Traffic lights on Motorway's What next????????????

[GrahamW]

Has anyone else got an opinion on the current trend of installing traffic light on the slip roads of motorways? I am not referring to the ones at the top of slip roads which have been around for quite some time, but the ones which are at the bottom of the slip road shortly before the entrance to the motorway.

The ones I have seen (M6 in the North West between about Junction 19 and 26) are designed to stop traffic at peak times, they are on Red for about 15 secs then they change to green for about 1.2 secs allowing one car at a time to enter the motorway.

These things are a menace, potentially dangerous and whoever thought them up must be deranged, I was always under the impression that the whole idea of a slip road was to allow the joining traffic to enter the traffic flow at a speed commensurate with the prevailing road users, now to the contrary we are being forged to come to a complete rest before trying to join a traffic flow which is travelling between 50 to 70 mph.

These menaces have only been in operation for a short time but from the amount of people I see totally ignoring their existence I think others must feel the same.

Are there any traffic cops out there who might be able to shed some light on how they are supposed to help????

 

[GrahamW]

Sorry mean't to add this before posting, this is the official explanation of what they are supposed to achieve, dream on if you think that

It works by controlling the traffic joining the motorways. Research shows that because the traffic keeps flowing on the carriageway, delays are less likely.

The system is used extensively abroad and was trialled in England on the M6 in Birmingham.

Transport Secretary Alistair Darling said: "We have to get more out of the existing motorway network. This is an excellent example of using innovative ways of solving long-standing problems for drivers.

"Traffic joins the motorway safely without causing braking by vehicles on the motorway itself.

"By carefully monitoring vehicle flows, the Highways Agency will be better able to manage the traffic joining the motorway."

If successful, ramp metering will be rolled out to the North East, South East and Midlands.

 

[ericcaravanning4u]

I would start worrying when they put zebra crossings on them

 

[BrianStAlbans]

And I bet the holes are already drilled to fit the "safety cameras" on.

 

[Angus1]

If these traffic lights can ease congestion, why is it all the junctions I ever encounter where the lights have failed have none of their usual congestion problems?

Perhaps if we make the congestion worse it will be easier to raise `green taxes` to remedy the problem (like removing the things)?

 

[Rioja]

Maybe the idea is to make sure that the cars enter the motorway in turn and prevent volume traffic trying to force their way onto the motorway.

It really annoys me when slip road drivers think they have a right of way over vehicles that are already on the carriageway.

Mind you it is equally annoying to see drivers on the inside lane failing to pull out to the middle lane when it is clear to do so.

 

[rob_jax]

These slip road traffic signals work really well in the Netherlands.

For instance, during rush hour on the very busy section of the A13 between Delft and Rotterdam - the traffic lights let cars on one-by-one - Also the motorway speed limit was reduced from 120 kph to 80 kph - and this has helped as well - certainly traffic flows better and at higher densities.

Robert

 

[MONKEY1]

When we were on Holiday in Holland this year they were widely used and looked create more problems than they solved it took over 5 minutes to join one motorway.

The idea in Holland is for vehicles to join at regulated intervals and so to avoid bunching particularly with trucks... nice idea but in practice .waste of time and money if you asked me.

I quite like the idea of sleeping policemen in the outside lane of the M1 .that will sort the men from the boys !!

Monkeys Husband

 

[CliveV]

They tried this on J 2 of the M27 about a year back - it was an unmitigated disaster.

The slip road is quite short and the Traffic lights caused the traffic to back up onto the round-about and stopped all the traffic - even that NOT trying to get on the motorway.

When the traffic lights turned green you had a two lane "block" of traffic all joining the M27 at once. The result was severe braking by the overcrowded traffic on the M27 - obvious really!

All it did was hold back the normal traffic flow from the slip road so that it all tried to push its way onto an already overcrowded Motorway.

I suspect it works in a computer model where the advocates of the idea have set it up to "work".

The reality was very different.

 

[whitetop]

The reason they are there is simple. There are thousands of drivers that are incapable of joining a motorway safely / correctly.

