Motorway matrix signs minutes to next motorway
Motorway matrix signs minutes to next motorway
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Discussion

TvrJohn

Original Poster:

1,070 posts

286 months

Friday 31st August 2007
quotequote all
8mins to jct 6 M62
Why have they started displaying this information ?

Vaux

1,558 posts

247 months

Friday 31st August 2007
quotequote all
TvrJohn said:
8mins to jct 6 M62
Why have they started displaying this information ?
http://www.highways.gov.uk/news/pressrelease.aspx?pressreleaseid=151081

Apparently people like the idea. If you drive a TVR I'd take a few minutes off though.

Jeez, I feel like the HA Press Officer today....... smile

Dino D

1,953 posts

252 months

Friday 31st August 2007
quotequote all
Over here in greece we have that too but most people treat is a target time to be beaten!!!

The lack of cameras (and traffic officers of any variety) mean it's no problem at all.

Burgmeister

2,206 posts

241 months

Friday 31st August 2007
quotequote all
Dino D said:
Over here in greece we have that too but most people treat is a target time to be beaten!!!

The lack of cameras (and traffic officers of any variety) mean it's no problem at all.
I regularly drive up the M6 at silly o'clock in the morning and there is always a sign telling you it is 13 mins between jct ?? - ?? how i love making it in less..

selwonk

2,143 posts

256 months

Friday 31st August 2007
quotequote all
Cute idea, but how about "Stay in the left lane when not overtaking". There's a gantry sign I'd like to see...

XMG5

1,082 posts

258 months

Friday 31st August 2007
quotequote all
In Scotland the signs are used for a bit of sensible road safety advice like:

"Be a courteous driver" "Don't use your phone whilst driving" "Check your level of fuel before setting off" "Take a break Tiredness Kills" etc. etc.

It makes a change for some well meaning advice and gives the impression that the police/road safety community really do care for the motorists.

Edited by XMG5 on Friday 31st August 14:45

becca_viola

9,932 posts

242 months

Friday 31st August 2007
quotequote all
I think basically cos it's nice - gives you a chance to plan your next move, opt to stop for a break or whatever with that extra bit of knowledge. Better than leaving the signs empty when not warning of a huge queue round the next bend or whatever...

blueyes

4,799 posts

283 months

Friday 31st August 2007
quotequote all
XMG5 said:
In Scotland the signs are used for a bit of sensible road safety advice like:

"Check your level of fuel before setting off"
Ummm..... can anybody else see the problem with this message?

esselte

14,626 posts

298 months

Friday 31st August 2007
quotequote all
blueyes said:
XMG5 said:
In Scotland the signs are used for a bit of sensible road safety advice like:

"Check your level of fuel before setting off"
Ummm..... can anybody else see the problem with this message?
yeshehe

rupert the dog

1,433 posts

248 months

Friday 31st August 2007
quotequote all
Just back (well a couple of weeks ago) from Turkey. There, traffic lights have a countdown to next change, eg if on green counts down to next change to red. Couldn't make my mind up if it's a good idea or not. Is it a safety measure ("I know there's only 3 secs to next red, so I'll slow down&quotwink, or a challenge - the countdown to next green means you can be ready to go, in gear, handbrake off....GO!

Needless to say, being in Turkey the challenge scenario took precedence!

Vaux

1,558 posts

247 months

Friday 31st August 2007
quotequote all
selwonk said:
Cute idea, but how about "Stay in the left lane when not overtaking". There's a gantry sign I'd like to see...
Your wish is the HA's command:
"Keep left unless overtaking".
http://www.highways.gov.uk/news/pressrelease.aspx?...

It's an old press release, but they still use the message on the VMS.

