Those signs that are in the central reservations of motorways, that are illuminated to say 'Fog', or 40mph. I suggest that they are worse than useless, and can be downright dangerous.
Trafficmaster seems to have about a 5 minute delay between a blockage & getting the information onto its system. The Highways authority seems to have a several hour delay before switching them off.
Saturday morning, driving up the M11, both directions indicated 60mph. Presumably it had been foggy, but there was no longer any evidence of htat.
Monday evening, going back down it, where the M11 meets the North circular, we were instructed to do 40mph. Needless to say, Trafficmaster (via Orange) confirmed no delays.
Who maintains these, and how? And why are they incapable of updating the information. Old information means that these signs cause traffic jams.
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yes tis true MM.
these signs do my swede in !
also those ones that say "DONT DRIVE TIRED"
i keep thinking they are talking to me, if only one day they would say "DONT DRIVE TIREDEYES!"
and i always laugh to myself on the fog ones. ! Doh !
really, is that fog? i would never have known it without those signs !
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Doesn't a motorway sign saying 'fog' make it mandatory for all drivers to switch on their fog lights regardless of actual conditions?
(Very much TIC by the way)
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In the same way that heavy rain prompts some drivers to flick their rear fog lamp on?
Aaaaarrrgh - I'm dazzled!
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I agree, although I tend to turn on my rear fog lights when its foggy / heavy rain if I cannot see anyone behind me. When someone appears in my rear view and is clearly visible to me, I turn the fog lights off - if I can see him, he can see me.
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In very heavy spray, (and lord knows there has bene enough of that the last two days) if I cant see the rear lights in the spray ball up ahead, then my rear fogs go on. Dazzle you? in some of this spray I bet you can barely see them.
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I agree, RF.
IIRC the requirement for putting rear fogs on is visibility limited to 50 yards (or whatever).
There is no doubt that in heavy spray, at a ceiling of 14 inches, visibility is less than these 50 yards. So what's the problem with using high intensity rear lights (sic - not fog)?
If I cannot see the tail lights of the car in front, then the person behind cannot see mine.
PS, the heavens have just opened in central London, and there's a fine thunderstorm just started!
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Yes indeedy my laguna started wailing its alarm in distress at the first big clap of thunder.
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I was in heavy traffic at less than 20mph- therefore no spray! Car in front had fog lamps on.
I agree with your comments re heavy spray however. Maybe I should have a bit a little clearer in my earlier post.
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However just because the sign says fog, spray etc. doesn't mean you have to switch on the fog lights even if there isn't the slightest hint of mist in the air! (I wonder how many people who would use that as as reason would go quiet if asked whether they also obeyed the speed limits suggested by these signs..)
Again somewhat TIC
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Travelling through from Edinburgh to Glasgow on M8 today, hit Harthill services at 5.45pm and the traffic came to a halt. Why?
A full blown hail storm! The complete carriageway was a whiteout, couldn't see a thing, wheels were spinning everywhere!
Yes this is May, and yes, very few cars thought this was enough reason to put their lights on!
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If you didn't do 40mph and had an accident they could use it against you.
Not defending the driver in this incident, but....
www.cambridge-news.co.uk/search/dispstory.asp?id=5...1
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Those overhead signs are excellent - particularly when used with trafficline on the mobile phone (to check that it's still true!).
Which brings me back to my initial point that rather got lost in a discussion on foglights.
These signs can be brilliant. but they are apt to be switched on, and then not switched off. So who is responsible for turning them off, and why do they not do it.
My sympathies are with the Cambridge Evening News driver, as all too often the signs don't really mean anything at all as the hazard has long since passed. Most people therefore ignore them (or at least, drop to 70 when 50 is indicated).
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Last weekend I was coming back along the M40 from Banbury to Bicester. Just before J9 the middle signs were flashing 30 and the overhead sign was showing "Warning, pedestrians in the carriageway".
Don't suppose anybody knows what was happening ?
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