Part of the M20 is to remain without a hard shoulder despite the government scrapping the making of more smart motorways over health and safety concerns.

A section of the major road became a smart motorway when work between junction 3 at West Malling and junction 5 in Aylesford began in 2018.

The £92 million plans to convert the 6.5 mile stretch of road was met with constant opposition, with MP Tracey Crouch previously calling the idea "anything but smart".

On the scrapping of smart motorways, Ms Crouch said: “As a long term opponent of smart motorways, I read the weekend press with interest.

"While it is clear that there is no current intention to return the existing smart motorways to their previous formation, there is an expectation that increased safety measures are either in place or planned.

"I have written to ask the minister what the plan is for the M20 J3-5 and whether the current features are enough or if more are in the pipeline.

"My constituents and other users will want to know that their safety is paramount when using a section of motorway that is now considered not suitable for a mass roll out.”

Fourteen planned smart motorways – including 11 that are already paused and three earmarked for construction – will be removed from the government's road building plans, given financial pressures and in recognition of the lack of public trust.

The Department for Transport said the construction of these schemes would have cost more than £1 billion.

Existing stretches will remain but be subjected to a safety refit so there are 150 more emergency stopping places across the network.

Around 10% of England’s motorway network is made up of smart motorways.

They involve various methods to manage the flow of traffic, such as converting the hard shoulder into a live running lane and variable speed limits.

But there have been long-standing safety fears following fatal incidents when vehicles have stopped in live lanes without a hard shoulder and been hit from behind. Campaigners have demanded the government return the hard shoulder on existing conversions.

In January 2022, the government paused the expansion of motorways where the hard shoulder is used as a permanent live traffic lane.

This was to enable five years of data to be collected to assess whether they are safe for drivers.

In his Tory leadership campaign last summer, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak vowed to ban them.

Speaking on Saturday he said: “All drivers deserve to have confidence in the roads they use to get around the country.”

“That’s why last year I pledged to stop the building of all new smart motorways, and today I’m making good on that promise.

“Many people across the country rely on driving to get to work, to take their children to school and go about their daily lives, and I want them to be able to do so with full confidence that the roads they drive on are safe.”

Pressure had been mounting on the government to scrap the routes, which have been criticised by MPs and road safety campaigners, including the RAC and AA.

Campaigner Claire Mercer, whose husband was killed on a smart motorway in South Yorkshire, welcomed the move but pledged to continue pushing for the hard shoulder to return on every road.

She said: “It’s great, it’s very good news.

“I’m particularly happy that it’s been confirmed that the routes that are in planning, in progress, have also been cancelled. I didn’t think they’d do that.

“So it’s good news, but obviously it’s the existing ones that are killing us. And I’m not settling for more emergency refuge areas.

“So it’s half the battle, but we’ve still got half the battle to go.”

Jason Mercer and another man, Alexandru Murgeanu, died in 2019 when they were hit by a lorry on the M1 near Sheffield after they stopped on the inside lane of the smart motorway section following a minor collision.

'All drivers deserve to have confidence in the roads they use to get around the country'

AA president Edmund King said: “We have had enough coroners passing down their deadly and heart-breaking judgements where the lack of a hard shoulder has contributed to deaths.

“At last the government has listened and we are delighted to see the rollout of smart motorways scrapped.

“We would also like to see the hard shoulder reinstated on existing stretches in due course.”

RAC road safety spokesman Simon Williams said: “Our research shows all lane running smart motorways are deeply unpopular with drivers so we’re pleased the government has finally arrived at the same conclusion.

“It’s now vitally important that plans are made for making the hundreds of existing miles of these types of motorway as safe as possible.”

Transport Secretary Mark Harper said: “We want the public to know that this government is listening to their concerns.

“Today’s announcement means no new smart motorways will be built, recognising the lack of public confidence felt by drivers and the cost pressures due to inflation.”