If you consider how a call may come in. Either someone sees something from a vehicle, or a CCTV operator may be alerted to something. CCTV is probably straightforwards as there will be direct links to Highway Officers and police.
If a call comes in from a motorist getting the exact location can take a while. Which motorway? Whch carriageway? Which junction are you near? Where did you see the problem? All have to be answered before anyone can be dispatched. If someone calls in hands free and continues to drive they could be a long way from where they saw the problem.
Whoever is dispatched then has to try and find the obstruction (generally easy as they tend not to move), get a plan for removing it and then go about removing it. In my mosts recent case it was a large wheel and tyre in lane two/three of a four lane, so the traffic all had to be moved to lane 4, then work could start to move it.
In case of pedestrians on the carriageway they move! Whoever is dispatched needs to confirm there is someone, if possible find them, considering they may have wandered off the carriageway and could be on an embankment, they could be vulnerable, suicidal etc etc. Until a search has taken place, the person found, or it is decided they have left the area the warning needs to remain in place.
Edited by daveyjp on 24/08/2022 at 11:17
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