They are monitored by cctv and electronic loops in the road surface. 
gov.uk/government/collectio ā¦ -motorways
That gives u a bit of info
SWEDISH BLUE:
Just came up M5 Jcn 6 Worcester. Matrix Signs are telling me,Congestion M62 Jcn 11 to 12.
By the time I would have got there, I think it might have cleared.
Do the H A employ natural idiots?, or do they train them?
Answers on a postcard.
Donāt count on it. Lots of people thought that on Friday about the M1 congestion from J30-31. It was still on the go when I passed it southbound several hours after it started.
They need to justify the expense of installing all these signs. If no relevant information can be displayed, display something. Anythingā¦
my āfavouriteā so far is āslow pedestrians in roadā. Tell 'm to get a move on. ā¦
Now weāve got ourselves an expert on these signs, has anyone actually seen pedestrians in the road, or does that also include road workers?
Do you get lots of calls in which never result in anything found, eg: debris in road, where you have to assume ultimately it was a fake or malicious report?
One thing Iāve always wondered with those āX miles, Y minutesā signs - in theory, if someone drove at very high speed on a deserted motorway, would it be possible for the sign to say something like āPenrith to Carlisle 18 miles 10 minutesā or is there something in the computer that limits it calculating times to 70mph? Yeah, sad thing to think about.
Glad ā ā ā ā ā ā ā finally has camerasā¦my home county reaches the 21st century. 
BossHogg:
ā¦and electronic loops in the road surface.
That would explain why they go from 50, 40, 60, 40ā¦ if it is mainly automated.
An example that always springs to mind for me though is, back in the summer south bound on the M5, Worcester J7 - Stensham, 2 lambs decided to make a break for freedom running the wrong way (how dare they) down the hard shoulder. I phoned it in to the HA, and it went up on the matrix, but for all I know, within the time of me making that phone call they could of decided the grass was greener back from where they came from. However the alternativeā¦ Lamb chopsā¦ okay, I wonāt bother next timeā¦ 
trevHCS:
Now weāve got ourselves an expert on these signs, has anyone actually seen pedestrians in the road, or does that also include road workers?Do you get lots of calls in which never result in anything found, eg: debris in road, where you have to assume ultimately it was a fake or malicious report?
One thing Iāve always wondered with those āX miles, Y minutesā signs - in theory, if someone drove at very high speed on a deserted motorway, would it be possible for the sign to say something like āPenrith to Carlisle 18 miles 10 minutesā or is there something in the computer that limits it calculating times to 70mph? Yeah, sad thing to think about.
Glad ā ā ā ā ā ā ā finally has camerasā¦my home county reaches the 21st century.
Iāve been tasked to pedestrians, and found them. Tasked to lots of debris, there are times we donāt find it, but there are usually logical reasons, it gets hit by traffic and knocked to the verge, it gets cleared by a passing police patrol who doesnāt radio that theyāve cleared it. Its retrieved by the owner, or its the wrong location given by the member of the public making the report. The timings on the matrix are all done automatically by loops in the road measuring average vehicle speeds.
voodoo spaceman:
BossHogg:
ā¦and electronic loops in the road surface.That would explain why they go from 50, 40, 60, 40ā¦ if it is mainly automated.
An example that always springs to mind for me though is, back in the summer south bound on the M5, Worcester J7 - Stensham, 2 lambs decided to make a break for freedom running the wrong way (how dare they) down the hard shoulder. I phoned it in to the HA, and it went up on the matrix, but for all I know, within the time of me making that phone call they could of decided the grass was greener back from where they came from. However the alternativeā¦ Lamb chopsā¦ okay, I wonāt bother next timeā¦
Gone to many lambs, they are bloody hard to catch, I normally grab them and put them in the nearest field so theyāre off the motorway.
Nodding Donkey, I was dispatched to reports of a pedestrian on the motorway and the signals were displaying āā 50 PEDESTRIANS IN ROADāā . Blimey I thought, illegals coming by the coach load now!!! 
extrucker:
Nodding Donkey, I was dispatched to reports of a pedestrian on the motorway and the signals were displaying āā 50 PEDESTRIANS IN ROADāā . Blimey I thought, illegals coming by the coach load now!!!
Why do we need a sign that reads āPoor driving conditionsā ?
It was raining so hard the other night that I couldnāt see the signs, so I didnāt know conditions were bad!
Do we really have drivers that stupid? 
trevHCS:
Now weāve got ourselves an expert on these signs, has anyone actually seen pedestrians in the road, or does that also include road workers?
āWorkforce in roadā is the message used when traffic management is being set up, so āpedestriansā means someone who shouldnāt be there.
It could be someone walking along the hard shoulder because they have broken down, someone crossing the motorway to take a shortcut, or children playing around.
If they have displayed a message on the VMS it will be because someone has called via 999 or an emergency phone, or the control room having seen a person on the cameras. Usually they will leave the message displayed until a HATO or the police have checked to either pick someone up, or confirm there is no one there any more.
Do you get lots of calls in which never result in anything found, eg: debris in road, where you have to assume ultimately it was a fake or malicious report?
I doubt there are many deliberately malicious calls, but some drivers may worry over things that you think are less of an issue, such as some loose rubbish being blown around. So some hazards may get blown off the road or hit by traffic, or in the case of pedestrians and animals, remove themselves before anyone has attended to investigate.
One thing Iāve always wondered with those āX miles, Y minutesā signs - in theory, if someone drove at very high speed on a deserted motorway, would it be possible for the sign to say something like āPenrith to Carlisle 18 miles 10 minutesā or is there something in the computer that limits it calculating times to 70mph? Yeah, sad thing to think about.
They are calculated based on ANPR cameras on the trunk road network, and take an average of all vehicles over a certain period of time, but they are set so as to not display times that would be exceeding the speed limit.
emmerson2:
Why do we need a sign that reads āPoor driving conditionsā ?
It was raining so hard the other night that I couldnāt see the signs, so I didnāt know conditions were bad!
Do we really have drivers that stupid?
Maybe they should say āItās raining - put your headlights on, you knobends!ā
Glen A9:
emmerson2:
Why do we need a sign that reads āPoor driving conditionsā ?
It was raining so hard the other night that I couldnāt see the signs, so I didnāt know conditions were bad!
Do we really have drivers that stupid?Maybe they should say āItās raining - put your headlights on, you knobends!ā
That would be much more useful!
More like
It is raining, Turn off your rear fog light
Ah that all makes a lot of sense Glen - thanks!
Oh and yeah, having a note about āItās rain not [fb] fog you [fb]ā would probably be effective for the BMW / Audi / Volvo drivers!
That brings up another question however - are they allowed to write anything on those matrix signs? There has to be a chance someone on say their last day could put a more interesting message, even just āHi TrucknetUK membersāā¦or are people psychologically screened to ensure they never disobey the big red rulebook?
trevHCS:
Ah that all makes a lot of sense Glen - thanks!Oh and yeah, having a note about āItās rain not [fb] fog you [fb]ā would probably be effective for the BMW / Audi / Volvo drivers!
That brings up another question however - are they allowed to write anything on those matrix signs? There has to be a chance someone on say their last day could put a more interesting message, even just āHi TrucknetUK membersāā¦or are people psychologically screened to ensure they never disobey the big red rulebook?
The real biffo has a story about that sort of thing but wonāt tell us, apparently from what I understood from his post as a result of the mystery story only 2 people within the HA organisation has authority to manually write things on the displays??
The messages are all pre set not typed in.