Skip to main content

Barnshaws’ curved steel post aids motorway traffic flow

UK company Barnshaws Metal Bending is supplying curved steel posts as part of a motorway sign designed to improve traffic flow on the UK’s new smart motorways. Smart motorways enable the hard shoulder to be used at peak times, creating a temporary fourth lane. Variable message signs (MS4) attached to the curved tubular steel post developed by Barnshaws display information for motorists, including when the hard shoulder is available for use. The design has resulted in faster installation of the signs
August 1, 2014 Read time: 1 min
UK company Barnshaws Metal Bending is supplying curved steel posts as part of a motorway sign designed to improve traffic flow on the UK’s new smart motorways.


Smart motorways enable the hard shoulder to be used at peak times, creating a temporary fourth lane.  Variable message signs (MS4) attached to the curved tubular steel post developed by Barnshaws display information for motorists, including when the hard shoulder is available for use.

The design has resulted in faster installation of the signs and less disruption to traffic during installation and maintenance.

Related Content

  • Australia to develop national smart managed motorways trial
    May 17, 2012
    Australia's 2011 federal government budget, announced yesterday, will provide AU$61.4 million over three years for the development of a national smart managed motorways trial to improve congestion, lower urban emissions, and expand the capacity of existing outer city road infrastructure networks.
  • Measuring the effectiveness of winter VMS
    August 5, 2013
    A survey into the effectiveness of weather-related variable message signs on a trans-mountain highway has some interesting results, as Alexis Bacelar told ITS Europe. A study in the Massif Central region of France evaluating the usefulness of winter weather warning signs has highlighted the effect of variable message signs on driver behaviour. During the winter of 2009-2010, road operator Massif Central Direction Interdépartementale des Routes (MC DIR) started installing bad weather-specific variable messag
  • Caltrans sends clear message on Swarco McCain CMS
    April 25, 2023
    Swarco McCain is highlighting that the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has renewed their partnership for the supply of industry standard-setting changeable message signs (CMS).
  • Swarco to deliver 100 VMS to SRL Traffic Systems
    March 22, 2019
    Swarco is to supply 100 mobile variable message signs (VMS) to SRL Traffic Systems in the UK as part of a £2.25 million deal. Alison Spooner, commercial director at SRL, a manufacturer of portable and temporary traffic equipment, says the company is aiming to establish a VMS division which comprises 500 signs. Swarco says its solar-powered VMS signs are equipped with energy-efficient LEDs capable of displaying full colour text and images. SRL will use Swarco’s Zephyr solution to set messages rem