Usually they pull onto the main carriageway with that "I'm getting on regardless, you can all move out my way" mentality.

Or they do not use the whole slip road to build up their speed and just pull onto the carriageway at the first chance, causing faster moving traffic to take the avoiding action.

You would never leave it to the last second to exit a motorway, you would enter early and use the whole slip road to slow down. So why not use the whole slip road to increase your speed.

If all drivers learned how to do these things properly, they would not have to put these lights there in the first place.

The lights are sensor controlled and go green when a pre-determined traffic speed / comgestion figure is met.

As rob_jax mentions, when the speed of vehicle is reduced, traffic flows better.

If you are held up for 5 mins or so thats unfortunate, but have you ever witnessed a high speed crash on a motorway? I have attended several in my years as a traffic cop and I can assure you that a slight delay is, by far, the better option.

No system is perfect, but I bet the crash figures are down....

 

[Simon Burton]

Been on the M42 past Birmingham lately, using the hard shoulder, whatever next.

It did seem to work though.

 

[BigAl1]

what about traffic islands on motorway junctions that have 3 or 4 set of traffic lights on them. I find it difficult to position correctly when in the centre or inside lane on 1 set of lights and then having to be in the outer lane in a very short distance.

 

[Lol1]

I used to tow a caravan, and was hated by a few for that. I used to have a 4x4 and was hated by a few about that. I like wind-breaks and staying in the caravan on site. I watch TV while away, have a dog, get drunk and pass my time following any number of "anti social" activities (including BBQs).

So, I'm obviously not going to admit that I am at present, helping to construct this same system of ramp metering that you're all so against. I'm sure that the travelers on the M1 through South Yorkshire will grow accustomed to the lights and acknowledge the way that they control traffic during the most congested parts of the day.

Will there be chaos?

Probably.

 

[John_374224558]

There are some roadworks on the northern section of the M25, and there are some part time traffic lights on the MAIN CARRIAGEWAY near to a tunnel,presumably to prevent traffic stacking in the tunnel due to a contraflow going through it.

It could only happen on the M25 couldn't it!!!!!!!!!!!!????????

 

[Lol1]

I used to tow a caravan, and was hated by a few for that. I used to have a 4x4 and was hated by a few about that. I like wind-breaks and staying in the caravan on site. I watch TV while away, have a dog, get drunk and pass my time following any number of "anti social" activities (including BBQs).

So, I'm obviously not going to admit that I am at present, helping to construct this same system of ramp metering that you're all so against. I'm sure that the travelers on the M1 through South Yorkshire will grow accustomed to the lights and acknowledge the way that they control traffic during the most congested parts of the day.

Will there be chaos?

Probably.

BTW, the traffic lights in South Yorkshire are designed to be automated and reactive to traffic conditions, unlike the timed sequences mentioned earlier. This way traffic is controlled directly, by allowing vehicles down the on ramp, however if the main carriageway is stopped you ain't gonna get on. It also manages the congestion indirectly, by creating tailbacks onto the motorway. Drivers will learn to avoid these bottlenecks and take another route to and from work or travel at a different time.

 

[CliveV]

David is right about the 1000's of people that cannot join a motorway correctly. I see a few every day. But I differ in view of how best to deal with this minority. After all is it right that

 

[will2]

We have these lights on the M6 at Wigan.

The lights have made a ten minute jurney from Wigan to Warrington a joke.

I was on a training course for work so set off early,7:45 just in case of any holdups (had to be there for 9 am).I arrived at my destination at 9:15.

All three lanes were packed with traffic. The cars in the first lane didn't move over to allow traffic coming onto the motorway on.

Before the lights were there the traffic was a bit slow but was moving.

 

[CliveV]

Exactly what happened on the M27 !

 

[BJ]

If these traffic lights can ease congestion, why is it all the junctions I ever encounter where the lights have failed have none of their usual congestion problems?

Perhaps if we make the congestion worse it will be easier to raise `green taxes` to remedy the problem (like removing the things)?

Hear Hear