boomer

So this morning i was travelling up the M42 from the M5 - fairly light traffic apart from a little bunching at J3 (the M40 join-o-rama).

However, shortly before 09:00am, about a mile from Junction 4, the MANDATORY speed limit traffic signs on the gantries (in a nice red circle) started displaying 50mph Immediately afterwards they were showing 40mph - such a rapid reduction in speed actually necessitated BRAKING on the (nearly empty) motorway. Approaching Junction 4 the "idiot boards" were saying "Queue Ahead" - however looking forward i could ONLY SEE FOUR CARS IN THE VISIBLE SPACE IN FRONT OF ME!!!

Can someone explain why the morons in charge of the ATM system should drop the speed limit to 40mph (enforced by a multitude of cameras) for no apparant reason???

mb

farmer1

Ice?

pauly

iTrader: (1)

money money money
from those people who aren't paying attention
and to pi$$ off anybody that is

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

At a guess:

Sombody brought their kid with them into work at the control centre...who then proceeded to press all the buttons before asking what they did

chrome

they did the same yesterday southbound from J9>J3
bloody gantry gatsos too..




good job I have a noddy car now, so speeding is way less fun than it used to be /cue pslewis

SCOsazOBY

They might of just been testing that they work??

Scooby Soon!

I noticed this when i was working at the NEC I was driving home at about 11pm and the speed limit was set for 50mph for the entire length, but for NO REASON! really pisses you off when they do that.

sociopath

Its like the traffic information signs they are putting up on the M4. Months of annoying roadworks and cr*p speed limits and after all that they seem to just be using them to display big brother messages like "Think - don't drink and drive" "Wipe your *rse and wash your hands" etc

Just ignore them.

Dieseldog

Well said! I look at them and think they probably cost £30 grand each to install, and some dick in an office who can't cut it in the real world thinks they're being responsible by telling us to "take a break". I imagine them in the pub... "Oh yes, it would be carnage on the motorways if it wasn't for my well timed interventions". Fack off, stop wasting OUR money and leave us alone!

chrome

agreed!

pete1977

Probably because the majority of people on the roads are actually complete buffoons whose mind is on anything but the road.Big flashing signs and ridiculous road speeds keeps there tiny little minds busy for a couple of milliseconds.GET OFF THE ROAD YOU ****IN BUFFOONS!
Sorry everyone,ive just driven round the m25 and am really ****ed off with the lazy attitude to driving in this country.Bring back more traffic cops.

astraboy

The only thing those signs are good for is displaying one thing.
"KEEP TO THE LEFT WHEN NOT OVERTAKING"
Should be on 24/7 if you ask me.
astraboy.

TDT

MIDAS (the thing that controls the "Queue Ahead" signals) is controlled by loops in the road. They trigger at a predetermined speed (nothing to do the "morons" in the control room ) They can be triggered by slow moving lorries, people driving like and causing a queue to brake hard etc etc.

ATM is for the most part, automatic (clue is in the name ). When the MIDAS loops detect congestion the system automatically calculates the best speed for the signals to display in order to keep the traffic flowing. The human intervention comes when the hard shoulder is opened. This cannot be done by the system.

So, what you witnessed was the systems response to a sudden drop in traffic speed.

Oh, and before anyone else has a go, the signs that say "Take a break" etc are nothing to do with the Motorway Control Centre. These are the domain of the NTCC, which is a privately run enterprise for the management of traffic err....nationally. Don't have a pop at Highways about that one!

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

Ahh those bloody induction loops.

All it needs is one dozy workman and they are fooked.....how many red traffic lights with induction loops you have you sat waiting at 4:00am with no traffic in any other direction? They aren't reliable - never have been, never will be -mailnly due to the poeple who fit them, set them up and after a tarmac crew comes along and digs a tench, wrecking the loop. (unless calibrated for Truvelo or SD2 camera use - they always work ok )


Anyhoo, since this new M42 system has started, I've been going the wrong way round Brum for me to the NEC - I prefer to be doing excess speeds without cameras on every odd gantry - even if it is 4:00am .... Up the M6 and back down the M42.....and its quicker. Used to be the other way round before they spent god knows how many years with road works fitting this alledged fantastic system.

sociopath

ah yes, Midas.... except in this case everything they touch turns to $hit!

boomer

So are you telling me that "loops in the road" can lower a MANDATORY speed limit to a totally inappropriate level, potentially putting three or more points on my licence should i decide not to panic brake on an almost empty motorway???????

The lunatics are truly running the asylum

mb

Bottomfeeder

I like the ones on the M40 that say "FOG" after you've been driving in it for 3 miles

TDT

It can be over-ridden by the ATM controller, but for the most part the thing is left to do its job.

Computers are, unfortunately, only as good as the people that programmed them