Ditching the hard shoulder proved too hard a sell to MPs and motorists

Analysis: the UK government has bowed to the inevitable and shelved the expanded rollout

• Smart motorway rollout suspended amid safety concerns

Pausing the rollout of smart motorways suggests the government has finally bowed to the inevitable, faced with the collective outrage of motoring groups, bereaved families, newspapers, MPs - and indeed a former minister who signed off the schemes.

Not, though, that the small print guarantees drivers have in any way seen the end of the hard shoulderless highways: ongoing major works will be completed, and even design work will go ahead for more stretches, in case the mood changes by 2025.