Posted 14 August 2008

Oncoming Vehicle - Motorway Matrix Sign

Was Driving down the motorway yesterday and from where the M61 Joins the M60 the Matrix overhead sign said ONCOMING VEHICLE, what are you to do with that information as a driver on the motorway?

The signs displaying this message went all the way to just past the Trafford Centre and then nothing and definately no sign of the ONCOMING VEHICLE!
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  1. deleted99313's avatar
    We had something like that on Tuesday. Was travelling down the M40 and it kept saying Slow Animals in Road, obviously my friend slowed down as we didn't know what to expect but 12 miles later matrix off and no animals. When we mentioned it to the friends we were visiting one of them said they think sometimes the matrix people get bored and make stuff up.
  2. deleted90838's avatar
    It would be tempting to mess around! Obviously dangerous and not recommended! reminds me of a Steve Martin film. Think it's My blue heaven.
  3. imodude's avatar
    I've always had a problem with "oncoming vehicles in middle of the road" when going through a tunnel.
    How can you mitigate against that? Surely they should stop the silly vehicles, not just put a sign up!

    And whilst we're on the subject, why do people can drive as stupidly as they like and park in insane places just cos they've got their hazard lights on? What page of the highway code says that's ok?
  4. Bobbajob's avatar
    The talking Road signs were in LA Story I think.
  5. MANJ_007's avatar
    what annoys me is when the sign says 40 and for the next 10 miles you can do 70 and also when it says 50 the motorway is crawling!
  6. deleted42052's avatar
    jadsmum;2744292

    We had something like that on Tuesday. Was travelling down the M40 and … We had something like that on Tuesday. Was travelling down the M40 and it kept saying Slow Animals in Road, obviously my friend slowed down as we didn't know what to expect but 12 miles later matrix off and no animals. When we mentioned it to the friends we were visiting one of them said they think sometimes the matrix people get bored and make stuff up.



    This was thought of during installation of these signs yers ago - the people in charge can only choose from set phrases or alerts. This prevents people being silly, stops staff with a grudge/on their last day etc, but also brings a bit of consistancy.

    Some signs are also automatic, so if a driver had reversed along the hard shoulder for whatever reason, or someone had gone down a wrong sliproad, but immediately realised, these signs could be activated.

    Almost all of the speed limit matrix signs are automatically controlled via traffic loops in the road monitoring speeds - and speeds sometimes are wrong, but its better to have some sort of idea, than driving at 70 into stationary traffic.

    Either way, I'd rather have the information, and lose a few seconds of my life by slowing down, then smashing into something.

    Some of the comments in this thread are pathetic!
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