SMARTening motorways

[Horse]

Coincidentally today:

Highways England has chosen Navtech Radar to provide an upgraded stopped vehicle detection (SVD) system for smart motorways.
It has published a contract notice for a four-year, £18 million deal, having previously indicated that it wishes to get the technology in place by March 2023.

This provides a crucial element of England’s controversial Smart Motorways programme, under which the hard shoulder has been removed from some stretches of road, raising the demands on a near real time alert system.

The radar based SVD is aimed at detecting individual stopped vehicles and providing regional operation centres with notifications so they can quickly take action in setting signals to alert other drivers.

It is intended to complement existing systems including Motorway Incident Detection and Automatic Signalling (MIDAS), which uses sensors to monitor traffic volumes and sets signals in response to congestion.

Saving time

The radar units should be able to detect a stationary vehicle in 20 seconds, which will significantly reduce the time taken to alert control room operators of a problem.

The notice says that Navtech will be required to commission the radar solution, which has to be capable of detecting any vehicle allowed on the motorways, and may have to support its installation by other companies.

Navtech is a specialist in the field with its ClearWay software, which it says can detect incidents lane-by-lane in both directions.]/i]

https://www.ukauthority.com/articles/hi ... d-upgrade/

[MrLongbeard]

Great, more bloody roadworks on the M5, M42 and M6

[Lutin]

It's all well and good detecting stationary vehicles promptly, but the problem still remains of individual drivers taking appropriate action.

And you cannot count on a random human always taking the required action. Unfortunately.

[Cousin Jack]

It's all well and good detecting stationary vehicles promptly, but the problem still remains of individual drivers taking appropriate action.

And you cannot count on a random human always taking the required action. Unfortunately.

Take a representative sample of 1000 drivers, weighted for age and geography. My guess is that a full 50% will not be able to say what the indication that their lane is closed ahead looks like.

[Horse]

Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, has asked the Office of Rail and Road to confirm the evidence base for the ‘relative safety’ of All Lane Running (ALR) motorways.

The move comes after Mr Shapps spoke to the House of Commons yesterday following the publication of Highways England’s smart motorway stocktake first year progress report. The report contains the latest safety data which updates analysis contained in the 2020 Stocktake report. At the same time, it was confirmed by the Department for Transport (DfT) that measures to boost safety on all lane running motorways is to be accelerated.

In a letter to John Larkinson, Chief Executive Officer, Office of Rail and Road, Mr Shapps asked for the scope of the independent review to focus on quality assurance of all lane running motorway data and evidence. He said that on provision of relevant data and evidence from Highways England and the Department for Transport, the ORR has been asked to address the questions that includes whether the data and evidence used in the stocktake and the progress report reliable and robust and in line with established/best practice? It asks whether comparisons been made in an appropriate way about the relative safety of ALR motorways, with reference to conventional motorways and other roads, and also if there is other data that could be used to enhance the understanding of the relative safety of ALR motorways, or to support the monitoring and evaluation of the effectiveness of the measures that DfT is putting in place to improve safety and perceptions of safety?

[McNab]

I'm seeing this "Go left" advert on TV a lot at the moment. But the problem I see with it is that it doesn't explain what to do if you can't make it to a refuge before conking out.

Actually, what are you supposed to do if you conk out before a refuge? Do you stay and wait for help, get out and wait for help, walk to an emergency phone? Do you still get out if you can't get out of the left side?

[Horse]

Get as far over to left as you can. However, that can prevent getting out on left (ie non traffic side).

Get out ASAP and as far back as possible. However, getting over a barrier may not be easy and this assumes that there is somewhere to go.

If you can't get out, keep your seatbelt on.

If the vehicle is in a live lane, it's an emergency, so 999.

If you're still in the vehicle, pray. If you're not religious, it's a reasonable time to start.

If out of the vehicle, stand as far away from the road as possible, but where you can see the rear of your vehicle. If you stand 'downstream' it would be insult to injury to be run over by both your vehicle and the vehicle that's hit it.

[Horse]

Re emergency phones. They're every 1/2 mile only on motorways with hard shoulder. However, many people use their mobile to call for help.

If you want to know where you are, the marker posts and big 'driver information signs' tell you:

Type & number of the road
Direction
Distance

eg: M4 A 91/0

That's heading west on the M4, near Junction 13

The numbers are distance (km / tenths) from the start of the motorway. A = away from '0', B = back.

IIRC slip roads are J K L M

That information will pinpoint you immediately for control room (HE and emergency services) and breakdown staff.

[McNab]

Thanks Horse.

The stupid advert doesn't tell you that stuff, which is far more important than some stupid squashed flies singing a catchy 80s tune.

[The Spin Doctor]

Thanks Horse.

The stupid advert doesn't tell you that stuff, which is far more important than some stupid squashed flies singing a catchy 80s tune.

The crass imagery has upset people who have lost friends and family in smart motorway crashes.

[Horse]

Highways England has admitted that radar units used to detect stopped vehicles on smart motorways are too far apart, despite having previously placed an £18m order based on the existing spacing.

As a result, the cost of the contract, which covers the retrofitting of stopped vehicle detection (SVD) to existing schemes that were built without it, will increase by £7.75m to £25.75m.

Last year, the government-owned company issued the £18m contact to Navtech, whose SVD system was the subject of the trial and which was described by transport secretary Grant Shapps as the only supplier available.

However, Highways England has now issued a ‘modification notice’, which admits that although ‘the original scope and estimated value for the supply of SVD radar under this framework was determined based on the understanding that radar units would be sited on average 500 m apart’, following a review of the optimal spacing of radar, ‘units would be sited on average 300 metres apart in all future installations’.

The notice adds: ‘As a result of the decision, additional radar units and associated commissioning and support services have become necessary under this framework. The estimated value of the additional supplies and services is GBP 7.75 million.’

