M50 gantries

Anyone know what the story is with the Gantries on the M50, they appear to have recently "grown".

Several of them have had what appears to be a VMS housing placed on top of them.

What are the plans for the (I assume) proposed new traffic management system, will it be similar to the M25 around London?

Irish and Proud

Deleted User wrote: »

Anyone know what the story is with the Gantries on the M50, they appear to have recently "grown".

Several of them have had what appears to be a VMS housing placed on top of them.

What are the plans for the (I assume) proposed new traffic management system, will it be similar to the M25 around London?

I'll be driving the M50 SB tomorrow, lock stock and barrel (well J3 to J17), so I'll have a look out and post any observations.

Irish and Proud

Irish and Proud wrote: »

I'll be driving the M50 SB tomorrow, lock stock and barrel (well J3 to J17), so I'll have a look out and post any observations.

It was dark when I was driving along, so it was difficult to see what they were, all I know is they weren't there a few days ago! I drive the section between Lucan and the M1.

Road-Hog

Deleted User wrote: »

Anyone know what the story is with the Gantries on the M50, they appear to have recently "grown".

Several of them have had what appears to be a VMS housing placed on
What are the plans for the (I assume) proposed new traffic management system, will it be similar to the M25 around London?

Maybe they are to facilatate the installation of those fancy cameras for the proposed multi point tolling that is coming, there was a push to show progress as the EU/IMF/ECB are in town this week, wasn't multi point tolling in that memorandum of understanding we constantly hear about when the government have to make unpopular decisons:D

ardmacha

Perhaps they are going to put ads on them, instead of tolling.

antoobrien

Deleted User wrote: »

Anyone know what the story is with the Gantries on the M50, they appear to have recently "grown".

Several of them have had what appears to be a VMS housing placed on top of them.

The VMS system has been active for a few months. It usually has journey time information on them, but occasionally they have road messages like, keep left & don't speed (both of which are almost uniformly ignored).

I'm kinda surprised they weren't on, what time were you passing?

celticbest

antoobrien wrote: »

The VMS system has been active for a few months. It usually has journey time information on them, but occasionally they have road messages like, keep left & don't speed (both of which are almost uniformly ignored).

I'm kinda surprised they weren't on, what time were you passing?

Those VMS signs are not on the Gantries.

I noticed a new VMS sign on the overhead Gantry between Junctions 4 & 5 SB this morning??

celticbest

Deleted User wrote: »

What are the plans for the (I assume) proposed new traffic management system, will it be similar to the M25 around London?

M6 j10 southbound 'Managed Motorway' (angled view) by Highways Agency, on Flickr

The VMS I saw this morning is like the 'CONGESTION STAY IN LANE' one in above picture, I'm wondering if we will also see the VSL signs?

antoobrien

antoobrien wrote: »

The VMS system has been active for a few months. It usually has journey time information on them, but occasionally they have road messages like, keep left & don't speed (both of which are almost uniformly ignored).

I'm kinda surprised they weren't on, what time were you passing?

The freestanding VMS were on, but it is the additional ones that have appeared on the (previously) unused gantries that I am referring to.

munchkin_utd

A presentation was made to a conference in Lisbon by a David Laoide-Kemp from the NRA over 12 months ago and it mentions

M50 Future Active Traffic Management
• Above lane signals
• Gantry mounted
• Lane closures
• Variable speed limits
• Regular gantry spacing ~ 800m

and

M50 Future Active Traffic Management
• Lane closures – planned or in
response to incidents
• Variable mandatory speed limits to
manage traffic congestion
• Provision under SI xxx/06 in DPT
• New SI required for variable speed
limits on M50
• Development of business case in
2011 for lane control signalling
deployment

http://easyway2010.inir.pt/Presentations/6-EasyWay%20Forum%202010%20ITS%20Ireland%20Presentation%20final_Scott.pdf towards the middle of the presentation.

pity there's not a proper flow of information to the road users rather than to a conference of a few dozen roads people in Portugal.

