Photo of the Month

All times are UTC [ DST ]




Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 11 posts ] 
Author Message
 Post subject: What's This Motorway Apparatus For?
PostPosted: Thu Mar 22, 2012 21:05 
Offline
Member
User avatar

Joined: Thu May 12, 2005 20:28
Posts: 2386
Location: Brecon Beacons NP, Wales, UK.
What are these for, some kind of surveillance?

M4 , installed facing both directions on new concrete barrier. (dozens)


Attachments:
signs.jpg
signs.jpg [ 321.09 KiB | Viewed 935 times ]
Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: What's This Motorway Apparatus For?
PostPosted: Thu Mar 22, 2012 21:36 
Offline
Assistant Site Manager
User avatar

Joined: Sun Apr 10, 2005 14:16
Posts: 9380
Location: Sheffield
For lane closures during maintenance... They are simply signs mounted to the top of the concrete barrier - safer than a man carrying a sign across 3/4 lanes

_________________
Regards, Haydn

:: Visit My roads in Sheffield mini site
:: View my photostream on Flickr


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: What's This Motorway Apparatus For?
PostPosted: Thu Mar 22, 2012 21:37 
Offline
Member
User avatar

Joined: Thu Jul 11, 2002 18:58
Posts: 2326
Location: Dorset
It's a lane closure sign that rotates into view when activated and doesn't need workers to be in the central reserve to activate it.
IIRC there was an HSE prohibition over walking signs across 4 lanes of traffic into the centre some years ago when M25 J12-15 was being widened and the wider adoption of these signs was one of the outcomes.


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: What's This Motorway Apparatus For?
PostPosted: Thu Mar 22, 2012 21:42 
Online
Member
User avatar

Joined: Tue Feb 01, 2005 17:54
Posts: 6762
Location: Fareham, Hants
I believe something similar is used nationwide in France?

_________________
Motorway Services Online


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: What's This Motorway Apparatus For?
PostPosted: Thu Mar 22, 2012 21:48 
Offline
Member
User avatar

Joined: Thu May 12, 2005 20:28
Posts: 2386
Location: Brecon Beacons NP, Wales, UK.
Thanks Hayden & Richard.

Thats good... I take it they rotate automatically however, because they are fixed at one side can they rotate to advise for either carriageway when needed?

edit: of course they can as they are auto... doh!


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: What's This Motorway Apparatus For?
PostPosted: Fri Mar 23, 2012 10:52 
Online
Member
User avatar

Joined: Tue Nov 13, 2001 13:30
Posts: 4353
Location: Birmingham, England
Johnathan404 wrote:
I believe something similar is used nationwide in France?

I saw plenty of them on the A26 when in France a couple of years ago.

_________________
Moseley Rugby - http://www.moseleyrugby.co.uk
...... EDF Trophy winners 2009; "Onwards and Upwards" ......


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: What's This Motorway Apparatus For?
PostPosted: Sat Mar 24, 2012 19:26 
Offline
New Member

Joined: Thu Apr 28, 2011 19:45
Posts: 4
Surely these do a similar thing and are already installed on most motorways?

http://g.co/maps/weqzy


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: What's This Motorway Apparatus For?
PostPosted: Sat Mar 24, 2012 22:52 
Online
Site Manager
User avatar

Joined: Mon May 30, 2005 20:36
Posts: 6893
Location: Polbeth, West Lothian
Jonathan24 wrote:
Surely these do a similar thing and are already installed on most motorways?

http://g.co/maps/weqzy


Problem is that after decades of showing spurious and inaccurate messages most motorists don't pay them any heed any more. The other problem is that they are useless in a power cut.

_________________
Minds are like parachutes - they only function when open
Thomas Robert Dewar(1864-1930)
Take the pledge

Know something about roads? Your Wiki needs your help!


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: What's This Motorway Apparatus For?
PostPosted: Sun Mar 25, 2012 14:06 
Online
Member
User avatar

Joined: Tue Feb 01, 2005 17:54
Posts: 6762
Location: Fareham, Hants
I don't think that will be the reason for replacing them with something which, on the face of it, seems worse.

A better reason would be that the new signs are becoming standard because they can support D4M roads and above, and are perhaps better designed to work with the concrete barrier?

_________________
Motorway Services Online


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: What's This Motorway Apparatus For?
PostPosted: Sun Mar 25, 2012 17:41 
Online
Site Manager
User avatar

Joined: Mon May 30, 2005 20:36
Posts: 6893
Location: Polbeth, West Lothian
Johnathan404 wrote:
.

A better reason would be that the new signs are becoming standard because they can support D4M roads and above, and are perhaps better designed to work with the concrete barrier?


MS4 can also cope with D4M, and being mounted over the hard shoulder also do not have a problem with concrete barriers. Those signs are I suspect considerably cheaper than either MS4 or MS1.

_________________
Minds are like parachutes - they only function when open
Thomas Robert Dewar(1864-1930)
Take the pledge

Know something about roads? Your Wiki needs your help!


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: What's This Motorway Apparatus For?
PostPosted: Sun Mar 25, 2012 19:10 
Offline
Member
User avatar

Joined: Mon Mar 13, 2006 03:16
Posts: 2776
Location: Inbhir Nis
Jonathan24 wrote:
Surely these do a similar thing and are already installed on most motorways?

http://g.co/maps/weqzy

No, because the MS1 signals are for displaying emergency warnings of lanes closed or obstructed, not for displaying signs to form part of a temporary traffic management system, modern two-colour LED signals would be needed to display the relevant symbols and also at a much greater frequency than the normal signals. In other words, vastly more expensive.

These signs are simply a fixed sign panel with a roller blind in front of them.

This is the portable version of the same thing:
Attachment:
roller blind sign closed.jpg
roller blind sign closed.jpg [ 406.67 KiB | Viewed 622 times ]

Attachment:
roller blind sign open.jpg
roller blind sign open.jpg [ 173.14 KiB | Viewed 622 times ]


Top
 Profile  
 
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 11 posts ] 

All times are UTC [ DST ]


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Search for:
Jump to:  
Powered by phpBB © 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007 phpBB Group