Guide · 5 min read
Smart motorways and the red X explained
Smart motorways use overhead signs to change speed limits and close lanes, and some have no permanent hard shoulder. The red X is the sign that matters most: it closes a lane, and driving under it is illegal.
The three types of smart motorway
| Type | Hard shoulder | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| All lane running | None: permanently a traffic lane | Emergency areas at intervals instead of a hard shoulder |
| Dynamic hard shoulder | Opened as a traffic lane when signs say so | Use it only when the sign above it shows a speed limit |
| Controlled motorway | Kept as a hard shoulder | Variable speed limits set on the overhead signs |
What the red X means
A red X closes the lane it is shown above (or the lane it points to on a roadside sign). National Highways closes lanes to deal with incidents and collisions, to let emergency services and recovery vehicles through, to protect road workers and to protect drivers who have broken down. A lane is sometimes closed well before the incident itself, to give emergency services a clear way in.
- Do not drive in a lane with a red X over it, and move out of it as soon as you safely can.
- Follow the speed limit shown on the signs.
- Do not move back into the closed lane after you pass whatever caused the closure: it stays closed until the signs say otherwise.
- Leave gaps so drivers in the closed lane can merge.
Emergency areas
On motorways without a permanent hard shoulder, emergency areas are where you stop if you cannot leave the motorway or reach services. They are marked by blue signs with an orange SOS telephone symbol, the surface is orange, each is roughly the length of a football pitch, and the standard width is 4.6 metres (15 feet). Each has an emergency phone linked to a control room.
National Highways' £390 million retrofit programme, which started in June 2023, added more than 150 emergency areas. There are now around 50% more on all lane running motorways than in January 2022.
No new smart motorways
In April 2023 the government cancelled plans for new smart motorways, including the M25 between junctions 10 and 16, the M3 between junctions 9 and 14, the M62 between junctions 20 and 25 and the M40/M42 interchange. Two schemes already more than three-quarters built went ahead: the M56 between junctions 6 and 8, and the M6 between junctions 21a and 26.
Questions
- What is the fine for driving under a red X?
- A fixed penalty of up to £100 and three points on your licence. In some cases the penalty can be more severe, or the case can go to court.
- Can cameras catch you driving under a red X?
- Yes. Since a change in the law in June 2019, enforcement cameras on smart motorways can detect vehicles passing under a red X automatically.
- Can I drive on the hard shoulder of a smart motorway?
- Only on a dynamic hard shoulder motorway, and only when the overhead sign above the hard shoulder shows a speed limit. On all lane running motorways the hard shoulder is a normal lane.
Live now
Sources
- Red X· National Highways
- National Highways delivers smart motorway safety upgrade· GOV.UK
- Additional emergency areas on smart motorways· National Highways
- Plans for new smart motorways cancelled· GOV.UK
- The Highway Code, rule 258· GOV.UK