Something like this could be used by the NRA to boost their profile and make people aware of what positive things they are doing to balance the public view that the NRA is only about new tolls/ ungritted roads/ insufficient salt stocks etc!

Skopzz

Hopefully we won't copy what Britain does. We should be following the U.S traffic system management.

munchkin_utd

Skopzz wrote: »

Hopefully we won't copy what Britain does. We should be following the U.S traffic system management.

Care to elaborate what the US does right that the latest UK projects don't?

Irish and Proud

celticbest wrote: »

Those VMS signs are not on the Gantries.

I noticed a new VMS sign on the overhead Gantry between Junctions 4 & 5 SB this morning??

Yes, I noticed that sign too - but not all the 'ghost' gantries have been augmented with VMS housing units though. However, it'll be interesting what the new VMS signs will be used for as opposed to the standalone VMS units currently operating. Also wondering when the overhead lane control signs will be installed.

Regards!

celticbest

Just wondering if anyone got confirmation of waht is being installed in the overhead gantries yet?

celticbest

celticbest wrote: »

Just wondering if anyone got confirmation of waht is being installed in the overhead gantries yet?

I think that munchkin_utd answered it by showing a presentation was made to a conference in Lisbon.

As to whether that is exactly what is going in, we'll have to wait and see.

Wild Bill

Deleted User wrote: »

Several of them have had what appears to be a VMS housing placed on top of them.

That empty housing has been there since the end of the recent widening scheme. I presume they are for some sort of lane control - but they've maybe run out of money?

munchkin_utd

Wild Bill wrote: »

That empty housing has been there since the end of the recent widening scheme. I presume they are for some sort of lane control - but they've maybe run out of money?

they'd quickly be self financing if they also had speeding cameras mounted on them like they have in London on the M25 upgrade gantries!

Wild Bill

munchkin_utd wrote: »

they'd quickly be self financing if they also had speeding cameras mounted on them like they have in London on the M25 upgrade gantries!

ffs! Don't be giving them ideas :mad:

munchkin_utd

Wild Bill wrote: »

ffs! Don't be giving them ideas :mad:

Well they normally copy the Brits on road matters so they probably already have the plans drawn up!

Jayuu

munchkin_utd wrote: »

they'd quickly be self financing if they also had speeding cameras mounted on them like they have in London on the M25 upgrade gantries!

If we actually fined every motorist for flouting speeding laws/bus lanes infringements we'd probably have very poor motorists (including myself I have to add) but have enough money to pay off all out debts and build some roads as well!

Wild Bill

munchkin_utd wrote: »

Well they normally copy the Brits on road matters so they probably already have the plans drawn up!

You could be right. I took a closer look at some of those gantries today and they had some sort of cameras/sensors mounted over the traffic lanes.

We could be getting the speeding fines without the lane control systems

Wild Bill

Wild Bill wrote: »

You could be right. I took a closer look at some of those gantries today and they had some sort of cameras/sensors mounted over the traffic lanes.

We could be getting the speeding fines without the lane control systems

I think that those are used for the "time to destination" messages, all I've seen so far (at night) is the addition of some mounting framework added to some of the gantries.
I'll be happy if the system at least warned the "middle lane hogs" to use the left lane.

rameire

A New VMS installed Northbound before Junction 12 Last Night.
This one is slightly different.
It is right in the centre of the overhead gantry which spans the Northbound Carriageway.

rameire

rameire wrote: »

A New VMS installed Northbound before Junction 12 Last Night.
This one is slightly different.
It is right in the centre of the overhead gantry which spans the Northbound Carriageway.

A number were installed on the northern section just like that a couple of months (3 or 4) ago as well.

Still no lane signs yet.

celticbest

Deleted User wrote: »

A number were installed on the northern section just like that a couple of months (3 or 4) ago as well.

Still no lane signs yet.

They were testing one last week NB between Junctions 4 & 3 it I remember correctly, I wonder how near they are to going live?