The extra work could have an impact on the completion of the retrofitting programme, which is currently due to be finished by the end of September 2022, however Highways England has said it is confident it can make this deadline.

It follows Highways’ exclusive disclosure that a 2016 trial of the system wrongly treated missed incidents of stopped vehicles as successful detections on the grounds that they were ‘out of range’ of the radar.

Highways England claimed that these incidents were beyond what was believed to be the range of the radar, even though they were within the 13km trial area.

The trial used 27 radar units, which was more than enough to space them every 500m, with each unit thought to be capable of detecting at a range of 250m in each direction.

It is not clear what Highways England will do about smart motorway schemes that already have SVD fitted, at what is now considered to be sub-optimal spacing. This includes schemes that have had SVD retrofitted.

In addition, Highways England is seeking a supplier for a separate contract, valued at £14m, to fit SVD to new schemes. This cost is also likely to increase as a result of the decision to increase the spacing.

David Bray, Highways England’s smart motorways project director, said: 'It is entirely inaccurate to claim that stopped vehicle detection radar are sited too far apart to be effective – the technology is effective as it is currently used. It is also inaccurate to suggest that the retrofitting of smart motorways could be delayed.

'The decision to place radar closer together is simply because it is more efficient to attach the units to existing infrastructure, rather than putting up new structures to hold them.'

[Cousin Jack]

Highways England has admitted to conforming to the worst stereotype of Civil Service procurement practice.

Can we expect the usual "Lessons have been learned" ?

[Horse]

Worst?

Don't think any PPE ordering was involved.

[rusty]

I'm seeing this "Go left" advert on TV a lot at the moment. But the problem I see with it is that it doesn't explain what to do if you can't make it to a refuge before conking out.

Actually, what are you supposed to do if you conk out before a refuge? Do you stay and wait for help, get out and wait for help, walk to an emergency phone? Do you still get out if you can't get out of the left side?

I've not seen the advert as I don't watch much TV but isn't this one of the issues with electric vehicles? I may be completely wrong but my understanding was that when they die, they die and stop dead pretty much, none of the spluttering and coasting to the verge like you can do in an IC vehicle.

I used to commute on the "smart" part of the M3 most days. It was bloody awful and it seemed that barely a day went by without either me or my other half being stuck behind or slowed down due to some accident or other, especially at the M25 junction. We both got to the point where we actually took other routes to work to avoid it as it was pretty hairy some days to say the least!

[Horse]

isn't this one of the issues with electric vehicles? I may be completely wrong but my understanding was that when they die, they die and stop dead pretty much, none of the spluttering and coasting to the verge like you can do in an IC vehicle.

Anyone who runs out of fuel, whether petrol, diesel or electricity, is ________ . You fill in the blank.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-321222 ... -fuel.html

I would imagine that any BEV will have just as much warning as any modern IC vehicle.

[McNab]

Another thing that I've been wondering, on a hard shoulder, aren't you supposed to get up to motorway speed before rejoining the carriageway proper? How are you meant to do that in those tiny refuges?

[Horse]

Another thing that I've been wondering, on a hard shoulder, aren't you supposed to get up to motorway speed before rejoining the carriageway proper? How are you meant to do that in those tiny refuges?

Working from the presumption that you have been in the area for a good reason (ie not an hgv driver taking an 'hours' break, etc), then you will have used either the phone provided or called for help by your mobile.

If you use the phone that's there, that call will go straight to the control room. They will be able to arrange help, including the option of sending out Traffic Officers.

[If the control room don't receive any form of contact, they will call the phone there to talk to you]

If a breakdown/ recovery organisation attend, they will contact the control room. They won't attempt to leave the area without assistance from the control room. [The website with guidance on this is offline at the moment, so I can't quote it]

Simply, you shouldn't be trying to leave it unaided.

[MrLongbeard]

Another thing that I've been wondering, on a hard shoulder, aren't you supposed to get up to motorway speed before rejoining the carriageway proper? How are you meant to do that in those tiny refuges?

Get the wheels spinin' and dump the handbrake

Working from the presumption that you have been in the area for a good reason (ie not an hgv driver taking an 'hours' break, etc), then you will have used either the phone provided or called for help by your mobile.

Unless it's something I can sort myself, in which case I'll do the job and sod off sharpish.
In the last dozen years or so I've used the hard shoulder to;
> Confirm my aux belt had snapped
> Change a wheel
> Pulled trim off the car before it fell off
> Exchange insurance details
> Top off coolant
> Thrown up
> Get underneath to check for damage after an impact with an object in the carriageway

If, god forbid, any of those issues arise again and now occur on 'smart' motorways I don't see why I'd use the phones.

[Horse]

you supposed to get up to motorway speed before rejoining the carriageway proper? How are you meant to do that in those tiny refuges?

If, god forbid, any of those issues arise again and now occur on 'smart' motorways I don't see why I'd use the phones.

Being able to fix it yourself doesn't mean that you shouldn't let them know.

McNabb could see the risk and, by your 'wheels spinnin' so do you.

OK, if there's low traffic levels it might be reasonable to exit from stopped out onto the live lane.

But otherwise, why not make the call?

[MrLongbeard]

Being able to fix it yourself doesn't mean that you shouldn't let them know.

McNabb could see the risk and, by your 'wheels spinnin' so do you.

OK, if there's low traffic levels it might be reasonable to exit from stopped out onto the live lane.

But otherwise, why not make the call?

My expectations are that I can have the problem fixed quicker than they can notice me being there, and with the exception of changing a wheel in less time than it takes to phone them.
I'd sooner be in done and gone in the least amount of time possible, and with the majority using a live hard shoulder being HGV's I'm happy to take the risk of getting myself into traffic safely.