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Severe Weather Alert for Goods Vehicles
October 2007
Background
On Thursday 18th January 2007, England experienced an extreme spell of severe weather which had a significant effect on the Highways Agency network, to the extent that it is now regarded as 'Windy Thursday'. The disruption caused as a result of Windy Thursday is estimated at around £50 million of delay costs. There was a realisation that Britain's changing climate could allow a similar situation to occur again. This prompted the Highways Agency to identify areas of good practice/proactive operations in addition to areas of further improvement and development.
Follow the link for further information on the direct effects of 'Windy Thursday'.
Hazards of Goods Vehicles on the Network during Severe Weather
During the course of 'Windy Thursday', there were 48 goods vehicles blown over on the Highways Agency network, leading to some parts being closed. This issue prompted discussions between the Highways Agency, Road Haulage Association (RHA) and Freight Transport Association (FTA), who have since developed the new alert system detailed below. It is anticipated that this system will reduce the risks to goods vehicles caused by severe weather.
Traffic Operations Director for the Highways Agency, Derek Turner said:
"We are very aware how severe weather such as high winds or snow can affect driving conditions. The Alert Status is a further measure we are taking to improve the reliability of our roads for all users. It is a result of the close working relationship that we have with both the FTA and the RHA who helped us in designing and implementing the 'Alert Status' system."
Goods vehicle incident
The alert status system for goods vehicles is set out below:
The new alert system
The new alert warning system provides an opportunity to give advance warning to drivers of goods vehicles, of approaching severe weather conditions and potential ‘at risk’ areas of the network. This will enable them to respond to the conditions in a safe manner.
The alert system is made up of two categories; red and amber. Both of the categories are defined below:
Alert status categories
Red alert
“Goods vehicles drivers should leave the road network and find a safe place to park up, and wait until the status is reduced to Amber”.
Amber alert
“Make sure you and your vehicle are prepared for severe weather. Keep up to date with local weather conditions. If possible, use a different route to avoid the area of severe weather.”
An amber weather alert will advise drivers to take care because it is highly likely that traffic conditions will be affected by the weather, from this they should then monitor traffic and travel radio bulletins.
A red alert will only be issued under exceptional circumstances when the weather becomes so severe that journeys would be affected by incidents on the Highways Agency’s road network. During this warning, drivers of goods vehicles should leave the network immediately and find a safe place to park.
To assist on-road goods vehicles drivers, the Highways Agency have produced a ‘reminder card’ which will contain the alert status information and including the telephone number of the Highways Agency information line which will enable drivers to call for further updates, when it is safe to do so.
By providing this function, it will enable both the Highways Agency and Emergency Services to reduce disruption during severe weather and restore normality to the network as quickly as possible afterwards.
Follow the link for further information on tips for safe driving in severe weather.
The information flow
Providing 'severe weather' information to drivers is critical to restoring/maintaining normality on the road network during severe weather. It is recognised that not all drivers will be contactable, however, contacting the majority will certainly help reduce the impact of the weather on the network.
The Highways Agency already uses the following information sources to provide advice to their travellers on the network:
- radio bulletins
- television
- website
- Highways Agency information line (telephone service)
- traffic radio
Through these established links in the media, the Highways Agency provide a suitable platform for informing drivers of severe weather conditions and the likely impact on the Highways Agency network. Radio is especially important due to the fact that drivers (of all types of vehicles) use this source frequently for traffic and weather information.
Letting people know
The scheme is one of many ‘discrete initiatives’ the Traffic Incident Management (TIM) team are looking at to assist in reducing incident-related congestion on the network, however its success will be limited if nobody knows about it!
Therefore, the TIM team have produced a leaflet which has been distributed through their current dissemination channels i.e. TIM magazine and through the RHA and FTA membership networks. Leaflets are also available at 'Truck Stops', which are vital rest areas for lorry drivers to help ensure they take appropriate breaks and remain within the limits on driving hours.
Our online Truck Stops Guide provides further information.
Truckstop Guide 2006
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