Monday 7th July 2003

Fancy new Signs for M4

Electronic displays will be able to show pictures as well as text

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[jvaughan]

Nice new signs .... Pity they disturb us night time travellers putting the damn things up.

Last night ... 11:00 5 mile tailback cos some numpties tw4tted their cars in roadworks. Roadworks inplace for the signs.
Hmmm

[PetrolTed]

Don't be so harsh Jason. Numpties who can't navigate through a set of cones are the ones that should be castigated.

[Mark Benson]

I notice the inductive loops embedded into the road were the first thing to go in. Got to make sure the infrastructure is there for when they want to make us all 'safe' with cameras.

Pictures, I ask you......

[trefor]

I do hope they employ an intelligent person to type in the content for these signs.

I was driving up the M1 in nasty rain in the Notts/South Yorks area last Monday. All the signs said was 'Road Flooded'. The road wasn't flooded - there were a few puddly bits. Surely something like 'danger of aquaplaning' would have been more appropriate (yes, there was room for this many letters).

[Toffer]

The signs telling you to stay awake are winners...how are you supposed to read them if you are nodding off?

By the way the inductive loops mentioned earlier in this thread can in some places be used as a trigger for elapsed time measurements to be made to calculate average speeds over a set distance....watch out!

[tuscanboy]

Sounds like a gimmick to me, what can a picture show that a few can't explain. Maybe it's to accommodate Non English speaking Asylum Seekers

[Robbo1]

original said:

The new style signs, known as Motorway Signal Mark 4 (MS4) signs, will be able to display pictures, known as pictograms, to visualise messages as well as text, providing drivers with better information about incidents and conditions on the road ahead.

Perhaps they could show movies in the mornings when it's gridlock on the eastbound side?

[Don]

Mark Benson said:

Pictures, I ask you......

Well they've got to cope with foreign visitors and the numpties who can't read...

[wolosp]

trefor said:

I do hope they employ an intelligent person to type in the content for these signs. I was driving up the M1 in nasty rain in the Notts/South Yorks area last Monday. All the signs said was 'Road Flooded'. The road wasn't flooded - there were a few puddly bits. Surely something like 'danger of aquaplaning' would have been more appropriate (yes, there was room for this many letters).

Yes, this is the problem with any such signs, you don't know how old the info is (the road may have been flooded an hour ago). I would like to see any message sign system prompt the operators every hour for confirmation that the hazard still exists. Drivers would have more faith in the warnings, though anyone who obeys a 40mph advisory speed warning on an apparently clear motorway is likely to get rammed from behind. For those operating the signs...PLEASE act responsibly!

>> Edited by wolosp on Wednesday 9th July 08:59

[johnsam]

Will the new M4 road signs offer any more useful information than those on the M25? All these ever say is "Queue after next junction" whether there is one or not.
I don't think these signs will be all that helpful when you're sitting in the inevitable jam. Will they be able to forecast delays or offer alternative routes?