Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of smart technology easing congestion on the M3 motorway.

Following studies and pilots of smart motorways on the M42 and a subsequent feasibility study by Highways England, M3 junction 2-4a (currently in construction) and M3 Junctions 9-14 (planned) are sections identified that would benefit from smart technology to ease congestion.

Data captured from the M25 Smart Motorway scheme, which opened to traffic in 2014, prove that smart motorways work. Through the use of technology they reduce congestion, improve journey time reliability by smoothing traffic flow - all achieved through using variable speed limits -and provide additional road space to road users by converting the hard shoulder to a live traffic lane.

The estimated completion date for the M3 junction 2-4a smart motorway scheme is 30 June 2017. Work on the M3 Junctions 9-14 scheme is expected to start in 2019/20 and be completed in 2021/22.