M6 junction 13 to junction 15 smart motorway

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Jeni
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Re: M6 junction 13 to junction 15 smart motorway

Post by Jeni »

Bendo wrote: Wed Feb 26, 2020 10:48Great, technology to tell people there is congestion something we have had for at least 10 years and is pretty much obsolete with connected sat navs, I'd always do what Google Maps suggests rather than what is on the VMS as I've a lot more faith in Googles knowledge of what speed traffic is flowing at.
Trust me, you'll get caught out one day by that. I've been caught on the M6 several times because I chose to ignore the VMS and trust Google.
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Bryn666
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Re: M6 junction 13 to junction 15 smart motorway

Post by Bryn666 »

Jeni wrote: Wed Feb 26, 2020 10:54
Bendo wrote: Wed Feb 26, 2020 10:48Great, technology to tell people there is congestion something we have had for at least 10 years and is pretty much obsolete with connected sat navs, I'd always do what Google Maps suggests rather than what is on the VMS as I've a lot more faith in Googles knowledge of what speed traffic is flowing at.
Trust me, you'll get caught out one day by that. I've been caught on the M6 several times because I chose to ignore the VMS and trust Google.
Indeed, green could mean the road is actually closed and not flagged as such - 0 vehicles means no delay to Google's calculation system.
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mikehindsonevans
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Re: M6 junction 13 to junction 15 smart motorway

Post by mikehindsonevans »

Bryn666 wrote: Wed Feb 26, 2020 13:26
Jeni wrote: Wed Feb 26, 2020 10:54
Bendo wrote: Wed Feb 26, 2020 10:48Great, technology to tell people there is congestion something we have had for at least 10 years and is pretty much obsolete with connected sat navs, I'd always do what Google Maps suggests rather than what is on the VMS as I've a lot more faith in Googles knowledge of what speed traffic is flowing at.
Trust me, you'll get caught out one day by that. I've been caught on the M6 several times because I chose to ignore the VMS and trust Google.
Indeed, green could mean the road is actually closed and not flagged as such - 0 vehicles means no delay to Google's calculation system.
Thank you Bryn, I thought that I was alone in reading Google that way...
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jusme
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Re: M6 junction 13 to junction 15 smart motorway

Post by jusme »

mikehindsonevans wrote: Wed Feb 26, 2020 18:12
Bryn666 wrote: Wed Feb 26, 2020 13:26
Jeni wrote: Wed Feb 26, 2020 10:54

Trust me, you'll get caught out one day by that. I've been caught on the M6 several times because I chose to ignore the VMS and trust Google.
Indeed, green could mean the road is actually closed and not flagged as such - 0 vehicles means no delay to Google's calculation system.
Thank you Bryn, I thought that I was alone in reading Google that way...
I'm pretty sure Google Maps only shows any "traffic colour" when there is some traffic (movement) present. This is usually most obvious on motorway closures where gaps appear in the green/orange/red line between the closure points.

Google do, however, tend to flag road closures based on schedules rather than actual traffic, which is annoying because the closure graphic hides any actual traffic information, so you get a free-flowing motorway into and out of a supposedly closed section.

Sat-navs also seem to take more notice of the paperwork than reality, which has had me driving along supposedly closed roads, with the sat-nav urging U-turns, more than once.

As with everything, the more data you have the less information there can be. I tend to go with 2/3 (VMS/signage, sat-nav and google maps), with the actual visible conditions being the ultimate decider.
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Re: M6 junction 13 to junction 15 smart motorway

Post by mikehindsonevans »

Came through, northbound, in daylight today (Saturday). Noticeable progress since September (last run north in daylight, usually stuck in the dark on Friday evenings.

Spotted the 60mph uplift in speed. Everyone was law-abiding, lane one (the rebuilt hard shoulder) was wide and (usually) very smooth.

Two more years to complete?? Really?
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Re: M6 junction 13 to junction 15 smart motorway

Post by Jeni »

mikehindsonevans wrote: Sun Mar 01, 2020 00:20Two more years to complete?? Really?
They've only "completed" a small section in a single direction. Southbound on that section has only just been started.
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Re: M6 junction 13 to junction 15 smart motorway

Post by brummie_rob »

They have actually extended the 60mph further down since early last week, it starts virtually straight after the contraflow rejoins for Northbound. They have put big yellow backing borders on the 60 roundels too probably as no one noticed for most of last week.

Once the North works are done which shouldn't be too much longer from 14-15 then I'd imagine the rest will get an uplift leaving Southbound a 50 whilst that side is done. It makes it slightly more tolerable anyway.
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Re: M6 junction 13 to junction 15 smart motorway

Post by Big L »

North of Junction 14 all of the northbound lanes are back on the northbound carriageway; the 60 limit now starts about 1/2 a mile north of J14 and runs right through J15 to the end of the works.
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Re: M6 junction 13 to junction 15 smart motorway

Post by brummie_rob »

Big L wrote: Thu Apr 16, 2020 18:07 North of Junction 14 all of the northbound lanes are back on the northbound carriageway; the 60 limit now starts about 1/2 a mile north of J14 and runs right through J15 to the end of the works.
That is good news then for when I return to doing it daily. It does make it more bearable and will mean using the A34 less again.
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Re: M6 junction 13 to junction 15 smart motorway

Post by Debaser »

