M62 managed motorway testing this Sunday
Discussion
Published date: 5 July 2013
Type: Press release
Region: Yorkshire and the Humber
HIGHWAYS AGENCY News Release issued 5 July 2013
Road users in West Yorkshire are advised that the Highways Agency is planning to test the newly-installed managed motorway system on the M62 between junctions 26 (Chain Bar) and 27 (Gildersome) this Sunday (7 July).
The systems are due to be tested on the eastbound and westbound carriageways on Sunday between 8am and 10am, subject to the completion of minor works on Friday and Saturday. Should the trials go ahead, traffic officers in the Highways Agency regional control centre at Wakefield will open up the hard shoulder to traffic by setting the overhead signs to tell drivers they can use the hard shoulder as an extra lane. Variable mandatory speed limits, indicated by a red ring, will also be displayed to help improve traffic flow and reduce congestion.
As part of the test, traffic officers may also set the signs to indicate lane closures across any of the four lanes – this will be by way of a red X.
Road users are advised to follow the overhead signs, and are reminded that when the hard shoulder is not indicated as a running lane it should be used for emergency purposes only, as per motorway regulations.
This will be the second section of the new managed motorway to be brought into operation, following successful testing and opening of the first section, between junctions 27 and 28, in May.
Once the testing this Sunday is complete, the hard shoulder will be closed to traffic and will only be available for use in the event of an emergency, as per motorway regulations. Further testing will be carried out over the coming weeks before this section becomes fully operational as a managed motorway later in July.
In addition, the temporary 50mph speed limit between junctions 26 and 28 (some seven miles) was lifted this morning (Friday 5 July). This means that variable speed limits of up to 60mph, indicated by the electronic signs on overhead gantries, will be used when the managed motorway is in operation. When the managed motorway is not in use, national speed limit will apply between these junctions and the electronic signs will not be illuminated.
Drivers are reminded that the 50mph speed limit between junctions 25 and 26, and between junctions 28 and 30, remains in place while work on these sections continues: this is for the safety of road users and road workers.
The M62 managed motorway between junctions 25 (Brighouse) and 30 (Rothwell) is due to be completed in full later this year. For further information visit the project page at www.highways.gov.... or call the Highways Agency Information Line on 0300 123 5000. More details about the phased opening of the scheme can be found at www.highways.gov....
How many millions has been wasted 'downgrading' the M62 in this way?
Traffic stars to build up, so let's open an extra lane, and slow everything down, that will ease congestion, not.
After wasting all this money, why not leave the extra lanes open all the time, not doing so will just confuse people. These days people on the road haven't got a clue most of the time, and confusion on a motorway is not the best idea.
Traffic stars to build up, so let's open an extra lane, and slow everything down, that will ease congestion, not.
After wasting all this money, why not leave the extra lanes open all the time, not doing so will just confuse people. These days people on the road haven't got a clue most of the time, and confusion on a motorway is not the best idea.
Trax said:
How many millions has been wasted 'downgrading' the M62 in this way?
Traffic stars to build up, so let's open an extra lane, and slow everything down, that will ease congestion, not.
After wasting all this money, why not leave the extra lanes open all the time, not doing so will just confuse people. These days people on the road haven't got a clue most of the time, and confusion on a motorway is not the best idea.
What?!? I use this every day (as I have for most of my working life over the past twenty years). How is taking it to 60/50/40 "slowing it down"?!?! Any time between 7-9 am and 4-6 pm it's STOPPED. THE M621 and M606 now go onto a fourth lane, not have to squash into 3. Traffic stars to build up, so let's open an extra lane, and slow everything down, that will ease congestion, not.
After wasting all this money, why not leave the extra lanes open all the time, not doing so will just confuse people. These days people on the road haven't got a clue most of the time, and confusion on a motorway is not the best idea.
Sure, on the first couple of days people weren't picking up on the fact you could really use the hard shoulder (a bit like when companies abandon dress codes - people still wear suits for the first few days
). Slowing traffic down on motorways increases the capacity of the road - that's a fact. There's also the safety aspect - four lanes doing 70 in heavy traffic (and it's heavy -that's why the 4th lane has been opened).
I've seen huge flow improvements so far. Ok it's holiday season and it's bedding in, but I think this is a great system.
Why are people moaning about the management system lowering the speed limit when before it was in place you'd be stop-start crawling at about 5mph? There's no pleasing some folk.
Blue Oval84 said:
Condi said:
As per the image in the BBC news article, even when you can use the hard shoulder, very few people chose to do so.
Which I love because I can often sail along at the indicated limit, faster than the cars in lane 1. I love doing that on the M6 between J6 & J10A
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