Vaux

1,558 posts

247 months

Friday 31st August 2007
quotequote all
esselte said:
blueyes said:
XMG5 said:
In Scotland the signs are used for a bit of sensible road safety advice like:

"Check your level of fuel before setting off"
Ummm..... can anybody else see the problem with this message?
yeshehe
I know! How about using one of those little temporary VMS units, put it on the side of a motorway just before a services. Maybe that'd work? wink

blueyes

4,799 posts

283 months

Friday 31st August 2007
quotequote all
Vaux said:
esselte said:
blueyes said:
XMG5 said:
In Scotland the signs are used for a bit of sensible road safety advice like:

"Check your level of fuel before setting off"
Ummm..... can anybody else see the problem with this message?
yeshehe
I know! How about using one of those little temporary VMS units, put it on the side of a motorway just before a services. Maybe that'd work? wink
or maybe... "if you're too stupid to keep a car filled with petrol, should you really be driving?" smile

Vaux

1,558 posts

247 months

Friday 31st August 2007
quotequote all
blueyes said:
or maybe... "if you're too stupid to keep a car filled with petrol, should you really be driving?" smile
Have you been keeping up with the other motorway sign thread? There's a fair few people out there who can't seem to cope.

"In the first six months of 2007 the Highways Agency dealt with 4,678 recorded incidents nationally where people had run out of fuel on the motorway."



Gafferjim

1,337 posts

296 months

Friday 31st August 2007
quotequote all
The junct to junct signs, I personally don't like them, but the motoring muppets do!
It's to give you some idea of any congestion in the area.

Edited by Gafferjim on Friday 31st August 17:23

Balmoral Green

42,561 posts

279 months

Friday 31st August 2007
quotequote all
Bloody stupid giving a 'time' to the next whatever. They do this on the continent a lot, for mundane stuff like 'Supermarket in 2 minutes'. At what speed? tts!

It may be legal to do 70, but you could cruise at 55 too, or do the ton. So how long will it take then?

I really hate stuff like this, because it is the absolute definition of stupidity. Cars all travel at very different speeds, and legitimately so. The signs are meaningless.

motco

17,657 posts

277 months

Friday 31st August 2007
quotequote all
On more than one occasion I've seen x minutes to junction y and it has been based on an average speed of about 65mph. That's fine and dandy except that a hundred yards along the road a fifty limits starts for roadwords for several miles. rolleyes

Vaux

1,558 posts

247 months

Friday 31st August 2007
quotequote all
motco said:
On more than one occasion I've seen x minutes to junction y and it has been based on an average speed of about 65mph. That's fine and dandy except that a hundred yards along the road a fifty limits starts for roadwords for several miles. rolleyes
From the HA:
"The system works by using current information captured from automatic number plate recognition cameras and comparing it against historical traffic data on that particular stretch of motorway. The travel time is automatically recalculated every five minutes and if an incident, such as a collision, causes delays on the motorway above a pre-determined threshold, the sign will automatically switch from showing the travel time message to displaying the estimated delay time."

So it's not based on some "average speed", but actual speeds. Isn't that how Trafficmaster works?

motco

17,657 posts

277 months

Sunday 2nd September 2007
quotequote all
Vaux said:
motco said:
On more than one occasion I've seen x minutes to junction y and it has been based on an average speed of about 65mph. That's fine and dandy except that a hundred yards along the road a fifty limits starts for roadwords for several miles. rolleyes
From the HA:
"The system works by using current information captured from automatic number plate recognition cameras and comparing it against historical traffic data on that particular stretch of motorway. The travel time is automatically recalculated every five minutes and if an incident, such as a collision, causes delays on the motorway above a pre-determined threshold, the sign will automatically switch from showing the travel time message to displaying the estimated delay time."

So it's not based on some "average speed", but actual speeds. Isn't that how Trafficmaster works?
How it works is academic if it shows a travel time that it would be illegal to perform because of an official speed limit known to the HA, it is stupid.

TripleS

4,294 posts

273 months

Sunday 2nd September 2007
quotequote all
selwonk said:
Cute idea, but how about "Stay in the left lane when not overtaking". There's a gantry sign I'd like to see...
yes Agreed. There are various other, more useful, messages that could be conveyed.

Best wishes all,
Dave.