Location Signs to help drivers on the M54
HIGHWAYS AGENCY News Release issued by COI News Distribution Service on 29 January 2010
New signs designed to help drivers pinpoint where they are if they break down or want to report a problem on the motorway have been installed along the full length of the M54.
The new roadside driver location signs ensure the Highways Agency and emergency services can reach people more quickly and tell road users which motorway they are driving on, the direction they are traveling in and where they are on the motorway.
Paul Clare, Route Performance Manager for the Highways Agency, said:
"With many people using mobile phones to call for assistance these days, rather than the motorway emergency phones, it can be difficult to find a caller's exact location. If road users can tell us what is on the sign nearest to them on the motorway, we can work out where they are if they breakdown or need to report an incident.
"The new signs mean that the emergency services and Highways Agency Traffic Officers can respond to incidents more quickly and reduce the risk of secondary incidents, congestion and delay to other road users."
Information that can be seen on the signs is:
- The number of the motorway.
- The letter 'A' or 'B' which tells the Highways Agency or the emergency services which direction you are traveling in.
- The figure underneath the letter represents the distance in kilometres travelled along the motorway.
The signs, which have already proved a success in other parts of the region, are positioned on the motorway verge near the hard shoulder. They help road users by showing them their exact position if they need to telephone emergency services, recovery or the Highways Agency's Regional Control Centre.
The signs are approximately 500 metres apart on the east and westbound carriageways.
Notes to Editors
1. The Highways Agency is an executive agency of the Department for Transport. We manage, maintain and improve England's motorways and trunk roads on behalf of the Secretary of State.
2. The work will be carried out by Amey and the contractors and specialists from the Contract Management Framework and the Midlands Works Framework on behalf of the Highways Agency.
3. Real-time traffic information for England's motorways and major A roads is available:
- From our Traffic Radio service, available on DAB digital radio and the internet at www.trafficradio.org.uk To tune into the DAB service, simply press the "scan" button on your radio. The radio will tune into all available channels and you can select the new service by scrolling through the channels until you reach "Traffic Radio".
- From the web at www.highways.gov.uk/traffic or www.highways.gov.uk/mobile if using a phone or mobile device.
Before using any mobile, find a safe place to park. Never stop on the hard shoulder of a motorway except in an emergency. Make sure it's safe and legal before you call.
- By phone from the Highways Agency 24-hour voice activated phone service on 08700 660 115. (Calls from BT residential landlines to 0870 numbers will cost no more than 8p per minute; call charges from other landlines and mobile networks may vary).
4. For more general information about the Highways Agency and its work, visit the Highways Agency website www.highways.gov.uk, or telephone the Highways Agency Information Line on 08457 50 40 30 at any time. (Calls to 0845 numbers cost no more than 3p/min from BT residential landlines. Call charges from other landlines and mobile networks may vary)
Contacts:
Highways Out of Hours
Phone: 020 7081 7443
nds.highwaysagency@coi.gsi.gov.uk
Nathan Wallis
Phone: 0121 421 8852
Mobile: 07768 068031
nathan.wallis@highways.gsi.gov.uk
