New motorway message trial gives drivers latest traffic information

1 August 2006

Drivers on parts of the M6 and M5 this summer can get real-time information about their journeys as part of a Highways Agency trial.   Electronic roadside signs at major junctions on the two motorways will show the latest travel time and delay information from the Agency’s National Traffic Control Centre as part of a region-wide trial.   The messages will tell drivers the expected journey time to specific junctions on the motorway.   Showing journey times on our electronic signs will help drivers plan their journeys,’ said Dr Stephen Ladyman, the minister for roads.   ‘It will help them plan and consider options such as changing their route or taking a break if there are traffic delays ahead of them.   They'll also have greater certainty about the time it will take to get to their destinations.’   The area covered by the new trial consists of the M6 Stoke (J15) to M5 Bristol (J17) and M6 Stoke (J15) to its junction with the M1 (J19) This is a total distance of 160 miles along two sections of central England's busiest motorway routes.

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