Smart motorways: all lane running on the M25. Guidance for EEAST crews

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1 Smart motorways: all lane running on the M25 Guidance for EEAST crews Published April 2014

2 Background This month (April 2014) the Highways Agency launched its smart motorways, which make use of new technology to vary speed limits and help traffic in response to what s happening on the road. Managed by the Highways Agency regional control centres, it has the ability to open the hard shoulder for normal road users under (either permanently or when there are high levels of congestion) and change speed limits. These changes mean that some motorways in our patch are now using all lane running, including the M25 from the A10 to the A1 westbound, and from Potters Bar to the A10 eastbound. This means the hard shoulder is permanently converted into a traffic lane on these sections of the motorway. Instead of the hard shoulder there are regularly spaced emergency refuge areas for the public, each one with an emergency telephone. If there is a road traffic collision on one of these sections of motorway, the Highways Agency can identify it through CCTV and close any lane by displaying a red X on the gantries, moving traffic away from the incident and keeping it clear for us and other emergency vehicles. The public are not allowed to drive in a lane with a red X displayed over it. A full list of the motorways affected can be found on the Highways Agency website. The smart motorway options are: all lane running: As described above, this means that the hard shoulder is permanently converted into a traffic lane, usually making it a four-lane motorway. hard shoulder running: The hard shoulder can be opened to normal road users at busy times and the speed limit will be reduced. Overhead signs will signal if this is active. controlled motorway: Controlled motorways have three or more lanes with variable speed limits that can be changed remotely. Normal road users can only use the hard shoulder in a genuine emergency. Smart motorways: all lane running 2

3 How it affects us Junctions 5 to 7, and 23 to 27, of the M25 are becoming all lane running, i.e. these sections of the motorway will have no hard shoulder. This will be controlled by the overhead matrix boards and constantly monitored by Highways Agency CCTV. Notifying EEAST s attendance to an incident on these sections of road is clearly a high priority, as there will be no hard shoulder available. The emergency operations centre (EOC) will take responsibility for contacting the Highways Agency. CCTV to monitor traffic conditions, including during incidents Signed cameras monitor traffic speed for enforcement purposes Signs mounted at the verge provide enhanced driver information including informing drivers of the speed limit and the availabaility of lanes Emergency refuge area N.B. the emergency refuge area is not big enough to allow a Trust vehicle to exit safely into lane one, so exit with extreme caution. Loops hidden in the road allow monitoring of traffic flows Smart motorways: all lane running 3

4 M25 carriageways The main carriageways on the M25 are identified by the letters A or B: Carriageway A is the clockwise carriageway Carriageway B is the anticlockwise carriageway Therefore any information passed, including initial verification and any subsequent updates, should be communicated as follows: Clockwise or anticlockwise carriageway, which may include A or B Junction numbers on the carriageway Marker posts. When identifying slip roads at junctions, please use exit/off slip and entry/on slip. Example 1 Incident is on the A clockwise carriageway, between junctions 24 and 25 at marker post X. Example 2 Incident is on the B anticlockwise carriageway, just after the entry slip at junction 25 at marker post X. A = clockwise carriageway B = anticlockwise carriageway J = exit/off slip road off carriageway A K = entry/on slip road onto carriageway A M = entry/on slip road onto carriageway B L= exit/off slip road off carriageway B Interchanges All motorways leading to and from London identify carriageway A as leading away from London, and carriageway B as returning back to London. Lane referencing Standard lane referencing is used throughout the all-lane running area. Within a four lane section, lane one is closest to the nearside verge and lane four is adjacent to the central reserve. Some small lengths of hard shoulder have been maintained on the approaches to and within Holmesdale and Bell Common tunnels. Smart motorways: all lane running 4

5 Communication The smart motorway scheme between J23 and J27, and J5 and J7, cross multiple service boundaries and, until the exact location (i.e. marker post) of an incident can be established, it is likely to result in duplication when deploying resources. This means the same emergency service response could be resourced by more than one partner (i.e. a response from both LAS and EEAST). The primary objective during verification is that sufficient details are gathered about an incident to enable the most appropriate deployment of resources. The mnemonic METHANE is commonly used by all emergency responders. Major Emergency Declared/Standby Exact Location Type of Emergency Hazards, Present and Potential Access / Egress routes Number and types of Casualties Emergency services present and required What happens if an incident occurs in an all lane running area? Upon notification / detection of an incident occurring within the all lane running area the Highways Agency will: set a blanket 50mph speed restriction along the entire length of the affected link(s) (junction to junction), in conjunction with a sign appropriate to the nature of the reported incident (e.g. incident, accident, obstruction, debris, etc). at the earliest opportunity use CCTV to verify the location and extent of the incident and disseminate this to other responders via their respective control rooms deploy Highways Agency traffic officer(s) as appropriate confirm or arrange the attendance of other emergency services adjust sign and signal setting as necessary to provide protection for the incident and to control the flow of traffic identify the most appropriate route and/or access point for all responders and disseminate this to other responders via their respective control rooms. The access route will typically be by one of the following options and will be considered in this order: 1. With the normal flow of traffic on the affected carriageway 2. Against the normal flow of traffic on the affected carriageway by the implementation of initial reverse Access, or reverse flow for longer protracted incidents. More information on this can be found on the next pages. Smart motorways: all lane running 5

6 Access with the normal flow If access can be achieved by travelling with the normal flow of traffic on the affected carriageway, the Highways Agency will set a red X lane closure signal to provide a clear access lane to the incident scene. This will be supplemented by the text lane closed for incident access. Typically, the access lane will be established in lane one for incidents occurring in nearside lanes, and in lane four for those occurring in offside lanes, as below: RTC in lanes 1 and/or 2 Highways Agency will close lane 1 to provide the access route RTC in Lanes 3 and/or 4 Highways Agency will close lane 4 to provide the access route RTC in Lanes 2 and/or 3 Highways Agency will view CCTV and advise emergency responders which lane will be used to access incident It is noted that whilst more than one lane may be closed at the incident scene, only one lane will be closed for incident access. Remember, within a four lane section, lane one is closest to the nearside verge and lane four is adjacent to the central reserve. Access via reverse flow Reverse flow is considered if it is not possible to access an incident with the flow of traffic on the affected carriageway. The Highways Agency will advise the emergency services if this is the case. Reverse flow entails responder vehicles entering the affected carriageway at an agreed access point somewhere downstream from the incident (e.g. at the next junction or an emergency turnaround point) and travelling against the normal flow of traffic to the incident scene. Before reverse flow can be implemented, a police, fire or Highways Agency Bronze Commander must be established. They are responsible for coordinating all vehicle movements to and from the scene, and must verify that no vehicles can pass the scene. Any vehicles that have stopped after the scene should remain stationary and not move until instructed to do so. Reverse flow also requires a resource at the access point. As some responders (e.g. our ambulances) may need to leave the scene whilst other resources are still en-route, the affected carriageway essentially becomes a two-way road and it is imperative that all responders adhere to the prescribed procedure. Smart motorways: all lane running 6

7 Useful diagrams Lane 1 and 2 closure Smart motorways: all lane running 7

8 Useful diagrams Initial reverse access procedure Smart motorways: all lane running 8

9 For more information, please speak to the driver training unit, your line manager, or visit the Highways Agency website. Smart motorways: all lane running 9