Safety Information
Managed Motorways
What are Managed Motorways?
Managed Motorways make use of a range of traffic management measures to control speeds, add capacity, and inform road users of conditions on their network. The measures used to ease traffic flow include opening the hard shoulder to traffic during busy periods, ramp metering (traffic lights on motorway entry slip roads to regulate traffic flow onto the main carriageway), road signs and variable speed limits.
Driver information signs will be used to inform motorists of:
- traffic conditions ahead
- mandatory speed limits
- the availability of lanes, including the hard shoulder
Sensors in the road will enable traffic and congestion to be detected. The speed and availability of lanes will be controlled so that traffic is able to flow more smoothly which will help to reduce congestion.
Managed Motorways: What the system will include
This image of the M42 pilot scheme shows a typical layout of a Managed Motorways scheme utilising hard shoulder operation. This equipment will be placed between Junction 25 and 30 on the M62.
How the Highways Agency manage the motorway
The Highways Agency's Regional Control Centres will be able to observe the motorway by using CCTV cameras. The cameras will be in operation 24hrs a day, 365 days a year to identify incidents on all lanes of the carriageway.
Highways Agency control centre operators will change the signs and signals located on the gantries to alert road users to the conditions ahead and to open and close lanes where necessary.
The Highways Agency control centre will also manage traffic speeds during busy times to help the motorway operate more smoothly. Highways Agency traffic officers will carry out regular patrols and will be alerted to deal with problems or emergencies.
Safety and control measures
The Managed Motorways System allows safe motorway operation through the management of traffic during congested periods and while maintenance work is carried out.
CCTV and sensors in the road will enable incidents to be identified swiftly. The new signs and signals will be used to move live traffic around the incident by managing traffic speeds, advising of closed lanes and relaying messages on display boards. The flexibility afforded by the electronic signs will be used to support the Emergency Services in reaching the scene of incidents promptly.
What to do in an emergency
Emergency Refuge Areas (ERAs) are additional refuges beyond the traditional hard shoulder. Thet will be spaced at intervals of approximately 800m throughout the scheme and they provide a place to stop in an emergency or breakdown when the hard shoulder is in operation as a running lane. In addition, they should be used as the preferred emergency/breakdown stopping location when the motorway is operating under normal conditions. Once in the ERA, an emergency roadside telephone should be used to phone the Highways Agency’s Regional Control Centre for assistance.