Disabled Driver Questionnaire
We want to produce a driver information programme for our disabled customers. To help us produce the best possible guidance, please take a few minutes to fill in our questionnaire.
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
Automatic VMS Systems
Automatic VMS Systems
1. Active Traffic Management (ATM)
The ATM stretch of the M42 between Junction 3A for the M40, and junction 7 for the M6, carries 140,000 vehicles each day made up of long distance traffic, local users and customers of Birmingham International Airport and the NEC.
Drivers using this stretch can now be directed to drive on the hard shoulder at times of peak congestion by hi-tech electronic signs above the carriageway. A 50mph speed limit will appear above the hard shoulder, and when it is in use, a maximum 50mph speed limit will also be applied to all lanes on the carriageway.
Please see the Active Traffic Management section of our website for more information.
2. Controlled Motorways
The controlled motorway system is on the M25 between junctions 10 and 16. This is an automated system, which monitors flow levels and sets speed limits accordingly. It provides:
• Mandatory speed limits
• Enforcement by speed cameras
Variable speed limits improve traffic flow; can improve journey times and cut accidents by delaying or preventing the build-up of stop-start conditions. The limits are set either automatically by MIDAS or can be set manually by the control room operator.
3. MIDAS
To make the signals and signs more responsive to traffic conditions a system called Motorway Incident Detection and Automated Signalling (MIDAS) has been developed. The system detects incidents or congestion from loops in the road and automatically sets appropriate VMS messages to warn drivers of conditions of the road ahead, together with maximum speed advised.
The inductive loops are installed in the road surface at nominal 500m intervals and detect the formation of queues. The signal settings are switched off automatically a short time after traffic returns to free flow conditions. Currently MIDAS is in use only on some parts of the most heavily trafficked motorways.
These MIDAS signal settings can be over-ridden by control room operators, but only if:
• The system is clearly malfunctioning to such an extent that it is believed to be creating a public safety concern; and
• Road works and/or planned maintenance is being undertaken and the Highways Agency or its agents have negotiated a generic local arrangement with the individual force and subsequently request specific disablement at predetermined locations and for a predetermined period of time.
4. Operating Systems
Control room operators and the automatic systems (MIDAS) control the signals and signs on the motorway through the Agency’s Control Office Base System (COBS) located in the control rooms. This system is also used to operate the emergency roadside telephones.
The prioritisation and management of what message is displayed on each sign is handled by the Message Sign Sub-system (MSS). MSS is an automatic system which sets message signs in response to a control room operator request via the operators interface (OIF) or automatic requests from MIDAS, depending on what is happening on the network.
