M62 - Your Local History
A lot of finds were uncovered during the archaeological evaluation carried out for the M62 Junction 6 Improvement scheme so we thought it would be nice to provide an interactive website so you can see what we found.
Better information for your journey
The National Traffic Control Centre collects real-time information on road conditions
Lane Hog!
John Stapleton looks into why people Lane Hog and what effects it has on the driver hogging the lane and other road users.
Educating tomorrow's drivers
See how we are driving through key messages about safety on our network for the drivers of tomorrow.
Meet the Ancestors
Find out about the history of roads and the work the Agency does to preserve archaeological remains.
See when traffic will be lightest
Our traffic forecaster can help get you there quicker
M25 Controlled Motorway
The M25
The western section of the M25 is one of the busiest sections of motorway in Europe carrying in excess of 200,000 vehicles per day. To help manage this, a variable speed limit and incident detection control system has been operational on this section since 1995.
The controlled section is fully instrumented with loop detectors that collect real-time traffic data such as vehicle count, speed and traffic density. Signal gantries automatically display mandatory speed limits in response to this traffic data. Variable Message signs on the motorway also display text information to drivers to give advance warning of conditions ahead.
This part of the M25 is a critical part of the national motorway network. It connects the many radial motorways and trunk roads serving London and provides a bypass for through traffic. The original section of Controlled Motorways in place between the M3 and M4 (Junctions 12 to 15) had four lanes running in each direction and three lanes through each junction. It was designed in the mid 1990's to carry 100,000 vehicles a day. However, the busiest section between Junctions 13 and 14 already carries 200,000 vehicles a day. With traffic continuing to grow, it was recognised that congestion would increase, with traffic diverting onto local roads, unless further capacity was provided for the future.
Therefore, a decision was taken to widen the M25 to fi ve lanes between Junctions 12 and 14, and to six lanes between Junctions 14 and 15. The widening also incorporated four lanes through Junctions 13 and 14, and new link roads to Heathrow Terminal 5. The Controlled Motorways technology on the section was upgraded at the same time. This work began on site in January 2004 and opened ahead of schedule in December 2005.
Why do we need Controlled Motorways?
Traffic demand on the M25 typically increases by 2% each year and we need to manage this demand effectively to help keep the motorway flowing. To achieve this safely, we need to smooth the traffic flows/speeds to maximise the motorway's potential. The speed
control system on the M25 creates an environment to minimise the risk of flow breakdown (where traffic can become stationary on the motorway), reduce accidents as a result of flow breakdown and produce more reliable journey times.
Many years of research have enabled the Agency to develop techniques and systems to achieve effective traffic control and these systems are constantly monitored and adjusted to maximise benefi ts and operational reliability.
As the traffic demand increases, inevitably we must expect the signals to be on more often and for longer periods. The signals and message signs can also be manually set by the Police or Agency staff to complement or override automatic settings.
