Highways Agency

Safe roads, Reliable journeys, Informed travellers

Fact sheets

• Smoothing the flow on to Motorways
• New Variable Message Signs
• New Emergency Roadside Telephone
• Controlled Motorways
• CCTV Monitoring
• Targets for early action
• Speeding up the delivery of major road schemes
• Route Management Strategies
• Traffic Control Centres

Smoothing the flow on to Motorways

Aim

To reduce congestion and to improve traffic flow and safety on motorways by controlling the flow of vehicles joining the main carriageways from entry slip roads. This scheme is commonly known as ramp metering.

What it means for motorists

• A reduction in bottlenecks at junctions
• Less congestion and improved traffic flows
• Smoother and more reliable journey times
• Reduced accident risks for drivers entering motorways from slip roads, and for drivers already travelling on motorways
• Environmental improvements i.e. reduced traffic noise, vehicle emissions and fuel consumption

Main features

• Sensors detect the amount of traffic travelling on a motorway. When traffic is at critical flow, special traffic signals on the slip road control the number of vehicles that may enter the motorway i.e. at a 'metered' rate. This is only likely to occur at peak travel times.
• With their distinctive blue diamond background, ramp metering traffic signals will be easily distinguished from urban traffic signals.
• Ramp metering will not interfere with the operation of the surrounding network.
• It operates successfully in the United States installed at over 3,000 sites, and is used in France and Holland.
• The success of the system in England is dependent on drivers complying with the signals. The signals will be enforced by the police.
• The estimated cost of a free-standing ramp metering site is between £150k - £200k (based on the cost of the M3/M27 design and contracts-see pilot scheme below).

Plans for the future

• A pilot scheme to assess the effectiveness of ramp metering in England will begin on August 3 at six sites on the M3 and M27 around Southampton. During the first year of operation the results will be closely monitored and the results assessed.
• Ramp metering could be rolled out at suitable sites throughout the country from 2002.

For more information visit our Ramp Metering pages.

For more information please contact the Highways Agency Press Office on 020 7921 4323/4389/4029.

 

New Variable Message Signs

Aim

To expand the current range of variable message signs on the national road network with new pictogram signs and signals (Motorway Signal Mark 4) to help reduce accidents and improve journey delays.

What it means for motorists

• Up-to-the-minute information about activity on the network
• Improved journey times and reduced driver stress
• Reduction in accidents
• State-of-the-art technology will improve the reliability, visibility and versatility of variable message signs
• Pictograms should make it easier to understand for foreign motorists

Main features

• New signs will be capable of displaying pictograms and red warning triangles which will depict accidents, ice, congestion etc on the road ahead.
• The higher definition red and off-white displays of the prototype MS4 signs with pictures and mixed case characters should be easier to read than current variable message signs.
• The new concept sign will be smaller than existing range of variable message signs and, therefore, less intrusive. The size of the base and support structure will be reduced and maintenance will be carried out from a vehicle mounted hydraulic platform.
• The MS4 signs are being developed to replace existing signals on the central reserve matrix in rural locations which are life expired and cannot provide the level of information that drivers now expect.

For more information please contact the Highways Agency Press Office on 0207 081 7443.

New Emergency Roadside Telephone

Aim

To provide an improved, more accessible and reliable emergency roadside telephone service for all road users.

What it means for motorists

• Help available more quickly
• Greater accessibility for people with special needs
• Improved sound quality and reliability
• Increased visibility

Main features

• The new design is easier to maintain and more cost effective, as it checks itself for faults and reports them, requiring fewer inspections.
• Technological developments mean clearer communication by cutting down background noise.
• The column is highly visible and vandal resistant. Its neutral colour and distinctive reflective, fluorescent orange label, balances the need to be seen while minimising the environmental impact. A loud bell is more suitable for noisy locations and a flashing light indicates ringing for those who are hard of hearing or if the phone is unanswered.
• If there are communication difficulties the operator will activate the text display and questions can be answered with tick or cross buttons. This will be particularly helpful for people with hearing difficulties.
• The caller will be given a choice of languages, though the operator will see the responses in English.

