M4 Matrix signs - wrong yet again

[TTmonkey]

So if your East bound this morning along the M4, the matrix signs are telling you that the A329 (S) slip road is closed.

Which if true, causes chaos for all Bracknell bound traffic.

Only the signs are wrong, yet again. The road was closed last night, but is perfectly open this morning.

God knows how many people have diverted this morning. Southern Reading must be a nightmare. (well, it is anyway).

I simply don't understand why the signs on this section are constantly showing duff info. If its not 'animals in road', its 'debris in road' or 'peds in road' or sometimes simply 'road' (wtf does that mean?).....

And yet nearly all the times these signs have this kind of info they are wrong.

[larrylamb11]

I noticed this too, frankly I now ignore these signs as the information they are displaying is worse than useless....
In my opinion the 'authorities' HAVE to get the information on these signs correct and current - as soon as they display out-of-date or incorrect information motorists start to distrust them at which point they become completely obsolete.

[Dr Interceptor]

It's not just the M4... 5am this morning trundling across the Hogs Back (A31) Guildford bound - temporary propped up Matrix board saying "A3 closed Northbound follow diversion".

It wasn't closed, I drove straight through it. It was closed in the middle of the night, but they hadn't turned the sign off!

[LeoSayer]

I feel the same way, however I still take a cautious approach.

Just because you haven't seen pedestrians or animals doesn't mean they're not there. With regard to the junction...maybe it only reopened in the past few minutes?

[Gafferjim]

Please. Please. call the HA line, 0300 123 5000. or e-mail them at > [e-mail] <

State the facts, ie time of day these signs were still showing and that what-ever they referred to wasn't closed. Don't just rant! put the information down.
This complaint will then go to the control room for that region, who will investigate it, then 2 things will happen, the cause will be found and if someone has "dropped the ball" they'll be invited to a "meeting without coffee" You will also get an answer back.
The 2 scenarios that can cause this to happen are.
1) The road-crew haven't called in to say that they've re-opened the road / sliproad.
2) The control room operator who has taken the call from the road-crew, has forgotten to update the NTIC.
OR:
It could have been that you passed the signs just moments before they were cleared, then you got to the supposed closure to find that it wasn't actually closed. The times will be checked from the log, that's why it's important that you do state the time etc.

Please contact the HA with the complaint, it helps to get this sort of thing corrected, if some-one has not followed procedure.

[GoodDoc]

Hmm.... Drove out of London the M3 this morning, at the M25 exit the overhead gantry said M3 J6 closed, I'm now starting to wonder if that was actually true.

[cuneus]

Came across another useful sign yesterday

J9(A46)
9 mins

[Gafferjim]

cuneus said:

Came across another useful sign yesterday

J9(A46)
9 mins

Yes, so?

It means that at the speed the motorway is going at the time, it will take you approx 9 mins to get to junction 9, this is obviously the junction with the A46, a major road.

These signs are set automatically and alter depending on the time it takes traffic to pass from point A to point B (seen by similar cameras to ANPR type)
The vast majority of the public like these messages, it tells them if there is any delay, I personally don't like them as it interferes with my job when we have an incident.

[Lawbags]

Gafferjim....is that number a national line?


The sign that made me laugh was the 'Red X means lane closed'. I mean, should we really have to tell pelople this?!?!?

[Slinky1989]

Commuting home on the M40 yesterday, I saw signs that read:

"KEEP LEFT UNLESS OVERTAKING"

and

"DON'T HOG THE MIDDLE LANE!"

I was quite surprised to see that.

Amazingly they worked too, a noticeable lack of middle lane hoggers and I noticed people moving in after the sign.

[chris7676]

Gafferjim said:

The 2 scenarios that can cause this to happen are.
1) The road-crew haven't called in to say that they've re-opened the road / sliproad.
2) The control room operator who has taken the call from the road-crew, has forgotten to update the NTIC.

Thanks. You have just shown how pathetic and incompetent Highway Agency is. ('They haven't called!' , 'Forgotten to update!'). Very typical of the public sector. Although quite scary due to the nature of the issue.

The main problem is wrong signs seriously compromise the safety - as they cannot not be relied upon to inform of the ACTUAL and CURRENT issue, especially an accident.

