M6 junction 13 to junction 15 smart motorway

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Bendo
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Re: M6 junction 13 to junction 15 smart motorway

Post by Bendo »

That 60 southbound really drags when it looks like it's been completed for months apart from SPECS removal.
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Big L
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Re: M6 junction 13 to junction 15 smart motorway

Post by Big L »

Just a reminder of how long we’ve had 4 lanes southbound…
brummie_rob wrote: Thu Dec 02, 2021 14:32 Four lanes now running southbound a little later than billed. Work continues northbound with what looks like possibly some drainage and a possible new ERA being installed.
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brummie_rob
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Re: M6 junction 13 to junction 15 smart motorway

Post by brummie_rob »

It's interesting they talk about calibration of the new SVD for the 60 limit, however from what I've seen so far where it has been retrospectively added to schemes such as the M62 and M6 J11a-J13 there has been no speed reductions for 'testing'.

Nevertheless it was the first holiday getaway on Friday where there was no 20 minute queue from J12-J13 because of the lane drop so that is a positive.
Bendo
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Re: M6 junction 13 to junction 15 smart motorway

Post by Bendo »

Might be my memory playing tricks but now that all lanes are open, 14-15 feels a much more pleasant drive then I remember it before the work. Used to be like driving into the abys at night having been going for 3 hours at that point.

Hopefully they get a move on and get rid of the seemingly pointless 60 limit.
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Re: M6 junction 13 to junction 15 smart motorway

Post by brummie_rob »

Looks like the Friday queues are most certainly further north now with the squeeze down at J15 not helped by slow traffic up Keele bank. The queues are quite extensive today; i've not seen those sort of queues approaching Keele bank unless there has been an incident in some years.
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IAN
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Re: M6 junction 13 to junction 15 smart motorway

Post by IAN »

Are there any plans to widen the 'missing' D4M section between 15 and 16 or is this a victim of the Smart Motorway ban? It seems a bit odd to leave this as a D3M bottleneck.
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Re: M6 junction 13 to junction 15 smart motorway

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IAN wrote: Fri Jun 10, 2022 16:40 Are there any plans to widen the 'missing' D4M section between 15 and 16 or is this a victim of the Smart Motorway ban? It seems a bit odd to leave this as a D3M bottleneck.
I think there are plans, but to be fair that section always seems much quieter.
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owen b
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Re: M6 junction 13 to junction 15 smart motorway

Post by owen b »

Big L wrote: Fri Jun 10, 2022 19:33
IAN wrote: Fri Jun 10, 2022 16:40 Are there any plans to widen the 'missing' D4M section between 15 and 16 or is this a victim of the Smart Motorway ban? It seems a bit odd to leave this as a D3M bottleneck.
I think there are plans, but to be fair that section always seems much quieter.
I can't find any reference to improvement proposals for J15-16 on the National Highways website. While traffic is a little less on that stretch I don't think it's a lane's worth of traffic less each way and I suspect that it will be a bottleneck between the D4 sections at busy times.
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Re: M6 junction 13 to junction 15 smart motorway

Post by brummie_rob »

owen b wrote: Fri Jun 10, 2022 20:25
Big L wrote: Fri Jun 10, 2022 19:33
IAN wrote: Fri Jun 10, 2022 16:40 Are there any plans to widen the 'missing' D4M section between 15 and 16 or is this a victim of the Smart Motorway ban? It seems a bit odd to leave this as a D3M bottleneck.
I think there are plans, but to be fair that section always seems much quieter.
I can't find any reference to improvement proposals for J15-16 on the National Highways website. While traffic is a little less on that stretch I don't think it's a lane's worth of traffic less each way and I suspect that it will be a bottleneck between the D4 sections at busy times.
Yes it was never part of any plans down the years and I doubt it ever will but yes at busy peak periods like holiday travel days it's going to be a real bottleneck. Interestingly southbound to J16 doesn't suffer too much but I think the slow lorries are the issue and that is where a crawler lane could be useful.
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Re: M6 junction 13 to junction 15 smart motorway

Post by fras »

Bendo wrote: Fri Jun 03, 2022 12:03 Might be my memory playing tricks but now that all lanes are open, 14-15 feels a much more pleasant drive then I remember it before the work. Used to be like driving into the abys at night having been going for 3 hours at that point.

