cus they must be on glue!!! going up the a1m past leeds area monday the signs were warning of delays between j29-j28 on the m1!!! you have to be lost if your supposed to be heading up past leeds and needing warnings about somat 50 miles south
then today warnings south of peterbro on a1m bout the m6 j16-j17 once again you shouldnt be heading down that way if your heading towards manchester etc…
if the goverment wants make cuts the prick in charge of these signs needs a p45
I think there’s monkeys in charge of matrix signs.
When I was a night driver, I’d regularly come up against speed restrictions on the M42…
It’d go 60, 50, 40, then inside lane would be 20 and other 2 would be 40, then national speed limit.
This was all within 2 miles or so, and it happened quite regular, fo no visible reason, and with the camera’s on the m42 variable speed limit, it was a pain in the harris.
And, yes I did move to the middle lane for the 20mph bit
Matrix signs are a joke at night at least, the other week I was heading down the M1 to join the A38 and all the Matrix signs said Jct 28 shut, as I was approaching it, I was coming up to a slower truck and decided to overtake, half way past I could see the junction was open much to my frustration it was too late.
The state of the matrix signs leads non of us to trust them, they would be a great tool if they were used properly and we might start believing what they say
Yep.
I’ve never trusted them, but once they were correct.
It was quite late at night, and I was in my car with the dog in the boot, heading round past the trafford centre, and the matrix’s said, queue caution… I thought, bollox, there’s no queue, went round the corner, had to anchor up due to stationary traffic.
The sound of the dog hitting the back seat was echoed when the missus hit me in the head.
waynedl:
Yep.I’ve never trusted them, but once they were correct.
It was quite late at night, and I was in my car with the dog in the boot, heading round past the trafford centre, and the matrix’s said, queue caution… I thought, bollox, there’s no queue, went round the corner, had to anchor up due to stationary traffic.
The sound of the dog hitting the back seat was echoed when the missus hit me in the head.
insecure load then…
think this is the number 0300 123 5000 if its wrong 1 of the wonbles will be along soon to tell you what the number is
jayeastanglia:
waynedl:
Yep.I’ve never trusted them, but once they were correct.
It was quite late at night, and I was in my car with the dog in the boot, heading round past the trafford centre, and the matrix’s said, queue caution… I thought, bollox, there’s no queue, went round the corner, had to anchor up due to stationary traffic.
The sound of the dog hitting the back seat was echoed when the missus hit me in the head.insecure load then…
think this is the number 0300 123 5000 if its wrong 1 of the wonbles will be along soon to tell you what the number is
Yep, insecure load… The problem is, the smack round the head for anchoring up hurt, I think crashing would’ve hurt more, but the kicking she gave me when I tried ratchet strapping the dog in the boot really hurt 
waynedl:
jayeastanglia:
waynedl:
Yep.I’ve never trusted them, but once they were correct.
It was quite late at night, and I was in my car with the dog in the boot, heading round past the trafford centre, and the matrix’s said, queue caution… I thought, bollox, there’s no queue, went round the corner, had to anchor up due to stationary traffic.
The sound of the dog hitting the back seat was echoed when the missus hit me in the head.insecure load then…
think this is the number 0300 123 5000 if its wrong 1 of the wonbles will be along soon to tell you what the number isYep, insecure load… The problem is, the smack round the head for anchoring up hurt, I think crashing would’ve hurt more, but the kicking she gave me when I tried ratchet strapping the dog in the boot really hurt
One of the wombles will be on in a moment to tell us all they are automated and nothing can be done, out of their control etc, BUT if you want to phone us up and do our job for us while we have a nice kip, please feel free. 
HA complete waste of tax-payers money and should be scrapped immediately.
Rob K:
One of the wombles will be on in a moment to tell us all they are automated and nothing can be done, out of their control etc, BUT if you want to phone us up and do our job for us while we have a nice kip, please feel free.
Automated my arse! Maybe the M25 variable speed limit detects what it thinks is congestion and causes everyone to slow down under the gantries then speed up again, but they can’t detect an accident. When you see the ‘ACCIDENT - SLOW DOWN’ signs someone has switched them on manually.
Wouldn’t take much for the wombles to phone up and tell the control room when it has been cleared.
Same with lane closures at night. The cones have been thrown to the side of the road by 5AM, but the lane closure signs stay on till 6.
Like the poster said above, once in a while there IS a problem round the next corner, but cos most of the time they give useless info everyone ignores them.
The new varible speed limits on the M6 hilton park to the M5 often drop down to 40 mph at 3.30am with no traffic, workmen or other incidents, when the speed camaras go live it’ll be a right pain.
Every morning about 5.45am just before J15 nth at Stoke the signs say 50mph slow congestion, usually there is nothing, if the signs there are wrong 90% of the time, who can rely on them, surely with the technology available today things like this shouldn’t happen, just who is to blame?
To make it worse the midlands radio network (BRMB etc) give out traffic reports which are often wrong or misleading. I don’t know how many times I have heard that the M50 J2 westbound exit is shut when it is not and that the M42 to M5 southbound is shut when it is not.
