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Good Practice: Driver Location Signs
November 2007
The key role of this bulletin is to disseminate any key lessons learnt and good practice in the incident management arena. The majority of this is sourced through the post-incident cold debrief process, however anything that is identified outside of this process that bears value to operations should be publicised through the bulletin - tell everyone about it!
Continuing along this theme, Driver Location Signs have been the subject of two previous articles in the bulletin. The project is now well underway in many areas of the network and the bulletin has been notified of some good practice being conducted on the M25. This article focuses specifically on what this good practice is and how it came about.
Background
Approximately a year ago the Area 5 Service Providers MouchelParkman and Carillion completed the installation of the Driver Location Signs on the M25. The M25 formed part of the original trial so Driver Location Signs have been generating benefits on sections of the M25 since 2003.
Agencies such as the Police, Fire, Ambulance and recovery operators along with the Traffic Officer Service have gained benefits from having these signs on the network. All of this contributes towards the Highways Agency’s objectives of delivering Safe Roads, Reliable Journeys and Informed Travellers.
So what is the good idea?
As intended drivers in need of assistance are now using the Driver Location Sign information when giving their location on the M25. This pinpoints the location on the M25 but did not help the dispatcher to identify which junction the deployed resources needed to join the M25 at.
A simple A3 map has been developed showing the marker post number at each junction on the M25. It also shows which carriageway is A and which is B. This can be put up in the control room and / or provided to on-road resources to allow them to travel as efficiently as possible to the location.
Please click on the following link to view the example A3 map.
It is about to be fully rolled out to partnering organisations such as Recovery Agents, and already promises to make the Driver Location Signs even more useful than before. A simple and cost effective idea that should yield good results.
Have you got something similar?
It is not just Area 5 that has Driver Location Signs and therefore it may be that this type of mapping has been introduced elsewhere. Even without Driver Location Signs, but where there are marker posts, this information may have been compiled and passed to other responders. This does not supersede 'Strip Plans' which are detailed mapping, often referenced by marker post, but the M25 solution does give a quick reference sheet.
Have you developed a similar map showing the junctions in relation to the marker post system for your Area? Would this type of information be useful to your organisation? If so let us know via email at TIMbulletin@highways.gsi.gov.uk
If you have any other good ideas that you feel others could learn from then let us know about them at the same email address…that is all Area 5 did!!
Has this article been worthwhile reading? Why not take a moment to send us your comments, thoughts or questions. Please e-mail
TIMbulletin@highways.gsi.gov.uk.
