Tonight on the M1 J9-10, I was amazed how many so called professional drivers chose to ignore the overhead red X signals and continue to drive in that lane. I half expect it from cars, but the amount of trucks was more than I thought would be and 99% were English registered.
Highway Code Rule 258:
Red flashing lights. If red lights on the overhead signals flash above your lane and a red ‘X’ is showing, you MUST NOT go beyond the signal in that lane. If red lights flash on a signal in the central reservation or at the side of the road, you MUST NOT go beyond the signal in any lane.
[Laws RTA 1988 sect 36 & TSRGD regs 10 & 38]
We are recommending to the HA that any registration numbers that are recorded for cars be passed on to Police for ticketing and trucks/coaches be passed on to VOSA so the operator can be contacted and if a number of occasions is high, then called before the TC.
I expect professional drivers to set the example for the car drivers as red X’s are sometimes in place to protect road workers as well as the emergency services.
It’s worth ’ getting excited’ about when road worker’s lives are being put at risk because an impatient driver can’t sit in a queue for a few minutes longer. There is only one reason drivers drive under them and that is to jump the queue.
Undertaking queuing traffic when the exs are flashing is another matter. I’m talking about mile after mile of flashing warnings and then the END sign for no apparent reason.
You can’t trust the warnings the gantrys give so you treat them as a guide and prepare to take action.
Mr B:
Undertaking queuing traffic when the exs are flashing is another matter. I’m talking about mile after mile of flashing warnings and then the END sign for no apparent reason.
You can’t trust the warnings the gantrys give so you treat them as a guide and prepare to take action.
Here here - i agree you cannot trust the gantry signs - if the HA got the info right first time everytime then i am sure we would follow the signs to the letter
BUT
Most of them are out of date and wrong - so its better to use them as a pre warning and just take extra care
cheers
Steve
Mr B:
Undertaking queuing traffic when the exs are flashing is another matter. I’m talking about mile after mile of flashing warnings and then the END sign for no apparent reason.
You can’t trust the warnings the gantrys give so you treat them as a guide and prepare to take action.
Here here - i agree you cannot trust the gantry signs - if the HA got the info right first time everytime then i am sure we would follow the signs to the letter
BUT
Most of them are out of date and wrong - so its better to use them as a pre warning and just take extra care
cheers
Steve
and no sign of any cone-in, or obstruction, I’ll move into the middle lane for a while, then when I get down to the countdown markers, and I can actually see the cone-in ahead, I’ll move into the third lane.
That way, if the message is a false alarm, I’m not driving in the third lane for no good reason!
Some idiot in a 4x4 will doubtless come up my inside whilst I’m in the middle lane (to HIM for no apparent reason!) and hoot me up. I don’t care, my insurance will always be less than his, and that brings me great comfort when I’m out there in the world of idiots trying to earn a crust.
We’re talking about empty motorways at night, one of my regular haunts being the clockwise approach to the A12 junction, which is where that poor old drinks truck rear-ended his mate the other week.
What you need is rising bollards that come up out of the road, that’ll stop 'em. Red cross displayed for a minute and then up come the bollards to ■■■■ up any disobedient motorists. They can be controlled by the same person who controls the gantry signs…
Ummm! After reading some of the replies on this thread… does the DCPC courses have a refresher section covering the Highway Code? If not it should. Heysoos!
Whilst I agree that ’ some’ signs apparent to be incorrect, they are only relevant for the few seconds you drive under them. They could be switched off immediately after you have gone past. Signs can be displayed because callers will call Police/HA and report debris and give a location of ‘junction X to junction Y’, well some junctions, as you all know, can be miles and miles apart.
As my colleagues and I have said on many occasions, nobody gets frustrated more by incorrect signs than us. we call them in to attempt to put them right but sometimes it is like banging your head on a brick wall. I once asked for a ‘queue caution’ sign because of congestion in the night road works but was told the sign was showing ’ salting in progress’ and cannot be changed. So we can warn drivers of a big truck with flashing lights but cannot warn drivers of standing traffic 1 mile up the road.
Mr B, HA plays a role in enforcement when lives are put at risk. There have been numerous court cases to prove this. I do have powers and ‘IF’ we start to work more closely with VOSA, as proposed, we will have more powers. I don’t want powers so I can go on a power mad trip, but if having powers makes other road workers, and myself, safer then so be it.
Clarematt, I could not agree more. More motorway tuition is wanted. The standard of UK motorway driving, compared to Central Europe is poor. Drivers joining the carriageway seem to think they have priority over traffic in lane one and it is up to you in lane one to move over or slow down to let them in.
Mr B:
Undertaking queuing traffic when the exs are flashing is another matter. I’m talking about mile after mile of flashing warnings and then the END sign for no apparent reason.
You can’t trust the warnings the gantrys give so you treat them as a guide and prepare to take action.
Here here - i agree you cannot trust the gantry signs - if the HA got the info right first time everytime then i am sure we would follow the signs to the letter
BUT
Most of them are out of date and wrong - so its better to use them as a pre warning and just take extra care
cheers
Steve
If the HA want me to drive in the outside lane then I’ll drive in the outside lane, if they want me to go 50 to 40 to 50 to 40 (M1 up to the Bedfordshire border often used to be set like that) then I’ll go 50,40,50,40. I’m not going to risk my licence, especially when I know that its potentially a load of crap put up there by an idiot / power crazed idiot.
The signals on M1 J10-6A both directions are being looked into after the issue was raised by ourselves numerous times. The MIDAS settings are wrong causing signs to show speed signals for no reason. Again, we are as much frustrated as you are.
M6 northbound approaching J9 and the hard shoulder is shown as available for use. Next gantry shows a red X but as it’s busy you can’t get back over. Luckily I was leaving at that exit but what would the OP suggest if I wasn’t?