I really hope some on the top there gets charged with negligence one day...

[Gafferjim]

Lawbags said:

Gafferjim....is that number a national line?


The sign that made me laugh was the 'Red X means lane closed'. I mean, should we really have to tell pelople this?!?!?

Yes, it is a national line

And yes, people do need to be told it by the number of them that ignore it.

chris7676. I said that these were the 2 scenarios that *could* cause this to happen. It very very rarely happens, but it could, especially if a priority call comes in just as you're about to update the NTIC.
I'd more likely say that the signs had been seen just prior to them being cleared.

Just to make it clear also, the majority of roadworks are put on by contractors. ie. THE PRIVATE SECTOR.

Edited by Gafferjim on Thursday 26th September 12:27

[Gafferjim]

cuneus said:

Came across another useful sign yesterday

J9(A46)
9 mins

Yes, so?

It means that at the speed the motorway is going at the time, it will take you approx 9 mins to get to junction 9, this is obviously the junction with the A46, a major road.

These signs are set automatically and alter depending on the time it takes traffic to pass from point A to point B (seen by similar cameras to ANPR type)
The vast majority of the public like these messages, it tells them if there is any delay, I personally don't like them as it interferes with my job when we have an incident.

[405dogvan]

It's not on the same scale but they left a 'lane closed' sign when they cut the central res. on a road near here - about 2 months ago - and it's still causing people to try to crash into each other...

So last night, whilst walking the dog, I moved it onto the side of the road and propped-it-up.

This morning, someone had PUT IT BACK!? Somewhere between 11pm and 9am - WOT!??

[Grey Ghost]

Gafferjim said:

Lawbags said:

Gafferjim....is that number a national line?


The sign that made me laugh was the 'Red X means lane closed'. I mean, should we really have to tell pelople this?!?!?

Yes, it is a national ine

And yes, people do need to be told it by the number of them that ignore it.

I see this sign in use quite a lot on the M-Way network. Given that most gantries where the sign is in use also house a camera for that particular lane as part of variable speed limit how many people who ignore the sign are sent a £60 fine in the post I wonder ?

[BS75]

TTmonkey said:

So if your East bound this morning along the M4, the matrix signs are telling you that the A329 (S) slip road is closed.

Which if true, causes chaos for all Bracknell bound traffic.

Only the signs are wrong, yet again. The road was closed last night, but is perfectly open this morning.

God knows how many people have diverted this morning. Southern Reading must be a nightmare. (well, it is anyway).

Is that what it was?! Traffic in Reading was hell this morning. I did wonder if there had been a crash on the M4 or something.

fks sake.

[markmullen]

Grey Ghost said:

I see this sign in use quite a lot on the M-Way network. Given that most gantries where the sign is in use also house a camera for that particular lane as part of variable speed limit how many people who ignore the sign are sent a £60 fine in the post I wonder ?

Last night on the way across the M62 from Cheshire to York there was roadworks reducing the carriageway to just the shoulder, past 3 or 4 successive move left arrows there was still people plodding along in L1 & L2 (note plodding, they weren't busting a gut to make a few last minute overtakes, they just didn't seem to have reacted), even when the red Xs started to appear they still didn't take any notice till the actual cone taper.

[panholio]

Isn't it an endorsable offence to go through a red x?

[robinessex]

It's not unusual to matrix signs on hours after the incident has gone. It seemed to get so bad on the M25 a few years ago, I started to count them (sorry I will get out more !). Anyway, when I reached to 100th in 9 months, I called M11 control. The very nice police officer told me they must have forgoten it was on. He didn't seem to think though that an excuse if I was stopped for speeding was 'I forgot it was 70mph' !!!!

[Toaster Pilot]

Slinky1989 said:

Commuting home on the M40 yesterday, I saw signs that read:

"KEEP LEFT UNLESS OVERTAKING"

and

"DON'T HOG THE MIDDLE LANE!"

I was quite surprised to see that.

Amazingly they worked too, a noticeable lack of middle lane hoggers and I noticed people moving in after the sign.

Great use for them when nothing else is going down. Just need "ITS PISSING DOWN, TURN YOUR fkING HEADLIGHTS ON" next