What muppets actually control these? Was coming down the M6 from Penrith last night, the one next to Tebay services read “40”, the next one then said only lane 1 open, the overhead sign said Workforce in road, then they just stopped. Nothing. Not even a hint that roadworks had been there!
People may actually take them more seriously, if they actually worked properly!!!
Often think that myself. Best one i saw was in Exeter & it said sign not in use 
Clearly it was 
It’s not the signs, or the people that set them (I’m one!) but the roadworks crew not calling in that they’ve finished.
Approx 50 sets of roadworks are put on in the North West alone every night for various reasons.
For each set of roadworks the “roadspace” is normally booked some time previously, so that roadworks don’t clash with one another. It’s usual for the roadspace to be booked until 6-00am.
When the gaffer of the roadworks crew calls up with the details of his roadworks, he tells us which piece of road he’s working on by giving us the markerpost information. We ask him if he’s ready to start putting out the Traffic Management (cone chucking), if he his, we set the relevant matrix signals for whatever is being closed.
Now you need to understand that the system has a built in safety factor that will not allow a speed drop of more than 20 mph at a time, so will always set another signal upstream with a higher speed to compensate.(unless ones faulty!)
The roadworks crew could actually still be putting out the hard signage prior to the actual closure (ie, 800, 600, 400, 200 yd boards) before they get to putting on the taper that closes the lane.
Once he’s got all his closure out, fully signed etc. he then recalls us and we switch off the matrix signals.
A few hours later when the nights work is done, and they are ready to remove the roadworks, the gaffer calls us again to have the matrix signals reset. He removes the closure, and his hard signage on the approach, then recalls us to inform us that it’s all cleared away and back ready for normal running, we then clear the matrix signals.
Most roadworks we cannot see on CCTV, or we can only see part of them, we have to rely on the crews making the calls at the correct times.
If at 6am there are still roadworks jobs “on the go” that should have been finished by then, we’ll call up the gaffer of that crew for an update, sometimes they’ve over-run, sometimes they’ve forgotten to tell us, gone home, and have been snoring for a couple of hours with signals still set. When this happens, a report goes in, and it’s a meeting “without coffee” for those involved. I have know foremen be disciplined, sometimes very seriously.
If you have complaints about anything, please call the HA Information Line 0300 123 5000, give precise details, ie time & location so that it can be traced in the system and investigated.
The real Biffo:
It’s not the signs, or the people that set them (I’m one!) but the roadworks crew not calling in that they’ve finished.
Approx 50 sets of roadworks are put on in the North West alone every night for various reasons.For each set of roadworks the “roadspace” is normally booked some time previously, so that roadworks don’t clash with one another. It’s usual for the roadspace to be booked until 6-00am.
When the gaffer of the roadworks crew calls up with the details of his roadworks, he tells us which piece of road he’s working on by giving us the markerpost information. We ask him if he’s ready to start putting out the Traffic Management (cone chucking), if he his, we set the relevant matrix signals for whatever is being closed.
Now you need to understand that the system has a built in safety factor that will not allow a speed drop of more than 20 mph at a time, so will always set another signal upstream with a higher speed to compensate.(unless ones faulty!)
The roadworks crew could actually still be putting out the hard signage prior to the actual closure (ie, 800, 600, 400, 200 yd boards) before they get to putting on the taper that closes the lane.
Once he’s got all his closure out, fully signed etc. he then recalls us and we switch off the matrix signals.A few hours later when the nights work is done, and they are ready to remove the roadworks, the gaffer calls us again to have the matrix signals reset. He removes the closure, and his hard signage on the approach, then recalls us to inform us that it’s all cleared away and back ready for normal running, we then clear the matrix signals.
Most roadworks we cannot see on CCTV, or we can only see part of them, we have to rely on the crews making the calls at the correct times.
