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M42 Jct 3a - Jct 7 Active Traffic Management
How does it work?
The main purpose of Active Traffic Management is to manage congestion, but it can also be used to manage the traffic around an incident, should one occur.
When this stretch of the M42 is not congested and there are no incidents, all normal motorway rules apply.
Normal Motorway Conditions:
- No congestion or incident
- No speed limits shown on signals
- National speed limits apply
- Hard shoulder only for emergency and break down use
- Use emergency refuge areas in an emergency or break down for added safety
If there is congestion or an incident, Active Traffic Management will manage the traffic to ease congestion:
Active Traffic Management without hard shoulder running:
- Incident or congestion ahead
- Speed limit signals are set and must be obeyed
- Driver information signs provide necessary information for road users
- Red cross over hard shoulder means do not use this lane, except in an emergency or break down
- Use emergency refuge areas in an emergency or break down for added safety
Controlling the traffic across all lanes, with the right speed for the traffic conditions, enables the traffic to flow more smoothly. This reduces constant stopping and starting, which therefore helps to prevent the break down of traffic flow. This will help to reduce congestion.
The system sets the same speed across the carriageway, which reduces the need for drivers to change lanes.
When necessary, the system also sets messages on the driver information signs to inform road users of the road conditions ahead of them. This helps to protect queuing traffic because drivers are aware of slow moving or stationary traffic ahead.
In the case of severe congestion or an incident in one of the normal running lanes the hard shoulder may be opened to traffic under controlled conditions:
Active Traffic Management with hard shoulder running:
- Incident or congestion ahead
- Speed limit signals will be set and must be obeyed
- Driver information signs provide necessary information for road users
- Hard shoulder used as a running lane between junctions
- Do not stop on the hard shoulder
- Use emergency refuge areas in an emergency or break down for added safety
The control centre can open the hard shoulder, as an extra running lane to reduce the impact of congestion by providing extra space for the traffic. The hard shoulder is opened under controlled conditions, once the Regional Control Centre operator has checked that the hard shoulder is clear of debris and vehicles.
The hard shoulder will only be open to vehicles between junctions and only between junctions that have a high volume of vehicles.
