Improved safety information in M55 signs upgrade

A US$567,000 (£450,000) Highways England project to provide drivers using the M55 in Lancashire with better warnings about congestion, incidents and bad weather has been completed. Five of the latest electronic variable message signs, which can display pictorial as well as text messages, have been installed along the eastern end of the motorway between junction 1 at Broughton and the interchange with junction 32 of the M6. The new signs will allow Highways England traffic officers at the North West Re
December 12, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
A US$567,000 (£450,000) 8101 Highways England project to provide drivers using the M55 in Lancashire with better warnings about congestion, incidents and bad weather has been completed.

Five of the latest electronic variable message signs, which can display pictorial as well as text messages, have been installed along the eastern end of the motorway between junction 1 at Broughton and the interchange with junction 32 of the M6.

The new signs will allow Highways England traffic officers at the North West Regional Control Centre at Newton-le-Willows and colleagues at the National Traffic Operation Centre in Birmingham, to give clearer information – with the internationally-recognised symbols helping to warn drivers of dangers ahead including accidents, congestion, snow and ice, high winds or an increased skid risk.

The signs will operate traditionally, using only text messaging, until the spring when a programmed national software update will take place, allowing pictograms to be used as well.
Urban Traffic Control Air Quality & Weather Systems

Related Content

  • UK's Hindhead tunnel pushes the boundaries of traffic management
    January 23, 2012
    The new Hindhead Tunnel is the first in the UK to use radar-based incident detection. Paul Arnold, project manager with the Highways Agency, talks about the project. The comparatively remote location of the A3 Hindhead Tunnel has resulted in it becoming one of the most sophisticated in the UK in terms of monitoring and control systems, according to Paul Arnold, project manager for the Highways Agency (HA), which manages strategic roads in England and Wales. It is the first tunnel in the UK to use radar for
    Read More
  • DfT launches fund for councils to improve road travel using new technology
    August 12, 2016
    A US$2.5 million (£2 million) fund to allow councils to capitalise on emerging technologies and deliver better journeys for motorists has been launched by the UK Department for Transport (DfT). Local authorities have been to apply for a share of the money to develop projects to greatly enhance journeys. Proposals include using technology that will allow vehicles communicate with each other and roadside sensors to provide drivers with real-time traffic information. Councils will also look at how warnin
    Read More
  • ITS benefits escape public
    June 8, 2015
    John Kendall considers the public’s awareness of the benefits of ITS. While the results of developing ITS technology may be clear to readers of ITS International, there is far less evidence that drivers have any appreciation of what the technology is doing for them. So how aware are drivers of the developments that are designed to make their journeys less congested and safer?
    Read More
  • Safelane automates work zone perimeter guarding
    June 12, 2015
    The safety of workers during road closures and working alongside, or above, live lanes is becoming an automated process. Ten workers suffered major injuries while working on or near motorways and major A roads in England in 2013, and between 2009 and 2013 eight had been killed. It was against that background that the first commercial application Safelane, the automated traffic management system designed to detect work zone incursions, was carried out during the temporary closure of a motorway.
    Read More

Highlighted Content