Red lights for freeways
UK to trial traffic lights on motorways to ease congestionTwo UK motorways will fall under traffic light control next month in a trial scheme to cut motorway congestion.
The intuitively counterproductive scheme is the brainchild of Highways England, which will roll out the lights on the M6 and M62 motorways at two critical junctions, but only during peak hours.
Unlike traditional slip-road or on-ramp traffic lights that manage the flow of traffic onto busy motorways, the new scheme will employ the lights on the motorway itself.
Highways England released data that showed that the country’s 3700km of motorways made up one percent of the country’s roads, but 21 per cent of the 516 billion driving kilometres annually, with traffic up 30 per cent over the last two decades.
"Once the system is fully up and running we'll be monitoring its use over a period of up to a year,” Highways England's Andy Withington said in a statement.
“If it is successful — and we believe it will be — it could well be used on other motorway to motorway link roads across the country."
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