Also yellow signs advising of future closures that never happen or happen on the wrong day.
It can’t be that difficult to change signs or ensure that radio stations are given accurate information can it??
waynedl:
I think there’s monkeys in charge of matrix signs.When I was a night driver, I’d regularly come up against speed restrictions on the M42…
It’d go 60, 50, 40, then inside lane would be 20 and other 2 would be 40, then national speed limit.
This was all within 2 miles or so, and it happened quite regular, fo no visible reason, and with the camera’s on the m42 variable speed limit, it was a pain in the harris.
And, yes I did move to the middle lane for the 20mph bit
That system has never seemed to work right since they finished it , that road has cones slapped down on it every night …Crazy… The speed signs 20 mph and the lane next to you can run at 40 or 50 , nah don’t think so. Ignored
Had this on the M4 yesterday, came on at J14, Matrix signs saying there were queue’s from J4B - J10, i was going to J7. There i was trying to find a way across from J11/10, but i managed to get down to J7 with no hold up at all
C-Kay:
Had this on the M4 yesterday, came on at J14, Matrix signs saying there were queue’s from J4B - J10, i was going to J7. There i was trying to find a way across from J11/10, but i managed to get down to J7 with no hold up at all
For the future…Exit at J11 (our very own ‘magic Roundabout’)’ Junction has been re-designed now so bit different to Google earths showing but same direction!! Keep to one of the middle lanes and follow signs for B3270 and Hospital/Earley (at this point you are parallel with M4) At Subsequent r’abouts (5 i think), just keep taking 2nd exits and you will come to r’about with traffic lights on…straight through this and just follow signs for A329M Bracknell and pick up M4 at J10, heading for London (takes about 15 mins). If it’s screwed up between J10/9. Instead of following signs for Bracknell, head for A329M Reading, follow signs for A4 M’head and eventually you can pick up A404 (20-25mins) and either head for M40 (Wycombe) or M4 J8/9
I was on the A2 near Gravesend, Kent one morning and the matrix sign said “Accident M5 J29-30” 
The whole situation on the roads has got worse since these matrix signs where switched on yes there was less traffic on the roads going back say 10 year ago but by god we never had the problems as we do now i suggest as ive said before just switch the poxey things off and park up the highway muppets for a week and lets see how we get on
wait till then ones on the A14 round ipswich and felixstowe go live this summer…cant wait for even more confusion when the signs say port is closed when it isnt…or are off when the ports closed
I thought it was someone in Belgium
Rob K:
One of the wombles will be on in a moment to tell us all they are automated and nothing can be done, out of their control etc, BUT if you want to phone us up and do our job for us while we have a nice kip, please feel free.
Couldn’t agree more! Weekend past I saw three breakdowns on the hard shoulder before Lymm interchange on m6 sb. Pulled into Lymm services and saw two womble patrols parked up having a laugh and joke with the bikers - WTF 
Also when there has been an accident on m’way ive seen the “real” emergency service arrive BEFORE the wombles - thought they where “first response”? Only to see them trumble along 30 mins later and get in everyones way.
Just out of interest, what “powers” do they have?
Hi Guys,
I know its been done before but I’ll try to explain some of the issues with matrix signs for those who may not know. Rest assured the HA guys do their best to get these right, but the systems are not perfect and problems do exist. The whole matrix system rules are quite tight but the good news is that some work is being done to try and improve this as its accepted that they are not used in quite the right way sometimes.
MIDAS LOOPS - the system sets the matrix automatically when the sensors detect slow moving traffic; they switch on signs beforehand to slow the traffic down, so in theory the traffic slows beforehand and evens out the traffic flow. Its a very hit and miss system.
Personally, in my area this doesn’t work too well as the last MIDAS loops are just before a trunk road and the queues are always much longer than the signs are located., so after 15 minutes of sitting in heavy traffic you see a sign saying “Queue Slow Down”. I can see why that’s a bit of a ####take!
INCIDENT SIGNS - half the time these cause more hassle than they are worth. The control rooms (RCC) have very strict rules on what can and cannot be displayed, so a lot of the time “INCIDENT SLOW DOWN” is shown as a generic message until a more confirmed message can be shown with lane closures etc.
RCC will also light up a whole section of motorway for messages as the initial calls about an incident may only state “between J10-11”, which is fine if those junctions are 1 mile apart but when they are 10 miles apart what do you do? Show nothing at all or light the whole junction up?
Also, certain messages must be displayed on both carriageways even if the incident is only reported on one side, eg Pedestrians, Animals, Oncoming Vehicle etc. In some areas message signs don’t exist, except the small MS1 signs in the central res, so any incident will get 50s as speeds are pretty much all that can be shown.
The reason you may see signs that are wrong or seem to be reporting a non-incident are varied; sometimes the job just isnt there when we get to it (particularly with debris), the situation may have just changed (it takes a little time to change or clear a sign, its less than a minute but within that minute traffic will have passed under what they percieve to be an incorrect sign) or the signs are not on as the job hasn’t some through to the RCC yet. There are sometimes delays between communication with the RCCs and Police etc. However, sometimes someone may have made an error and not cleared the signs, no ones perfect though, we all make mistakes?
