Skip to main content

New traffic safety system at Dartford Crossing

From 13 June a new traffic safety system will be in use on the A282 (M25) northbound approach to the Dartford crossing tunnels. The system will identify and stop oversized vehicles or those carrying dangerous goods from entering the tunnels. It will also enable dangerous goods vehicles to be escorted through the tunnels safely and stop traffic in the event of an incident in the tunnels. Electronic message signs on the approach to the traffic safety system will provide drivers with information relating
May 22, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
From 13 June a new traffic safety system will be in use on the A282 (M25) northbound approach to the Dartford crossing tunnels.

The system will identify and stop oversized vehicles or those carrying dangerous goods from entering the tunnels. It will also enable dangerous goods vehicles to be escorted through the tunnels safely and stop traffic in the event of an incident in the tunnels.

Electronic message signs on the approach to the traffic safety system will provide drivers with information relating to road conditions and safety.

Signs on gantries over the carriageway will display variable speed limits to keep traffic flowing safely, dependant on the road conditions at the time. A red X symbol will show that a lane is closed because of an incident or people working on the road.

Additional electronic message signs will be used in the safety system to give instructions to goods vehicle drivers who have failed to comply with the size and content restrictions of the tunnels.

Traffic signals will be used to stop and direct oversized vehicles, or those carrying dangerous goods that are not approaching the tunnels in the correct lane. The signals will also be used to stop traffic in the event of a tunnel emergency. Red light camera enforcement will also be in use at the traffic signals.

Barriers will be used in conjunction with traffic signals to stop vehicles and enforce crossing restrictions when required.

Average speed camera enforcement will be in use at the Dartford Crossing. Drivers should drive at speeds appropriate to the road conditions and must not exceed the variable speed limits displayed.

Related Content

  • European tunnel upgrades following new safety legislation
    August 20, 2015
    Across Europe there is a very mixed picture of compliance to latest safety standards for road tunnels. Best practice has emerged, however, in the wake of European legislation. Jon Masters reports High profile fatal fires following accidents in the Mont Blanc, Tauern and Gotthard tunnels prompted the 2004 European Union Directive 2004/54 on road tunnel safety. This meant all EU member states would have to meet new standards of safety in road tunnels by 30 April 2014. The Directive applied to all tunnels over
  • Machine vision makes progress in traffic applications
    June 2, 2014
    Machine Vision technology is easing the burden on hard-pressed control room staff and overloaded communications networks.
  • Progress on speeding ‘may be hampered by confusion on 20mph limits’
    July 5, 2017
    The percentages of vehicles exceeding the speed limit in free flow conditions on UK roads have declined slightly for most vehicle and road types between 2011 and 2016, according to statistics published by the Department for Transport.
  • Lindsay zips-up lane closure solution
    May 11, 2017
    Moveable barrier systems are offering engineers a new traffic management options. Work zones - be they for maintenance or road widening - are a fact of life and when they occur on major highways, they create no end of problems for traffic planners and travellers alike.