Motorway gantries will be more difficult for Just Stop Oil protesters to climb after a redesign by National Highways.
The roadside structures will be “more resilient to trespassers” as steps for maintenance crews will be inside pillars rather than outside, according to the Government-owned company.
Gantries above the M25 were repeatedly scaled by Just Stop Oil activists in November last year, bringing traffic on the UK’s busiest motorway to a halt.
The group was responsible for days of disruption that led to dozens of arrests.
Police had warned that would be “only a matter of time” before someone was killed during the action after frequent clashes between the protesters and commuters.
A High Court injunction was granted against 65 protesters at the end of November, which meant they could face imprisonment, an unlimited fine or the seizure of assets if they attached themselves to gantries.
In total, Just Stop Oil’s weeks of disruption of roads and motorways cost the Metropolitan Police £7.5 million.
The gantries are used to display vital information to drivers, such as speed limits, journey times and warnings of safety hazards.
National Highways, which is responsible for England’s motorways and major A roads, held a competition to replace existing designs.
It said: “Although security issues did not form part of the original specification, the new design will be more resilient to trespassers due to entry being concealed within the pillars, making it more difficult to access without authorisation.”
The winning entry was produced by London-based architecture company Useful Studio and selected for its “simplicity and elegance”.
The gantries will have a lower carbon footprint compared with current designs as they use less steel.
Duncan Smith, National Highways executive director for operations, said: “Existing designs tend to emphasise function over form.
“Our challenge is to create innovative structures that can accommodate the required signage and equipment that are more sympathetic to the environment.”
Useful Studio will work with National Highways to develop its design concept.
It is expected to become the standard design for new gantries in around two years.
The competition was part of a wider push to beautify motorways and major A-roads.
Design guidance published by National Highways in July last year included recommendations such as “minimising clutter” and providing “clues” about how to drive.
