Official release from the Highways Agency:

The Highways Agency is carrying out a trial of a new generation of motorway signs - Motorway Signal Mark 4s - on the M4 between junctions 12 at Theale and 14 at Hungerford.

The 36 hi-tech signs display both pictures, known as pictograms, and text.
They can be used to show advisory speed limits and lane closures as well as providing advance information about incidents and road conditions ahead.

The combination of pictures and text can be understood at a glance and helps drivers to prepare and react more quickly to incidents ahead.

The signs are automatically operated using technology to detect slow moving or stationary traffic and can also be manually set by the police from their Kidlington Police Control Room located in Oxfordshire.

Closed Circuit Television Cameras have been mounted on a number of the MS4 signs. These cameras have been installed as part of the evaluation of the pilot, which is scheduled to run until December 2004.

The cameras provide a wide view of the carriageway so that the Highways Agency can see how drivers react to the signs. Images from the cameras will also enable police in their control room to pinpoint where incidents have occurred, enabling them to set the signs more promptly and accurately.

The cameras are in place for evaluation and safety reasons only. They are not speed enforcement cameras, and do not have the technical functionality to be used for recognition of number plates.


Kitty