Norfolktolancashire wrote: Tue Feb 25, 2020 17:31
brummie_rob wrote: Mon Feb 24, 2020 21:31 An increased speed limit of 60mph is now in place from around Yarnfield to J15 on the Northbound side. Not many seemed to notice but it was a pleasant surprise so early on still (and with the contraflow still running).
Has that section of northbound carriageway been "completed" in that has it got a new surface and wider lanes? Or is this section of 60mph an experiment?
It looks like HE are wanting to roll out 60mph limits through roadworks where they can to increase 'driver satisfaction'. Originally this was a trial (one of several across the network). In fact, average speeds through the 60mph section seem to be only slightly above 50mph. Whether this reflects a high number of HGVs, force of habit, or is simply the speed at which a majority of drivers feel safe driving through TTM doesn't seem to be clear.
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Re: M6 junction 13 to junction 15 smart motorway

Post by Big L »

The contraflow has changed over the weekend I think. Going southbound you stay on the correct carriageway past j15 to close by the Yarnfield works unit before the contraflow starts.

On the northbound side, some of the steel barrier has gone, replaced by cones.

A lot of the northernmost section badly needs resurfacing. As long as they don't resurface it badly :P it doesn't look like there is too much to do other than put the electronics up on the gantries.
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Re: M6 junction 13 to junction 15 smart motorway

Post by mikehindsonevans »

Big L wrote: Wed Sep 02, 2020 19:17 The contraflow has changed over the weekend I think. Going southbound you stay on the correct carriageway past j15 to close by the Yarnfield works unit before the contraflow starts.

On the northbound side, some of the steel barrier has gone, replaced by cones.

A lot of the northernmost section badly needs resurfacing. As long as they don't resurface it badly :P it doesn't look like there is too much to do other than put the electronics up on the gantries.
Agreed. We came back northbound on Wednesday afternoon and it is a "patchwork quilt" of life-expired tarmac.
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Re: M6 junction 13 to junction 15 smart motorway

Post by SJobson »

The speed limit northbound from the start of the contraflow went up last week, to 60mph. I'm not sure why; there's still the contraflow lane for southbound traffic, and the limit is still 50mph southbound.
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Re: M6 junction 13 to junction 15 smart motorway

Post by Chris5156 »

SJobson wrote: Thu Sep 10, 2020 10:41 The speed limit northbound from the start of the contraflow went up last week, to 60mph. I'm not sure why; there's still the contraflow lane for southbound traffic, and the limit is still 50mph southbound.
It's now HE policy to set roadworks speed limits to 60mph where possible, instead of always 50.
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Re: M6 junction 13 to junction 15 smart motorway

Post by SJobson »

Chris5156 wrote: Thu Sep 10, 2020 10:49
SJobson wrote: Thu Sep 10, 2020 10:41 The speed limit northbound from the start of the contraflow went up last week, to 60mph. I'm not sure why; there's still the contraflow lane for southbound traffic, and the limit is still 50mph southbound.
It's now HE policy to set roadworks speed limits to 60mph where possible, instead of always 50.
That bit I understand - it's why the limit remains 50 southbound when it's considered safe at 60 in the opposite direction. A contraflow affects both sides.
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Re: M6 junction 13 to junction 15 smart motorway

Post by Bryn666 »

SJobson wrote: Thu Sep 10, 2020 11:14
Chris5156 wrote: Thu Sep 10, 2020 10:49
SJobson wrote: Thu Sep 10, 2020 10:41 The speed limit northbound from the start of the contraflow went up last week, to 60mph. I'm not sure why; there's still the contraflow lane for southbound traffic, and the limit is still 50mph southbound.
It's now HE policy to set roadworks speed limits to 60mph where possible, instead of always 50.
That bit I understand - it's why the limit remains 50 southbound when it's considered safe at 60 in the opposite direction. A contraflow affects both sides.
There's no oncoming traffic on one side.
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Re: M6 junction 13 to junction 15 smart motorway

Post by traffic-light-man »

Its the side with the contraflow traffic that is set at 60mph.

I believe the 50mph limit remains in operation on the S/B due to that being the active construction site, though there may be more to the decision.

Of course, the Variogaurd barriers used nowadays in motorway contraflows generally offer a much better protection than the cylinders of past, so I imagine that's why the contraflow itself is not deemed too much of a problem when raising the contraflow side to 60mph.
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Re: M6 junction 13 to junction 15 smart motorway

Post by brummie_rob »

There is little construction northbound now which is probably why and it was also a trial section. Southbound they probably have kept at 50 to save changing signage until the new lane one is complete.
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Re: M6 junction 13 to junction 15 smart motorway

Post by Big L »

It was lovely going northbound from 13 this morning; 60 all the way.

There is now one long contraflow from north of Stafford services to south of J13.

For most of the northbound section after the contraflow, lane 4 is just coned off. Still barriers north of J15, but there are J14-16 overnight closures soon according to VMS.
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Re: M6 junction 13 to junction 15 smart motorway

Post by ManomayLR »

I feel SMPs recently take much longer than previous ones, there were times when SMPs could be done in as little as 2 years, now they take upwards of 4.

There are indications that M1 J13-16 will take up to five years since it started, despite there being no bridge reconstruction whatsoever. It should not be taking that long, the only explanation is lazy workers.
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