Is anyone actually in 'Control' of motorway messages?

[Hanuman]

It strikes me that these overhead message boards are in the hands of people who are either playing, bored, incompetent or a dangerous combination of...

Cases in point-

60mph, 50mph, 40mph, Caution- workforce in the road, lane closure, (5miles later) END.

Or

40mph, Pedestrians in the road, but no one seen for miles, the END


Or

60mph then national speed limit, then 60mph, national speed limit, then unannounced traffic jam for broken down vehicle on th hard shoulder.

And that was just the M25 yesterday.
All of which totally undermine the whole point of having them.

I would suggest a better use of these signs might include-

Driver of car AA59ABC.
You're hogging the middle lane, you tit.
Get out of the way

Stop rubber-necking, you muppets
It's only a minor bump

Caravan convoy ahead
You're screwed now

[vorsprung durch technik]

Experienced 1 and 3 on the M6 and M40 yesterday evening coming back from N.Wales.
Just past Birmingham..........1 lane closure 60, 50, 40 then a complete standstill for10 mins for no apparent reason for men working in road ,small roadworks. only lasted 2 miles if that. This on top of the usual roadworks we went through from Junt 18 M6 down to M42.

What's the consensus, anyone think the M6 is the worst motorway in Britain? M25 is infuriating at times just not as bad as M6 me thinks.

[Crossle]

Totally agree, just inconsistent and I think they just dont take old messages down.

The one that hacks me off the most is that one that says 'Queue' so when we read queue what do we all do- we slow down and start to queue!! Then its says 'CLEAR' and so we all put our foot down again and stop Queuing! All in all a traffic jam created just because of what the signs are telling us to do!

[slacky]

I'm dying to see these pedestrians, they must be f...ing lost , they were there on the 15th going down to castle combe

[Hanuman]

The M3 'intelligent' section is truly horrendous, simply because after 3 years, the Ditch in the middle is still a ditch, the overhead gantries are just grey frames of no significant importance, the whole effort a trauma, and the ongoing delays seemingly have no end date.

The M6 I've not had to navigate too much in the last year or so, but the road works have been just as incomprehensible.

Both have seen journey times increase by massive proportions.

[Hanuman]

Originally Posted by Crossle

Totally agree, just inconsistent and I think they just dont take old messages down.

Definitely one issue.
When you have miles of slow down messages, with the risk of the variable speed limit+traffic camera, only for there to be Nothing! It pushes the stress levels up. Along with all of the other pointless messages; the result is going to be distrust in them 'crying wolf', and then one day the message will be important and real.

[vorsprung durch technik]

Ah yes.......the 16 miles of the never ending 50 mph roadworks between Junt 12 M3 (M25 slip road onto M3) and Fleet services ! must be 2 years now

[sinbin5t]

Originally Posted by vorsprung durch technik

What's the consensus, anyone think the M6 is the worst motorway in Britain

Overloaded, under maintained, quick fixes that don't last, yep i think it is !

[Minty]

I do a fair bit of motorway travel - the matrix signs are so inaccurate I'd say many drivers ignore them.

The ones you can't ignore - the variable speed limit cameras - are a right pain - as MSH says, they vary without apparent reason & are often left lit long after the congestion has gone.

The REAL stupidity though is that when there is a major hold up or diversion, the boards on the approach don't give any warning