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Better information for your journey
The National Traffic Control Centre collects real-time information on road conditions.
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How We Manage Our Roads
In this section you can find out more about how we manage and maintain these roads and plan for the future
The Project Control Framework
This framework sets out how we, together with the Department for Transport, manage and deliver major road improvement projects.
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Helpful ways to access the latest traffic information when you need it.
M42 Jct 3a - Jct 7 Active Traffic Management
What happens in an incident or accident?
If an incident occurs on the M42 Active Traffic Management scheme, the control centre operator and automatic system will change the signs and signals to alert road users to the conditions on the road ahead.
The signals can also be used to open and close lanes, where necessary. For example, the control room could direct vehicles out of a lane and open it up for emergency vehicles to access an incident. The gantries used on this scheme are much closer together than other motorways, which gives us greater control over the traffic and gives you, the driver, more information about what is happening on the motorway ahead.
This means that the control centre can easily provide access to the incident for on-road help, in the form of emergency services and Highways Agency Traffic Officers, who will help to manage the incident. The Traffic Officers will be able to provide on-the-spot backup to the emergency services, removing obstructions, assisting with traffic management and repairing roadside equipment, thus helping to quickly re-open the road and reduce delays to drivers.
More information on Highways Agency Traffic Officers.
The control centre can also open the hard shoulder, under controlled conditions, as an extra running lane to reduce the impact of incidents by providing extra space for the traffic. This will help to keep the traffic flowing and minimise delays.
