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Location signs to help drivers during breakdown on the M50
New signs designed to help drivers pinpoint where they are if they break down or want to report a problem on the motorway are being installed along the full length of the M50.
The new roadside driver location signs will ensure the Highways Agency (HA) and emergency services can reach people more quickly and tell road users which motorway they are driving on, the direction they are traveling in and where they are on the motorway.
HA Manager Paul Clare said: “With many people using mobile phones to call for assistance these days, rather than the motorway emergency phones, it can be difficult to find a caller’s exact location.
If road users can tell us what is on the sign nearest to them on the motorway, we can work out where they are if they breakdown or need to report an incident.
“The signs will mean the emergency services and Highways Agency Traffic Officers can respond to incidents more quickly and reduce the risk of secondary incidents, congestion and delay to other road users.
“The work will be undertaken with minimum disruption to motorists as we only require a small number of lane closures which will be carried out overnight.”
Information given on the signs will be:
- number of the motorway.
- letter ‘A’ or ‘B’ which tells the Highways Agency or the emergency services which direction you are traveling in.
- figure underneath the letter represents the distance in kilometers travelled along the motorway. This increases as you travel from the start of the motorway, and decreases as you travel away from the start of the motorway.
The signs, which have already proved a success in other parts of the region, will be positioned on the motorway verge near the hard shoulder.
They will help road users by showing them their exact position if they need to telephone emergency services, recovery or the Highways Agency’s Regional Control Centre.
The signs will be approximately 500 metres apart on the east and westbound carriageways.