WIREDGOV

Motorway signs that automatically read the road ahead are being used to make journeys easier and safer as thousands of holidaymakers head for the coast.

The signs encourage drivers to slow down gradually if there is congestion ahead, which means queues are more likely to disappear and traffic keeps moving at a steady rate.

“Stop-start traffic is not only more dangerous, it reduces the capacity of the motorway,” explains Highways Agency director of information Denise Plumpton. “These signs are just one example of the technology being used to keep traffic on the move this summer.”

Around 3,000 variable message signs are now used by the Highways Agency to manage England’s network of motorways and major trunk roads. On a typical holiday journey from Birmingham to Devon and Cornwall more than a hundred signs are available to flash up important messages.

Among the most frequent are the ‘MIDAS’ signs (Motorway Incident Detection and Automatic Signalling). These use sensors buried in the road surface to automatically detect slow-moving traffic and warn traffic further back – effectively increasing the ‘view’ of the road from a few hundred metres to several miles ahead. Instead of drivers reacting to the brake lights of cars in front, which creates stop-start traffic, vehicles slow down more gradually and delay times are reduced.

Sometimes this means that when the signs warn of a “queue ahead”, the queue will actually have dispersed by the time drivers reach the point of the original problem.

Actual journey time displayed on overhead signs

Another type of sign, called Travel Time Variable Message Signs, use monitoring equipment to measure the actual time taken by vehicles on a particular stretch of motorway.

For example, a sign on the M5 at Exeter displays the current time it is taking vehicles to reach Bodmin via the A30, 65 miles further ahead.

“These have proved very popular because they give accurate journey time information direct to road users,” says Denise Plumpton.

The messages on all variable message signs can be read on the Highways Agency website www.highways.gov.uk/traffic. This has an easy-to-navigate map facility showing how traffic is flowing and live information about any delays or incidents. Users can even check the view from thousands of CCTV cameras and get updates on their mobile phone when they are away from their PC.

As motorists head off for summer holidays or days out this summer, the Highways Agency is urging drivers to plan their journey and make sure their car is well-prepared. The advice to families includes checking the route and travel conditions before they set off, servicing the car regularly to reduce the chance of breakdown and always to carry an emergency kit. As the weather so far this summer has ranged from heatwave to downpour, the Agency is advising people to pack drinking water in case they get held up in the heat and warm, waterproof clothing in case they break down and need to take refuge away from the traffic in bad weather.

Issued on by the Highways Agency. For further information please contact Mik Barton, national press officer on 075 5445 8909 or mik.barton@highways.gsi.gov.uk.
Media enquiries out of hours should be made to the Highways Agency national press office on 020 7081 7443.

1. The Highways Agency is an executive agency of the Department for Transport. We manage, maintain and improve England’s motorways and trunk roads on behalf of the Secretary of State.

2. We are expecting the busiest departure day to be Saturday 25 July when, judging by 2008 data, there could be an extra 33,500 vehicles per hour on the network at the midday peak. Holiday traffic is expected from the weekend of 17 July and we can provide data updates. Media are very welcome to visit the National Traffic Control Centre. We can handle live tv broadcasts and have an ISDN line in the control room for radio interviews.

3. Real-time traffic information for England’s motorways and major A roads is available:
- From our Traffic Radio service, available on DAB digital radio and the internet at www.trafficradio.org.uk To tune into the DAB service, simply press the "scan" button on your radio. The radio will tune into all available channels and you can select the new service by scrolling through the channels until you reach "Traffic Radio".
- From the web at www.highways.gov.uk/traffic or www.highways.gov.uk/mobile if using a phone or mobile device.
Before using a mobile, find a safe place to park. Never stop on the hard shoulder of a motorway except in an emergency. Make sure it’s safe and legal before you call.
- By phone from the Highways Agency 24-hour voice activated phone service on 08700 660 115. (Calls from BT residential landlines to 0870 numbers will cost no more than 8p per minute; call charges from other landlines and mobile networks may vary).

4. For more general information about the Highways Agency and its work, visit the Highways Agency website www.highways.gov.uk, or telephone the Highways Agency Information Line on 08457 50 40 30 at any time (Calls to 0845 numbers will cost no more than 4p per minute from BT residential landlines. Call charges from other landlines and mobile networks may vary).

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Issued on by the Highways Agency. For further information please contact Mik Barton, national press officer on 075 5445 8909 or mik.barton@highways.gsi.gov.uk.
Media enquiries out of hours should be made to the Highways Agency national press office on 020 7081 7443.