If at 6am there are still roadworks jobs “on the go” that should have been finished by then, we’ll call up the gaffer of that crew for an update, sometimes they’ve over-run, sometimes they’ve forgotten to tell us, gone home, and have been snoring for a couple of hours with signals still set. When this happens, a report goes in, and it’s a meeting “without coffee” for those involved. I have know foremen be disciplined, sometimes very seriously.
If you have complaints about anything, please call the HA Information Line 0300 123 5000, give precise details, ie time & location so that it can be traced in the system and investigated.
NO 
Its not the Crew on the Road
I travelled from Thurrock to potters Bar.The Traffic got by Overhead Sign put together on to the left Hand Lane and where was the Road Workers? “On the Hard Shoulder”
I travelled from Heathrow to Potters Bar and Overhead slowed Traffic down to 40 mph,because on the other Side Westbound was a Oversize transport using 2 Lanes
I can also post you everytime is a Traffic Jam because Overhead Sign slowes Traffic for no Reason down to 40 mph or slower (Had 20 mph twice)
Its also very common to get slowed down to 50 and then 40 mph with seeing a Car later on the other Sides Hard shoulder or an Accident on the other Side,because the People in Office don’t know where is left and where right
Immigrant, from what I can read in your post, as the English is not the best,here are some explanations:
1,The workers may have been on the hard shoulder doing their traffic count before moving into the outside lanes to start coning out??
2,Signs showing '40; are usually after a ‘60’ sign which is set automatically by grids in the road surface recording that traffic is bunching or slowing, so sets signals. This is MIDAS ( Motorway Incident Detection Automatic Signals - I think that’s correct).
3, The M25 is ‘variable speed limit’ and again can be set by MIDAS or the control room for a reported incident. If there is a report of an oncoming vehicles, signals may be set at 20. Sometimes though, I am not sure why they show the speeds they do.
Long before the HA controlled signals, I drove round the M25 at 2am to be confronted by ‘20’ signals for no apparent reason.
4, Signals can be set on a carriageway opposite an incident to attempt to slow down traffic because of rubberneckers.
We are not perfect and sometimes control room staff get it wrong, sometimes on road patrols get it wrong and a lot of the time the public, mainly car drivers, call in incidents, collisions,debris, pedestrians etc, on the wrong carriageway, wrong location and even the wrong motorway.
Please remember that a signal could be cancelled ten seconds after you have driven past it.
Hope this helps to understand some of the signals.
extrucker:
Immigrant, from what I can read in your post, as the English is not the best,here are some explanations:
1,The workers may have been on the hard shoulder doing their traffic count before moving into the outside lanes to start coning out?? They worked on the Blancets,which were damaged from an Accident (Junction 28 to Junction 27 on M25
2,Signs showing '40; are usually after a ‘60’ sign which is set automatically by grids in the road surface recording that traffic is bunching or slowing, so sets signals. This is MIDAS ( Motorway Incident Detection Automatic Signals - I think that’s correct).Yes,Yes,Yes,but if the Destruction is at the other Side at 02.00 with no traffic
3, The M25 is ‘variable speed limit’ and again can be set by MIDAS or the control room for a reported incident. If there is a report of an oncoming vehicles, signals may be set at 20. Sometimes though, I am not sure why they show the speeds they do.
Long before the HA controlled signals, I drove round the M25 at 2am to be confronted by ‘20’ signals for no apparent reason.Especially between Junction 10 and Junction 16 or so
4, Signals can be set on a carriageway opposite an incident to attempt to slow down traffic because of rubberneckers.
We are not perfect and sometimes control room staff get it wrong, sometimes on road patrols get it wrong (But on Junction 10 to Junction 16 on M25 is it often wrongand a lot of the time the public, mainly car drivers, call in incidents, collisions,debris, pedestrians etc, on the wrong carriageway, wrong location and even the wrong motorway.
Please remember that a signal could be cancelled ten seconds after you have driven past it.
Hope this helps to understand some of the signals.
