Pointless and Dangerous MWay Matrix signs

[BrilloPad]

In early 1987 I was on the M2 one night. The signs all said 20mph. I just kept my foot to the floor : I was almost the only driver on there.

Then a few snowflakes. Then a blizzard. Then I was into quite deep snow. I joined a queue behind a lorry and just made it home.

[NickFitz]

Although the "Queue Ahead" messages are annoying when there isn't one, even more annoying are the ones saying "Congestion Slow Down" with an advisory speed of sixty when you're already stopping and starting and never getting above thirty

Still, they exhibit a degree of consistency in their inability to reflect reality - if you can't get above twenty, the signs usually cut the advisory speed to forty

[Sockpuppet]

Saw a lot of this on the M6 over the Easter weekend. I'd love to see the systems they have managing / updating those things.

Its called MIDAS.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorwa...tic_Signalling

Unless they have a red ring around them they are not speed limits only advisory and you can ignore them and carry on doing the NSL.

[moorfield]

Saw a lot of this on the M6 over the Easter weekend. I'd love to see the systems they have managing / updating those things.

[Peoplesoft bloke]

Not for the first time, the matrix signs on the motorway today weren't just wrong, they were dangerously wrong, making them worse than useless.

Passed the first one saying 60 queue ahead - slow down even though can't see the queue. Next sign says 40 queue ahead, still no sign of a problem, so didn't slow to 40 (as no-one else was). Next sign - "end" - everyone speeds up (not unreasonably) - then pass a blank matrix sign and, about half a mile beyond it, a sea of brake lights.

What a total waste of cash and effort these signs are.