November/December Issue 59 - Flipbook - Page 26
NEWS
EXTRA TECHNOLOGY FOR SOUTH YORKSHIRE MOTORWAY
Work is due to begin later
this month to install extra
technology to further increase
safety along a South Yorkshire
motorway.
Highways England will be installing
a radar-based system to detect
vehicles which have stopped in
live lanes.
Once detected, the system alerts
Highways England’s regional
control room teams who can
then locate the scene on CCTV,
verify the presence of a stationary
vehicle and make an informed
decision on how to respond.
Operators, based at the Regional
Operations Centre in Wakefield,
are then able to assess the
situation
and
allocate
the
appropriate resources to respond
to the incident. This can include
Junction 32 of the M1
closing lanes, lowering the speed
limit and setting signs and signals The roll out of the new technology
informing other road users of the is part of the Government’s
road conditions ahead.
18-point action plan to further
improve safety on England’s
The system is being installed on busiest sections of motorway.
the M1 between junction 32 and The Transport Secretary has
35a near Sheffield.
asked Highways England to bring
forward the roll-out of stopped
Installing
this
additional vehicle detection from 2023 to
technology on the M1 near 2022.
Sheffield will further enhance From the week commencing
safety features already included Monday 22 February until the
along this stretch of motorway. end of July, Highways England
These include emergency areas, will begin installing additional
CCTV, technology to set signs technology at the side of the road,
and signals to close lanes, between junctions 32 and 35a of
display warning and e-information the M1. Most of this upgrade work
messages, including Red X signs, will be carried out overnight from
and variable speed limits to slow 8pm to 5am using temporary lane
down approaching traffic.
closures with restrictions removed
during the day.
This scheme forms part of a
national roll out of this technology. There may be a need to cut back
The system is already operational some vegetation during night shifts
on the M25 and M3 and being to ensure the radar equipment has
installed on the M20.
clear sight of the road, but we aim
26
to keep this to a minimum and we
don’t expect to have to remove
any mature trees. Towards the end
of the upgrade work, the road may
be closed overnight for testing and
commissioning work.
All Highways England sites have
strict safeguarding measures, in
line with Public Health England
guidance, to prevent the spread of
Covid-19 and none of the sites are
open to the public.
For more information follow
the
Twitter
account
@
highwaysYORKS.
Further
details can also be found
at https://highwaysengland.
co.uk/our-work/stopped-vehicledetection-upgrades/ and
https://highwaysengland.co.uk/
road-safety/how-to-drive-onmotorways/
or by calling the Highways
England Information Line on 0300
123 5000.
