The widow of a man killed on a smart motorway questioned why 100 miles of them would still be completed amid growing safety fears - asking 'if something is dangerous, surely you isolate it?'.
Ministers last night halted the rollout of 120 miles of the roads after 24 deaths and scores of accidents and a recommendation by Commons Transport Select Committee.
But the decision to still carry on with a huge amount of the project - because it was over 50 per cent finished - was greeted with confusion.
In a November 2 report, the committee described the Government's decision in March 2020 that all future smart motorways would be all-lane-running versions as 'premature'.
Concerns have been raised following fatal incidents involving broken-down vehicles being hit from behind due to a lack of a hard shoulder.
Claire Mercer blames smart motorways for her husband Jason's death in June 2019 when a lorry hit him on the M1 where the hard shoulder had been turned into a live lane.
She told Radio 4 this morning the pause did not go far enough, adding: 'They could have just flicked the switch and closed the first lane on every single instance but instead they are going to pause the roll out of new Smart Motorways but only the ones that are less than 50 per cent completed.
Claire Mercer pictured at the smart motorway spot where her husband Jason Mercer was killed
Claire Mercer's husband died on a smart motorway after being hit by a lorry in a road crash
The crash that killed Mr Mercer, picture shows van of second victim Alexandru Murgeanu, 22
The smart motorway network so far with the areas that will be completed despite the pause
'It's some small good news, but it's not enough.
'The hard shoulder should be back in every single case.
'If you think something is dangerous you isolate it while you investigate it.'
A blame game also emerged this morning as the committee behind the critical report suggested National Highways had made assurances that were not delivered.
Chairman of Transport Select Committee and MP for Bexhill and Battle Huw Merriman told the BBC: 'I think there has been a complete system failure in terms of some of the assurances not delivered.
'The previous regime of National Highways, there is now a new broom there.
'We were given assurances we would have the stopped vehicle detection technology which would stop the lane in a minute and that would be brought in and retrofitted.
'It hasn't been, in 2019 only 20 per cent of smart motorways had that feature there.
Mrs Mercer (pictured) said she thought the select committee report and the Government's response were a 'disappointment' and agreed they were missed opportunities
'It seemed to us that assurances were being given but there was a real dash to deliver this rather than listening to warnings and making the safety improvements which should have been in place.
'I am afraid there has been a bit of a tin-eared syndrome that has gone on previously with the agency but it seems to be changing.'
MailOnline has contacted National Highways for a response to the comments.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has said £390million would be spent on building 150 extra emergency laybys on current smart motorways so drivers whose vehicles have broken down don't have to stop in live traffic.
It will boost the number of laybys on them by about 50 per cent and mean they are no more than a mile apart.
The Government has pledged to improve safety on existing all-lane-running motorways, but relatives of people who have died on the roads have urged ministers to go further by reinstating the hard shoulder.
Mr Shapps said he was adopting the report's recommendations in full.
Projects planned for the M3, M40, M62 and M25 will be put on hold and others already underway will continue until complete.
Technology used to spot stranded cars will also be tested more rigorously.
Mr Shapps said: 'While our initial data shows that smart motorways are among the safest roads in the UK,