Current Status

• A £20 million contract was awarded in March 2006 and work has started for the replacement of all 6800 emergency phones on the motorways and trunk roads throughout England. Completion is programmed for Summer 2009.

For more information please contact the Highways Agency Press Office on 020 7921 4323/4389/4029.

Controlled Motorways

Aim

To improve traffic flow, improve journey times and cut accidents by delaying or preventing the start of stop-start conditions familiar to many drivers. This smoother traffic flow is achieved by automatically reducing speeds at peak times in response to traffic speed and flow.

What it means for motorists

• Less congestion and improved traffic flows
• More reliable, smoother journeys
• Less aggressive driving such as tailgating
• Better use of lanes and less lane changing
• Reduction in accidents
• Increased throughput of vehicles
• Environmental improvements i.e. reduced traffic noise, vehicle emissions and fuel consumption

Main features

• The system uses mandatory speed limit signals, displayed on overhead gantries, which are strictly enforced by the police to achieve the high levels of compliance required for successful operation.
• Sensors detect the speed and flow of traffic travelling on the motorway. When the onset of congestion is predicted, the speed limit is automatically reduced to 60mph or 50mph before critical flow is reached. The limit is then raised when traffic flow improves.
• Automatic queue detection and protection system that sets 40mph speed limits to protect queuing traffic and automatically sets text messages to explain to drivers the reasons for the reduced speed limits.

Plans for the future

• Extension of current successful system on M25 between junctions 10-15 on to junctions 15-16.
• Possible use on other motorways with similar stop-start congestion problems.

For more information please contact the Highways Agency Press Office on 020 7921 4323/4389/4029.

CCTV Monitoring

Aim

To expand the existing operation of closed circuit television monitoring on the national road network which provides police control centres with 'real-time' traffic flow and incident information.

What it means for motorists

• Improved response to incidents by the emergency services
• Major incidents and congestion are effectively monitored and managed
• Rapid overview of network conditions provides up-to-the-minute information for traffic management services and the media
• Camera will allow strategic traffic management for the national Traffic Control Centre

Main features

• Widely used on heavily trafficked motorways such as the M1 and M6. Also used on motorways near heavily populated areas such as the M25 around London, M60 around Manchester and the M5 / M6 / M42 around Birmingham.
• Video images of traffic flows on major routes in the South West were made available via the Internet during the 1999 Eclipse.
• Average cost of £60k per site, including initial installation cost of approximately £100k per police control office (this cost does not include the provision of optical fibre cables as part of separate contracts).

Plans for the future

• Existing CCTV cameras could be supplemented by interlinked motorway monitoring systems throughout England during the next three years.
• In the next four to ten years there could be additional coverage at key sites on the most important dual carriageway trunk roads i.e. those linking the motorway network to major towns/cities, key ports and airports.
• Potential for pre-trip information about traffic flow, including 'real-time' video images available via the Internet.

For more information please contact the Highways Agency Press Office on 020 7921 4323/4389/4029.

Targets for early action

 

Aim

To improve safety and minimise congestion at 100 pinch points on the national road network.

What it means for motorists

• Reduction in congestion
• Reduction in accidents
• Ease peak-hour congestion
• Improved traffic flow
• Improved links with public transport
• New technology to give drivers 'real-time' information

Main features

• These pinch points have been chosen because of their importance to local people and the day-to-day problems they cause to all road users.
• Different roads have different problems and require different solutions.
• The cost of each scheme varies between £25,000 and £5 million.
• Every region was able to pin point their own local problem area and submit them to a national list of pinch points.
• New road lay out, roundabout alterations, traffic calming measures, innovative hi-tech variable message signing and cycle and pedestrian crossings are methods which will be used to target these 100 pinch points.

Plans for the future

• We expect these 100 pinch points to be completed by 2002.
• We shall continue to monitor pinch points throughout the network and will use the most suitable method available to target these.
• These 100 schemes are part of a rolling programme to make better use of the trunk road network.

For more information please contact the Highways Agency Press Office on 020 7921 4323/4389/4029.

