Where did they say they had a SVD system back then ?WHBM wrote: ↑Wed Mar 03, 2021 19:09It might have been good to have selected a system that was actually available, worked and could be installed before the Smart Motorway programme started, instead of just starting and saying they had it when they didn't.
I seem to recall Midas from a generation ago was meant to do the same thing - and didn't.
I wonder how good the CCTV cameras are at seeing a stopped vehicle at night, even if alerted. A significant number of the accidents reported seem to have been at night. Of course, ripping out the carriageway lighting as part of the works didn't help.
Motorway CCTV cameras are not very numerous, there are 1500 for 2,713 miles of motorway and humans are not very good at monitoring pictures of traffic. They tend to be installed at major junctions or known pinch points. When there is no light they cant see any more than you can, at best they will see a car with its lights on.
The main problem with Midas seems to be the sensors, it uses inductive loops and/or magneto-resistive wireless sensors so had little chance of directly detecting a stalled vehicle unless it was right on a sensor. It was intended to detect queues rather than individual vehicles and as I understand it did that job quite well. Before they were installed the first you knew of queue ahead tended to be when you saw brake lights come on. I used to scan the horizon for the red glow they produced.
Please note I am not saying it was an adequate system for Smart Motorways, I hold no brief for the DfT or HE but SVD does seem worthwhile upgrade and its mobile equivalent used in collision avoidance systems is increasingly being fitted to mass market cars along with adaptive cruise control. My 4 year old C-Max has both.