A whistleblower claims smart motorway software malfunctions are putting drivers at risk in the West Midlands - as vital traffic signs are sometimes not working. National Highways control room operators allegedly have to 'watch, hope and pray' for no fatalities on routes including the M5 and M6 during the incidents.
Smart motorways use hard shoulders as live lanes to ease congestion, with overhead signs signalling speed changes, closures and accidents ahead. But there have been an estimated 38 deaths on them since they were first introduced in 2014, including eight-year-old schoolboy Dev Naran on the M6 in Birmingham in 2018.
In the West Midlands, smart motorways run on parts of the M42, the M5 and the M6. But the whistleblower claims there have been repeated failings in the software system, called Dynac, which led to operators being unable to send potentially urgent messages to drivers.
Speaking to BirminghamLive on condition of anonymity, they detailed a series of alleged incidents during September and October which they claim left some signs not working on smart motorways across England, including the West Midlands. National Highways disputes the claims that signs were not working 'for hours' and says it has other back-up systems in place.
They said: "Many of us have begged family and friends not to use smart motorways at all unless it’s completely unavoidable.
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