Speeding up the delivery of major road schemes

Aim

The preparation process for major road improvements can be lengthy, often up to 10 years before actual building starts. It has been a priority to minimise this by taking between 3-5 years off the time scale for uncontroversial proposals, while still ensuring that our high standards of planning and public consultation are maintained

What it means for motorists

• Speeding up the process for delivering uncontroversial road schemes by 3-5 years
• Public consultation at an earlier stage
• All parties working together to deliver the right roads on the ground more quickly

Main features

• By consulting local people at an earlier stage in the road planning process we can listen and incorporate their views before ideas have become fixed and therefore make local opinion vital to the planning process
• By working on surveys, design work and environmental impact at the same time we can speed up the process, rather than carrying out these important activities in sequence
• Better procurement practices will speed up the time it takes to appoint consultants for design and survey work.
• Using the same company to design and build the scheme will involve all parties from the very start. Appointing this company earlier in the process will cut out the need for a lengthy tendering process once the scheme has got the go ahead

Plans for the future

• These new procedures will be phased in as soon as any of the 40 schemes in the national roads programme reach suitable milestone stages-however many are at an advanced stage of preparation and will not benefit fully.
• New projects which enter the programme from the Regional Planning Guidance process will be prepared under the new process.

For more information please contact the Highways Agency Press Office on 020 7921 4323/4389/4029.

Route Management Strategies

Aim

To provide an open and optimum way of planning future investment in the maintenance, operation and improvement of the network, which integrates local and regional land and transport interests in the decision-making process.

What it means for motorists

• a consistent approach to the maintenance, operation and improvement of a route over a period of about 10 years, which addresses the whole route rather than individual problem areas
• public consultation process to ensure the views of local road users and residents are fully taken into account
• route objectives and management plan for improvements to be met within the 10-year period of the strategy

Main features

• Study of existing and likely future conditions
• Involving key groups including road user organisations and local authorities from an early stage
• Closer involvement of these groups in the decision-making process should encourage partnerships to develop between various transport modes, encouraging a more unified approach to improving services
• Workshops and seminars, public exhibitions and roadshows
• Publishing strategy and delivering improvements

Plans for the future

• Route Management Strategies on 70 key routes over the next 30 months, following the three pilot studies on the M62, A14 and the A1 in the North East.

For more information please see the Route Management Strategies section or contact the Highways Agency Press Office on 020 7921 4323/4389/4029.

Traffic Control Centres

Aim

To provide accurate 'real-time' information about the national road network to motorists and traffic management bodies.

What it means for motorists

• Provision of alternative route and travel advice to motorists to minimise the effects of congestion and incidents on the network
• Improved journey planning and more reliable journey times
• Less delays due to roadworks e.g. variable message signs saving 1.6 million vehicle hours per year

Main features

• To be operated by a public/private partnership. The future Traffic Control Centre company will also manage the Traffic Information Highway - the technology developed by the Highways Agency to share travel information and to be operated inpartnership with the police, Local Highways Authorities and other network operators to assist the integration of traffic management across all roads.
• Information on the performance on the network in 'real-time' will be monitored/ disseminated via variable message signs, HA Internet, Highways Agency Information Line, media broadcasts, and tailor-made information on journeys and routes for individuals and companies on a commercial basis via the Traffic Information Highway.
• Average cost is estimated at £18m per year - 10-year Private Finance Initiative contract two-year installation and eight-year operation. Business case based on the outcome of the Midlands Driver Information System project.
• Integration with existing HA strategic driver information systems e.g. Kent Corridor, Midlands, Yorkshire.

Plans for the future

• Contract negotiations nearing completion with the contract to be awarded autumn 2000.
• Early delivery of some services by end 2001 with full services from 2003.
• In four to ten years there is potential for:
  
  • balancing the flow of long distance traffic by directing it into less congested routes
    
  • a UK-wide travel information service covering the national and local road networks
  • UK information service interlinked with those of other transport providers
    
  • interchanging traffic and travel information with other Western European countries

For more information on Traffic Control Centres visit the section here on the Highways Agency web site.

For more information please contact the Highways Agency Press Office on 020 7921 4323/4389/4029.