Skip to main content

Variable speed limit signs deployed in Canada

The British Columbia government in Canada has deployed variable speed limit signs along three highways in the province, Highway 99, Highway 5, and Highway 1, which are prone to rapidly changing weather..Variable speed limit signs display the legal speed limit when road and weather conditions change. From 2 June, motorists are required to obey the signs, which are regulatory and enforced by the police. Static message signs at the entrance to each corridor inform travellers they are entering a variable
June 10, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
The British Columbia government in Canada has deployed variable speed limit signs along three highways in the province, Highway 99, Highway 5,  and Highway 1, which are prone to rapidly changing weather..Variable speed limit signs display the legal speed limit when road and weather conditions change.

From 2 June, motorists are required to obey the signs, which are regulatory and enforced by the police.

Static message signs at the entrance to each corridor inform travellers they are entering a variable speed zone. A digital message sign (DMS) at the beginning of each corridor warns drivers of changing weather conditions. Flashing lights installed above each variable speed limit sign are activated when a reduced speed limit is in effect.

Traffic, road and visibility sensors monitor real-time traffic speeds as well as road and weather conditions to provide recommended reduced speeds back to operations staff who then adjust the electronic signs to let drivers know what speed they should be travelling for the current conditions.

Webcams installed along each of the routes monitor traffic and weather conditions to provide drivers and operators at the Regional Transportation Management with real time information on conditions along the routes.

Related Content

  • Regulating rural road use
    June 20, 2016
    David Crawford looks at problems facing indigenous communities and those unfamiliar with driving in rural areas. While it is well known that the fatality rate for road crashes in rural areas is higher than in towns and cities, some groups suffer far more than others. For instance, the rates of death and serious injury from vehicle accidents is much higher for American Indian and Alaska Native (AI and AN) populations living in rural tribal lands than for any of the country’s other ethnic populations. Crashes
  • Kapsch TrafficCom to provide traffic management and staffing for Louisiana DOTD
    July 20, 2017
    The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) has selected Kapsch TrafficCom (Kapsch) to provide management and staffing services for the DOTD Traffic Management Centers (TMCs), each with varying levels of support and staffing appropriate for daily operations. DOTD currently operates five TMCs and provides Motorist Assistance Patrol (MAP) services in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Shreveport and Lake Charles areas, as well as MAP services for various construction projects state-wide. The cont
  • Nevada begins installation of enhanced driver information systems
    April 13, 2017
    The Nevada Department of Transportation has launched a project to install enhanced roadway signage, ramp meters, wrong-way driver detection systems and more to help improve traffic safety and mobility on US 395 in the North Valleys. The project commences in early April and will continue through to 2018. Ramp meters, or traffic signals, will be placed at the top of certain freeway on-ramps, to help reduce congestion and enhance safety by more evenly metering the flow of traffic merging onto freeways.
  • UK’s M6 to get VMS to boost safety
    November 18, 2014
    Four of the latest variable message signs (VMS) are to be installed around junction 35 of the M6 motorway at Carnforth, giving drivers better warnings of incidents and other information about the motorway such as weather conditions. As part of the work, new CCTV cameras will be mounted on the VMS signs and standalone masts, allowing Highways Agency traffic officers at the North West Regional Control Centre at Newton-le-Willows to monitor and manage motorway incidents more effectively. A similar, US$2