Hopefully they get a move on and get rid of the seemingly pointless 60 limit.
It's still there today, quite why I fail to see, unless it's about the lack of movement detectors as per the last row in the media. I'll have to write to NH to find out.
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Re: M6 junction 13 to junction 15 smart motorway

Post by JamesRob2345 »

Any news on when 60 will become 70, either northbound or southbound?
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Big L
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Re: M6 junction 13 to junction 15 smart motorway

Post by Big L »

We’ve had 4 lanes southbound since 02/12/21 and northbound since 18/5/22. Someone on here (in the M4 Smart thread I think) that the average “technology testing period” is around 3 months.

Either the technology installed on the southbound* side is utter pants, or the authority-that-keeps-changing-name has an obsession with not opening one side until they can open both.

*Which would be a worry as they probably used the same kit on both sides.

Bad news is that some of the northbound gantries have problems, like a segment of the red ring faded compared with the rest. And they seem to have a “lane closure” text message stuck on just before J14 on the northbound side. I went that way every day last week M-F; guess how many times I saw a lane closure? I even checked down the off-slip after the first day.
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Bendo
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Re: M6 junction 13 to junction 15 smart motorway

Post by Bendo »

Wonderful example of incompetence. Will we see 70 by the end of the year, the way it's going I doubt it.

Think I'll stick a FOI request in to see what excuse they come up with.
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Re: M6 junction 13 to junction 15 smart motorway

Post by ManomayLR »

Ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together for Grant Shapps!
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Re: M6 junction 13 to junction 15 smart motorway

Post by fras »

EpicChef wrote: Sun Jul 24, 2022 20:31 Ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together for Grant Shapps!
Is that to clap or pray he goes ?
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Re: M6 junction 13 to junction 15 smart motorway

Post by ManomayLR »

fras wrote: Sun Jul 24, 2022 22:07
EpicChef wrote: Sun Jul 24, 2022 20:31 Ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together for Grant Shapps!
Is that to clap or pray he goes ?
The former if you’re the sarcastic type.
The latter if you aren’t.
Though roads may not put a smile on everyone's face, there is one road that always will: the road to home.
brummie_rob
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Re: M6 junction 13 to junction 15 smart motorway

Post by brummie_rob »

The last release said it would be 70 by the end of Summer. Oddly we had split speed limits when SB was 50mph and NB was 60mph during the new testing of 60 roadwork limits and it caused no problems.

The SB still being restricted to 60 for so long is highly annoying. I note the final new ERA has opened fully at least so perhaps we will see the final roadwork signs going soon. It's noticeable that the average cameras don't have 'not in use' on them either. Either way the motorway seems to be coping better with the holiday periods so that is a win for me.
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Re: M6 junction 13 to junction 15 smart motorway

Post by brummie_rob »

It's like someone at NH has been reading this topic as one set of VMS now say 'Speed limits for testing technology'. Erm yeah since December right and now you tell us.
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Re: M6 junction 13 to junction 15 smart motorway

Post by Big L »

Another observation is the speed limit/recommended speed limit signs at the start of on-slips are set 10mph lower than the active limit on the mainline. It’s somewhat going against the Highway Code advice of accelerating to match the speed of traffic already on the motorway. Tricky when you’re limited to 50 (for example) and the motorway traffic is at 60.

Also, why do some slip road signs get (mandatory) red rings and some get (advisory) yellow wigwags? At J13, the northbound on slip is a mandatory limit but southbound only gets an advisory. These are from different schemes, but it seems pretty random. J12 and J11 have advisory on both on slips. J10 (prior to the current remodelling) had mandatory northbound but advisory southbound.
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ManomayLR
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Re: M6 junction 13 to junction 15 smart motorway

Post by ManomayLR »

Big L wrote: Sun Jul 31, 2022 11:54 Another observation is the speed limit/recommended speed limit signs at the start of on-slips are set 10mph lower than the active limit on the mainline. It’s somewhat going against the Highway Code advice of accelerating to match the speed of traffic already on the motorway. Tricky when you’re limited to 50 (for example) and the motorway traffic is at 60.

Also, why do some slip road signs get (mandatory) red rings and some get (advisory) yellow wigwags? At J13, the northbound on slip is a mandatory limit but southbound only gets an advisory. These are from different schemes, but it seems pretty random. J12 and J11 have advisory on both on slips. J10 (prior to the current remodelling) had mandatory northbound but advisory southbound.
The main question here is whether the actual signal used is the same.
On slip roads either AMI signals or a special version of MS1 signals can be used. The former is newer and can display the red circle, while the latter is older and can only display amber and red wigwags for advisory limits.

I have very much seen VSL and managed motorway schemes with MS1s on slip roads showing advisory limits before the mandatory limits shown on the main carriageway.

Take for example J23 of M25 (AMIs) compared to J22 (MS1s).
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