SAFETY MESSAGES, WARNINGS ABOUT INCIDENTS A LONG WAY AWAY - These are set by the National Control Room (NTCC), who look at the national picture 24/7. They will set signs in other regions for big incidents far away from you, the theory being that those travelling long distance can alter travel plans early.
There can be problems with these signs and HATOs are encouraged to report incorrect signs to get them cleared. MIDAS signs can sometimes be be cleared by the RCC but I would need an RCC operator to confirm that.
HATOS NOT STOPPING WITH BDVs - The days of us sitting with every BDV have long gone. We will stay with certain vehicles as a matter of course (eg fuel tankers) and sometimes BDVs if there are problems. As a rule though, we will not sit with every BDV.
We will stop with BDVs whilst on routine patrol that we find, check they have recovery and are ok (after all, they could have stopped as they are unwell) then leave them. if they have no recovery, we can assist them or leave them to it if do not want our help. We are also told by AA/RAC etc of breakdowns they are dealing with and are told “recovery arranged with 30 mins, persons ok, no need to attend”. Is there any point in travelling 30 miles to check on a BDV that AA are on route to, and who say they are ok? In the examples given above, those cars may already have been checked on and are all ok?
HATOS AND “REAL” EMERGENCY SERVICES - The HATOS are officially a Category 2 responder. We attend incidents that used to be attended by blue lighters, at a slower pace, but as quickly as we can. We do our best but we are so regulated its untrue. I certainly do not “trundle along” - in fact I take offense at that as I do my best to attend as quickly as possible, but without breaking the law. I’ve been stung by management for trying to get somewhere quicker before and I can’t afford to lose my job.
Furthermore, I have arrived first on scene at many jobs, but other occassions I am last to get there. Its the nature of the beast that sometimes you will be far away from the job, and other times it happens right in front of you.
Hopefully that’s explained a bit, sorry for the long post. I’m not trying to teach granny to ■■■■ eggs but the HA don’t seem to shout about what we do and why we do it. Any more questions I’ll try to answer fairly. What we have isn’t perfect but we are trying to improve it.
motorway-madness:
Couldn’t agree more! Weekend past I saw three breakdowns on the hard shoulder before Lymm interchange on m6 sb. Pulled into Lymm services and saw two womble patrols parked up having a laugh and joke with the bikers - WTFAlso when there has been an accident on m’way ive seen the “real” emergency service arrive BEFORE the wombles - thought they where “first response”? Only to see them trumble along 30 mins later and get in everyones way.
Just out of interest, what “powers” do they have?
After 7 years of the Traffic Officers being in existance i would have thought that so called professional drivers would know the answers to some of the questions raised here.
We are not first responders, never have been, never will be. You have seen us arrive and “get in everyones way”, makes me wonder where you were to witness this. We have a role to play at incidents and thats what we do. Our job is traffic management.
The patrols at Lymm can only be in one place at a time, did you go and tell them there were vehicles on the shelf up the road?? How do you know they hadnt already been to the breakdowns, do you have access to our recording systems??
Our powers are incredibly limited however we can stop and direct traffic, which we do to assist the “real” emergency services by closing a motorway to allow them to do their job.
To be honest i have spent many hours on here trying to answer questions from people who troll just to get other peoples hackles up. On this occasion you have been successful, i wish i could pass your vehicle details around the country, when you need us we will make sure we dont bother as we are such a waste of time.
Next time you get an offside flat, call someone else to assist closing the lane because we are a waste of time.
Next time you smack in the back of another truck because you are so professional that you travel 2 feet off his bumper, dont call us to help, we are a waste of time.
Next time your wife/partner breaks down with the kids in the car we wil drive past and ignore her, she is fair game to a truck driver changing his cd who drifts onto the shelf and wipes out her and the kids because we are a waste of time.
Next time you hit a chunk of metal in the carriageway and damage your car ruining your day out, dont call us to remove it, we are a waste of time.
Next time you drive through a pot hole and it damages your car or damages an air line on the truck leaving you sticking out into lane 1 ready for one of your mates to smack into, dont call us, we are a waste of time.
next time theres an animal on the carriageway causing people to swerve or brake, dont call us, we are a waste of time.
Instead, call the Police and when they tell you they wont be attending please let us know so i can laugh my bits off at you being left there with an offside flat because the fitter wont work 6 inches away from your colleagues driving down the motorway in their professional manner. I can laugh at your wife/partner being left on an unlit motorway with a flat battery and no lights. I can laugh at you being left seriously injured trapped in your truck that no “real” emergency services can get to because we havent done our job of managing the traffic. I can laugh at you telling us about another HGV accident because we wastes of space didnt get there and warn the traffic about you sticking out into the traffic.
Interestingly, i consider you and many of your driving colleagues to be a waste of space too. I just dont go around targeting them all the time for critisism, perhaps i should.
Mick.