Smart Motorways PDF

Smart Motorways Learning outcomes By 1 he end of this Chapter you should: ^ Understand th^ additional safety issues with responding to and attending incidents on the smart motorway network. Understand the process for reverse access and rearward relief. Understand the consider...

Smart Motorways Learning outcomes By 1 he end of this Chapter you should: ^ Understand th^ additional safety issues with responding to and attending incidents on the smart motorway network. Understand the process for reverse access and rearward relief. Understand the considerations for scene management on a smart motorway.  Smart motorways make use of a range of traffic management measures to control speeds, add capacity and inform road users of conditions on the network, These include; Variable mandatory speed limits (VMSLs) with associated enforcement and compliance system ► Driver information including lane availability, displayed at intervals not exceeding 1,500 metres - information is provided through a mixture of gantry- and verge-mounted signs and signals capable of displaying mandatory speed limits and full-carriageway mandatory lane closures ► Motorway service areas (MSAs) and other roadside facilities, which perform an important road safety function by providing road users with the opportunityto stop and take a break in the course of their journey ► Emergency roadside telephones (ERTs), which give a direct line to an operator ► Gantries with supporting variable message signs, sometimes also with signals, displaying automatically altered speed limits Matorway incident detection and automatic signalling (MIDAS) operating system. Access via normal flow of traffic on the affected carriageway Emergency response in normal traffic flow will be the initial and preferred approach to attend incidents.This entails approachingthe incident from the rear, using the carriageway on which the reported incident has occurred, and in the same direction as normal traffic flow. Where traffic flows indicate that access can be achieved by travelling with the normal flow of traffic on the affected carriageway on an all-lane running motorway, the regional control centre (RCC) will set red 'X lane' closure signals to provide an access lane to the incident scene. This is because on an all-lane motorway,there is no hard shoulderfor access. To encourage compliance, the red 'X's will be supplementedby the legend ‘Lane closed for incident access' (see Figure 14.1). The access lane will be established well in advance of the incident and can be set back as fares the previous junction, or beyond where necessary. Typically, 124 the access lane will be established in Lane 1 for incidents occurring in nearside lanes and in Lane 4 for those occurring in offside lanes, as below: ► Road traffic collision (RTC) in Lanes 1 and 2: RCC will close Lane 1 to provide the access route ► RTC in Lanes 3 and 4: RCC will close Lane 4 to provide the access route ► RTC in Lanes 2 and 3: RCC will close Lane 1 to provide the access route (as first preference). This approach aims to keep as many lanes as possible (from a safety point of view), open past the incident to keep traffic flowing and facilitate emergency response upstream on the affected carriageway. Note that while more than one lane may be closed at the incident scene, only one lane will be closed for incident access. \ Un«el«Md \ s Lane closed Primary closure immediately upstream of incident (40)1 (40 40^ (50) titl‘d Divert arrow up AeeMent j to 1.5 km prior to closure signal Accident Warning SO Lane doted information up theed to 3 km prior to Lane closed closure signal ahead [=3 Figure 14.1 Carriageway incident signalling. 125  Reverse access Using reverse access will normally be the tactical option in the early stages of an incident, when access with the flow of traffic on the affected carriageway becomes problematic for any reason. Reverse access requires emergency vehicles to report to a rendezvous point (RVP) at the reverse flow access point (normally the next junction downstream from the incident), The personnel at the access point need to be instructed clegriy on the procedure to be followed for reverse access, including turning safely into the carriageway at the end of the entry slip onto the motorway. Emergency vehicles will enter the motorway on the 'on' slip road (except on Junctions where there isn't an 'on' slip road in which case the 'off slip road o Inf Rcvefir,.Iw- JU 9^ V vehicles wwgertcy v»M(l« isJip nil JVdildble on slip still avAiUbIc to rv^nin9 irelhc to formin9 itafFic E h 9 li fr«mc nov> rAlTkflow Ttafhc Dow TtaHv Aow 1> 0 Q M^#Ulliri9 M^ishaHtng NoS), and scene safety has been established. Incident scene management Management of the incident scene will begin when responders have reached the scene of operations and start undertaking scene safety duties, If in attendance, this is the responsibility of police or traffic officers, allowing other responders to focus on undertaking their core functions. If police or traffic officers are not in attendance, the fire service will be responsible for scene safety and will adopt its own scene safety measures to protect operations and personnel at the scene. Any lane closures and requests for variable message sign and signal changes made by the ambulance or fire service must be communicated to RCC via their respective control operators. This should also include a request for additional support from police and traffic officers as appropriate. Highways England's responsibility on scene is to enhance traffic management in accordance with the National Ambulance Resilience Unit's Guidance for Ambulance Service response to Incidents on the Motorway Network (Including Smart Motorways): 'Highways England will protect the scene by using signs and signals or by setting up emergency traffic management, enhanced traffic management or temporary traffic management and manage the outer cordon by placing interventions on the approach to the incident to manage traffic across motorway networks' (Department for Transport, 2009). In the devolved nations, other organisations support the police in managing the flow of traffic on motorways and trunk roads. 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