How do you close a sliproad?
Discussion
puggit said:
Having seen the nasty aftermath of this morning's crash on the M4 slip road from the M25 - a question for the BiBs.
How do you close a sliproad like that safely when you are the 1st on the scene?!
Very carefully!
There are set procedures to do so.
Most patrol cars carry enough cones to put on a temporary closure before they are replaced by the stuff that the motorway maintenance people use when they attend. It helps if the traffic is busy as everything slows down enough to do it without too much drama.
The worse time to try is at 0100 on a deserted motorway when they are hurtling towards you at 100mph+
gone said:
Having seen the nasty aftermath of this morning's crash on the M4 slip road from the M25 - a question for the BiBs.
How do you close a sliproad like that safely when you are the 1st on the scene?!
Very carefully!
There are set procedures to do so.
Most patrol cars carry enough cones to put on a temporary closure before they are replaced by the stuff that the motorway maintenance people use when they attend. It helps if the traffic is busy as everything slows down enough to do it without too much drama.
The worse time to try is at 0100 on a deserted motorway when they are hurtling towards you at 100mph+
so just how useful to you are matrix signs - couldnt they warn drivers of the approaching hazard? i appreciate many simply wouldnt care, but even so, even a little warning in the most apathetic of cases can be useful?
paolow said:Sadly, the matrix signs have "cried wolf" too often in many motorists' experience! I note the message, then (like most here, I suspect) drive according to all road (eg. traffic density and activity, speed, weather, grip, overall visibility and distance-I-can-see-ahead) conditions. BTW - I do appreciate why the signs might appear to be displaying out-of-date messages in some cases - Streaky
puggit said:
Having seen the nasty aftermath of this morning's crash on the M4 slip road from the M25 - a question for the BiBs.
How do you close a sliproad like that safely when you are the 1st on the scene?!
Very carefully!
There are set procedures to do so.
Most patrol cars carry enough cones to put on a temporary closure before they are replaced by the stuff that the motorway maintenance people use when they attend. It helps if the traffic is busy as everything slows down enough to do it without too much drama.
The worse time to try is at 0100 on a deserted motorway when they are hurtling towards you at 100mph+
so just how useful to you are matrix signs - couldnt they warn drivers of the approaching hazard? i appreciate many simply wouldnt care, but even so, even a little warning in the most apathetic of cases can be useful?
I routed round that and went on past the M4 exit of the M25 on to the M40 and then up through the back roads into Langley (where I work) - what actually happened?
I was told that the police had tents up at the scene so I guess there were fatalities involved and I was also told that there was a sports car there badly smashed up.
Phil
I was told that the police had tents up at the scene so I guess there were fatalities involved and I was also told that there was a sports car there badly smashed up.
Phil
The other night there was a chap twatted off a bike between the on and off M25 slips on the Westbound M4.
Quick thinking chap in one of them huge stretch HumVee things cut two carriage ways off in order for there to be a clear area to get an ambiwlans in to tend to the unfortunate chap.
Road sense to be applauded IMHO.
Quick thinking chap in one of them huge stretch HumVee things cut two carriage ways off in order for there to be a clear area to get an ambiwlans in to tend to the unfortunate chap.
Road sense to be applauded IMHO.
Streetcop said:
I think the only Matrix signs that motorist take real notice of are the lane closure ones...
Have to agree with that.
I've seen literally countless "messages" on matrix signs over the years and in all that time, on only ONE (count it!) occasion was it telling the truth.
On this occasion, everybody ignored it as per usual & luckily the BiB on the scene anticipated this, so sent a car back maybe 1/2 a mile or so to warn traffic that the entire M4 was totally blocked just over the crest of a blind rise!
I can understand that the signs are manually controlled and are therefore subject to human error, but I've never understood why, say, a 50 limit is posted about 5 miles before an accident; those that do slow down get bored after a couple of miles and speed back up.
Personally I take a "50" matrix to mean "!" - i.e. general warning that something might be up & continue on my way albeit with extra vigilance.
Crying wolf, as Streaky puts it, does nobody any favours.
{edited for spling}
>> Edited by pdV6 on Friday 9th July 09:39
There are around 20 bunches of flowers at the site today.
I could only see one 'car' when I drove past on Thursday morning - I have no idea what make/model it was
There was also a lwb transit pointing the wrong way - which it would be very easy to jump to conclusions about...
I also saw the aftermath of the humvee incident - the motorcyclist was still being treated as I inched past. Police took a very long time to get there - and there was no ambulance when I went past having queued for at least 20 mins
I could only see one 'car' when I drove past on Thursday morning - I have no idea what make/model it was
There was also a lwb transit pointing the wrong way - which it would be very easy to jump to conclusions about...
I also saw the aftermath of the humvee incident - the motorcyclist was still being treated as I inched past. Police took a very long time to get there - and there was no ambulance when I went past having queued for at least 20 mins
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