The petition reads: “We think it is in the public interest with regard to road safety and saving lives to re-instate the hard shoulder on all motorways that have had it removed or have been changed to four lanes.
“We think motorways are dangerous enough with a hard shoulder but without one they are a high risk to anyone who breaks down or has an accident as unless this happens next to one of the refuge areas (in the event of breakdown) the vehicle will ALWAYS be in a LIVE lane.
“We think this is totally unacceptable and extremely dangerous.”
The poll has so far received hundreds of signatures with still several months until the petition closes at the end of May.
Officials state that 10,000 signatures are needed for the question to secure an official Government response.
A total of 100,000 signatures are required for the issue to be debated in Parliament by MPs.
Labour had suggested they would scrap smart motorway schemes if they were elected but have since appeared to water down their approach.
Last summer, the former Transport Secretary Louise Haigh instead suggested the party would conduct a review of the schemes before coming to a conclusion.
She explained: “Labour will review the evidence to determine whether existing smart motorways are fit for purpose, and will deliver a new, comprehensive road safety strategy to save lives and make our roads safer for everyone who uses them.”
Edmund King, the President of the AA, has also previously called for smart motorways to be axed.
An AA poll suggested that as many as 81% of drivers would back the removal of the roads.
He said: “Politicians need to stand up and be counted. There is no great love for ‘smart’ motorways and the vast majority want them scrapped.”
