Highways Agency

The Motorway Signal Mark 4 (MS4)

Introducing a New Generation of Motorway Sign

Latest: Closed Circuit Television Cameras on the new MS4 signs.

Updates

Cover

Why do we need new signs?

Since the 1970s, variable message signs (electronic signs with temporary messages) have been positioned on the UK's motorway and trunk road network, relaying general safety guidance as well as information about accidents, delays and weather conditions.

With time, the number of vehicles on the UK's road network has steadily increased, drivers now expect more information from road signs.

As part of the Highways Agency's commitment to providing better information to drivers and increasing safety on the roads, a new generation of motorway sign is being developed. The sign has undergone off-road tests and is now ready to be trialled on a section of the M4.

What will they look like?

The new generation of motorway sign has been designed to be more aesthetically pleasing than its predecessors.

The surface area of the sign face is approximately 33% smaller than its equivalent motorway message sign the MS3, making it visually less intrusive.

State of the art LED technology, more usually used in rock and sports stadia, will increase the visibility and flexibility of the sign display dramatically. This means drivers will see the signs early and be able to react accordingly, making roads safer.

The new signs can display pictures as well as text. Off-road research has shown that drivers can process and understand picture-based messages up to a second quicker than pure text messages.

The Benefits

The picture and text messages displayed by the new signs will be more easily and quickly understood by drivers, allowing more time to react, reducing the likelihood of further accidents.

The signs will be used in conjunction with sensors beneath the road surface, monitoring traffic speeds and automatically setting signs with an appropriate message.

The new motorway signs have been designed to accommodate closed circuit television cameras. These cameras will be used by the Highways Agency to assess the effectiveness of the new signs by monitoring traffic flow and movement patterns in response to the driver information messages set on the signs. Real-time images from these cameras will also be available to Thames Valley Police at their motorway control office, offering additional aid to locating and managing incidents on the motorway more swiftly and helping to set the new signs more promptly and accurately. The cameras will not be used for speed enforcement.

Improved information for drivers will mean drivers can react by reducing their speed or changing their route as appropriate, reducing accidents and improving journey times.

Reliability will be significantly improved through the use of new technology.

As the signs will be positioned well into the verge at the side of the road, maintenance can be carried out without disrupting the flow of traffic.

The On-Road Trial

An on-road trial of the new signs is due to take place on the M4 between junction 12 (Theale) and 14 (Hungerford).

The signs will be installed from late 2003. A total of 36 signs will be installed at approximately 1.5km intervals.

All of the following elements will be used to help assess changes in traffic flow and the effectiveness of the new signs:

closed circuit television (CCTV)
traffic sensors beneath the road surface
Sign operators' and maintenance surveys

In addition, we will be speaking to you, the travelling public to assess your views on the new signs.

The trial will continue to the end of 2004 and will allow the Highways Agency to:

Evaluate the technical performance of the signs
Assess driver reaction and behaviour to the signs
Evaluate maintenance access arrangements
Evaluate the sign's effectiveness in relation to safety levels
Identify further design improvements

View larger image

What happens after the trial?

The on-road trial will run from late 2003 through to the end of 2004, with data being collected to evaluate the effectiveness of the signs. The current view is that the signs installed on the M4 will remain in place after 2004.

Depending on the results from the trial, the Highways Agency will then consider the potential for installing the new generation signs at other priority locations on England's motorway and trunk road network.

Events

Obviously it is critical that the travelling public can understand the new signs. The Highways Agency has been asking the travelling public for their views on the new signs.

Come and see the new sign for yourself, and complete a questionnaire. Here are some of the events that the Highways Agency will be attending in 2003:

Civils 2004 - at NEC Birmingham 27-29 April
International Motor Show - at NEC Birmingham May 2004
Traffex - April 2005

If you can't make it to one of these events - you can still complete a questionnaire on the messages the sign can display. Remember your view counts - the Highways Agency's aim is to provide better information for drivers and increase safety on England's motorway and trunk road network.

Contact us

If you have a query regarding the on-road trial of the new MS4 sign on the M4, you can call the Highways Agency's Information Line on Tel: 08457 50 40 30

If you prefer, you can write to:

Area 3 Route Manager
Highways Agency
Room 2B
Federated House
London Road
Dorking
Surrey
RH4 1SZ

or e-mail: ha_info@highways.gsi.gov.uk

Important news: Closed Circuit Television Cameras on the new MS4 signs

Closed Circuit Television Cameras have been mounted on a number of the MS4 signs. These cameras have been installed as part of the evaluation of the pilot, which is scheduled to run until December 2004.

The cameras provide a wide view of the carriageway so that the Highways Agency can see how drivers react to the signs. Images from the cameras will also enable police in their control room to pinpoint where incidents have occurred, enabling them to set the signs more promptly and accurately.

The cameras are in place for evaluation and safety reasons only. They are not speed enforcement cameras, and do not have the technical functionality to be used for recognition of number plates.
camera

New motorway information signs switched on

New road signs giving clearer information about road conditions to drivers were switched on, October 8 on the M4 in Berkshire . The signs replace existing message signs dating from the 1970s.

The signs - know as MS4s - provide drivers with red and white temporary speed restrictions, accident warnings and alerts for traffic jams and dangerous conditions.

This £16 million first UK pilot, which will help reduce accidents and save lives, uses hi-tech features enabling the signs to use both pictures and text to inform people.

Tests have already shown that motorists respond to incidents ahead and queues a second faster to pictures and lower case text in an instant, making the difference between slight and fatal injuries.

Communications equipment embedded in the road monitors traffic flow and queuing traffic and automatically sets speed signs to show a lower speed limit preventing incidents. New CCTV will also help police monitor incidents and provide information to motorist about road conditions.

Transport Minister Dr Kim Howells switched on the signs, and also visited the £38.5 million A34 Chieveley scheme, which provides a through route from the A34 under the M4 and connections back to the existing M4 at Junction 13. This scheme will cut congestion at this busy intersection between Oxford and Winchester and reducing accidents by 13 per cent.