of the road to monitor the motorway in both directions, detecting vehicles that have stopped.
The advantage of this new system is that it is specifically designed to detect a stationary vehicle and alert a control room operator who can:
- see the incident on camera
- close lanes
- dispatch a National Highways traffic officer to attend to the stopped vehicle.
Stopped vehicle detection enables us to respond quicker by:
- setting ‘report of obstruction’ warning signs
- setting a Red X signal to close one or more lanes
- adjusting speed limits and deploying traffic officers
Our programme
We delivered these upgrades in phases, with the majority of the work carried out using overnight lane closures with all restrictions removed during the day.
All upgrades were completed on every exiting operational section of All Lane Running motorway by the end of September 2022.
| Location | Region | Status |
|---|---|---|
| M25 J5-7 (M26 near Clacket Lane to M23 near Hooley) | South East | Already in place |
| M25 J23-27 (South Mimms to M11 near Epping Forest) |
South East |
Already in place |
|
M3 J2-4a (Thorpe Interchange to Farnborough) |
South East |
In place since December 2020 |
|
M20 J3-5 (M26 merge to Aylesford) |
South East |
In place since March 2021 |
|
M1 J32-35a (Thurcroft to Stocksbridge) |
Yorkshire and North East |
In place since December 2021 |
|
M6 J2-4 (Coventry to Coleshill) |
Midlands |
In place since January 2022 |
| M23 J8-10 (M25 junction to Crawley) | South East | In place since December 2021 |
| M1 J23a-25 (East Midlands Airport to Nottingham/Derby turn off) | Midlands | In place since September 2022 |
|
M1 J39-42 (Durkar to Lofthouse) |
Yorkshire and North East | In place since February 2022 |
| M1 J28-31 (Alfreton to Sheffield/Worksop turn off) | Yorkshire and North East | In place since July 2022 |
| M62 J10-12 (M6 near Fearnhead to M60 near Alder Forest) | North West | In place since April 2022 |
| M5 J4a-6 (Catshill to Worcester) | Midlands | In place since March 2022 |
| M6 J16-19 (Stoke-on-Trent to Knutsford) | North West | In place since September 2022 |
| M62 J18-20 (Simister Island to Rochdale) | North West | In place since August 2022 |
| M6 J10a-13 (Essington to Stafford South) | Midlands | In place since August 2022 |
| M1 J16-19 (Daventry to the Catthorpe Interchange) | Midlands | In place since August 2022 |
| M4 J8/9-12 (Maidenhead to Reading) | South East |
Installation included with M4 junctions 3 to 12 smart motorway major scheme |
| M4 J3-8/9 (Heston to Maidenhead) | South East | Installation included with M4 junctions 3 to 12 smart motorway major scheme |
| M27 J4-11 (Southampton to Fareham/Gosport) | South East | Installation included with M27 junctions 4 to 11 smart motorway major scheme |
| M6 J13-15 (Stafford South to Stoke-on-Trent) | Midlands |
Installation included with M6 junction 13 to 15 smart motorway major scheme |
| M1 J13-16 (Bedford to Daventry) | Midlands | Installation included with M1 junction 13 to 16 smart motorway major scheme |
| M56 J6-8 (Hales Four Seasons roundabout to Tatton) | North West |
Installation included with M56 junction 6 to 8 smart motorway major scheme |
| M6 J21a-26 (Croft Interchange to Orrell Interchange) | North West |
Installation included with M6 junction 21a to 26 smart motorway major scheme |
Find out more
You can email the project team directly at: stoppedvehicledetection@nationalhighways.co.uk
