Motorway Safety Messaging Completed in North West
| Published on 18 February 2006 - 8:23am. | Highways Agency | Motoring |
The Highways Agency has completed an award winning motorway message system ahead of schedule. The system on the North West motorway network will improve safety and reduce congestion on major routes.
MIDAS, the Motorway Incident Detection and Automatic Signalling system uses detectors in the road surface linked to electronic motorway message signs to warn drivers of queues that have or are likely to be formed ahead.
The £12.2 million project has seen 46 new matrix 'football rattle' signs installed on the M6 between junction 22 at Newton-le-Willows and Junction 27 at Standish and on the M62 from junction 11 to 12.
Work started in November 2004 and was due to be finished in April 2006, but has been completed sooner which means it will be able to start reducing accidents straight away.
The system is part of the Highways Agency's state-of-the-art national and regional traffic control centre network that collects and provides traffic information, and uses it to help improve journey times for motorists, reduce driver stress and make roads safer.
The North West now has more than 650 electronic motorway message signs across the region and independent research carried out by the Transport Research Laboratory has shown that the MIDAS system reduced accidents by 13 per cent.
Highways Agency project manager Paul Doney said:
"The MIDAS system uses sensors to detect slow and stationary traffic and send automatic warnings to drivers via electronic signs on the roadside. An advance warning about queues or incidents gives drivers time to slow down before reaching the problem - reducing the risk of rear end shunts. Research found that the number of accidents also means an annual national saving of £40 million which will increase as the system is extended."
