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Motorway "Active traffic management"??
As on the M42 & others.. what is it supposed to achieve?
Having travelled up the M42 @ 18.30 ish tonight I've got to be honest & say I don't see the point, in fact I'd go further & say that it makes congestion worse!
Yes it was busy, nothing special but the overhead speed limit signs were a joke....
60, next one 50, next one 60, next one 50 but with no difference in traffic until the next one.... 40 accompanied by Queue Caution!
Of course there's a bloody queue, you've just caused it!
Having travelled up the M42 @ 18.30 ish tonight I've got to be honest & say I don't see the point, in fact I'd go further & say that it makes congestion worse!
Yes it was busy, nothing special but the overhead speed limit signs were a joke....
60, next one 50, next one 60, next one 50 but with no difference in traffic until the next one.... 40 accompanied by Queue Caution!
Of course there's a bloody queue, you've just caused it!
Always try to be at least half the person your dog thinks you are!
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Comments
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I guess it would make sense that if the limit is 70, if there is traffic, it would clear much faster if the limit was 70, rather than if it was 40.
The other silly thing about it is when it says congestion, use hard shoulder. Then a short distance later you're presented with a sign saying hard shoulder next exit only and you've got to move out again. Not saying there's anything wrong with changing lanes and using lane discipline but it seems a little silly.
Oh and if you didn't know there's speed cameras at the back of every sign through that section.0 -
You want to try the M8 through Glasgow (then again maybe you don't!)
up to 6 lanes and speed limit of 500 -
the idea is to slow you down slightly so the heavy traffic which is building up infront of you has cleared by the time you catch up to it.
Ive seen active traffic management in France where the whole motorway was blocked by a moving roadblock of maintenance vehicles - they slowed us down to about 20 mph for about 5 minutes then gradually allowed us to speed up again then finally cleared out of the way. Then we passed the roadworks which were just packing up.
Unfortunately if the people controlling the signs havent got a clue then it wont work (M42)Don't try to teach a pig to sing - it wastes your time and annoys the pig0 -
ScottishSapper wrote: »You want to try the M8 through Glasgow (then again maybe you don't!)
up to 6 lanes and speed limit of 50
during the day it can be hard to even get near 50. and on some occasions at night or weekends doing 70 at the blochairn section could be suicide when someone joining from lane 1 suddenly decides they want into lane 5. (im sure theres only a maximum of 5 lanes,except for a very short distance at kinning park,which is divided by a barrier,so really only 3 lanes either side of the barrier.)
active traffic management here might be ok,but only if the speed was raised at off peak times to 70. but again it means more speed cameras so im against that idea.
and just as a side note, has anyone noticed how much the traffic que has increased? it used to start at around stepps junction,but now it seems to start at balliston,which is about 2 miles extra at crawling speed. i just hope this m74 extension opens quickly....work permit granted!0 -
You are aware that the cameras on that stretch of the M42 are not actually active, well at least not below the max speed limit of 70mph.As on the M42 & others.. what is it supposed to achieve?
Having travelled up the M42 @ 18.30 ish tonight I've got to be honest & say I don't see the point, in fact I'd go further & say that it makes congestion worse!
Yes it was busy, nothing special but the overhead speed limit signs were a joke....
60, next one 50, next one 60, next one 50 but with no difference in traffic until the next one.... 40 accompanied by Queue Caution!
Of course there's a bloody queue, you've just caused it!0 -
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I know how they work but what I'm saying is they haven't been active below 70mph since day one.They are matched to the displayed limit, although have to give some "grace" time I believe if a lower limit is displayed.
Also to pick up on another point you made, there isn't cameras behind every sign, you can tell where the cameras are by looking at the oncoming lane opposite, if there are cameras on that gantry there'll be ones on yours as well.0 -
ScottishSapper wrote: »You want to try the M8 through Glasgow (then again maybe you don't!)
up to 6 lanes and speed limit of 50
I agree there, The Kingston Bridge is a nightmareatter what time you go on it, the worse time is between 2.30 pm and 8.30 pm.Like good food and drink?
Try Hotel Chocolat and Baileys.
:drool: :drool:
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As on the M42 & others.. what is it supposed to achieve?
Having travelled up the M42 @ 18.30 ish tonight I've got to be honest & say I don't see the point, in fact I'd go further & say that it makes congestion worse!
Yes it was busy, nothing special but the overhead speed limit signs were a joke....
60, next one 50, next one 60, next one 50 but with no difference in traffic until the next one.... 40 accompanied by Queue Caution!
Of course there's a bloody queue, you've just caused it!I guess it would make sense that if the limit is 70, if there is traffic, it would clear much faster if the limit was 70, rather than if it was 40.
The other silly thing about it is when it says congestion, use hard shoulder. Then a short distance later you're presented with a sign saying hard shoulder next exit only and you've got to move out again. Not saying there's anything wrong with changing lanes and using lane discipline but it seems a little silly.
Oh and if you didn't know there's speed cameras at the back of every sign through that section.
It wouldn't work like that. The faster traffic goes the bigger the gap and the less cars you can fit on the road. If your all doing 40, you can travel closer together and get more cars on the road.
They are looking at making future schemes to allow through hard shoulder running.
The thing with ATM is you'll only notice the effects if it didn't work- it's impossible to tell, yes you were slowed up, but you might get one of the phantom shockwave queues you get if it wasn't there.goldspanners wrote: »during the day it can be hard to even get near 50. and on some occasions at night or weekends doing 70 at the blochairn section could be suicide when someone joining from lane 1 suddenly decides they want into lane 5. (im sure theres only a maximum of 5 lanes,except for a very short distance at kinning park,which is divided by a barrier,so really only 3 lanes either side of the barrier.)
active traffic management here might be ok,but only if the speed was raised at off peak times to 70. but again it means more speed cameras so im against that idea.
and just as a side note, has anyone noticed how much the traffic que has increased? it used to start at around stepps junction,but now it seems to start at balliston,which is about 2 miles extra at crawling speed. i just hope this m74 extension opens quickly.
The question is will the M74 make a huge difference? I'm fairly sceptical on it, basically because it narrows to only 2 lanes wide onto the M8. It wouldn't surprise me if it simply fills up with people that currently use other ways or don't make the journey and the queues are back to what they were within a year or so. Happened on a few roads in Glasgow- things are as bad at points as they were!
The problem with the M8 central bit is the slip roads are too short, the bends are too tight and visibility is a bit lacking at points to meet motorway standard. There are isolated bits you can do 70, but really a speed limit of 50 isn't bad. I doubt you'd ever see a 70mph limit on that section.0 -
flyingscotno1 wrote: »The question is will the M74 make a huge difference? I'm fairly sceptical on it, basically because it narrows to only 2 lanes wide onto the M8. It wouldn't surprise me if it simply fills up with people that currently use other ways or don't make the journey and the queues are back to what they were within a year or so. Happened on a few roads in Glasgow- things are as bad at points as they were!
im sure it will help for a while,it might even reduce congestion on london road.
i think where it ends is a bit of a joke and will be a huge bottle neck, it merges onto the M8 at the end of the kingston bridge,why? who had that idea? lets build a road to ease congestion,where shall we make it end? how does the busiest bridge in scotland sound? ideal!
it should be taken to the M77 junction with no city centre access,a M8 bypass if you like, use the M8 for the city,use the M74 for any other route past the city centre.
it only has to work for a year or 2 for me anyway....work permit granted!0
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