Highways Agency - Safe roads, Reliable journeys, Informed travellers

Highways Agency Information Points (HAIP)

Frequently Asked Questions

What is HAIP?

The Highways Agency Information Points (HAIP) provide free live traffic information about the motorways and A-Roads in England
(it does not include Scotland and Wales), 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

With HAIP, you can see what is happening on the roads and use this information to make smarter travel choices.

Why do people use the HAIP service?

Many road users use this service to:

• Monitor the status of the motorways before leaving venues or during breaks in their journey.
• See that the roads and motorways are flowing freely or if there are any major delays on their route use the information to make smarter travel choices.

How do the HAIPs work?

Data about the traffic volumes, speed and travel times is collected from the motorways and major A-Roads in England using sensors and readers such as inductive loops and ANPR (automatic number plate recognition) cameras. This data is compiled by the Agency's National Traffic Control Centre and combined with other data sources to provide information that is relevant to road users at the individual venues hosting the service.

The information is continually updated and is therefore an accurate picture of the current situation on the roads.

Which roads are covered?

The Highways Agency network includes all the motorways and major A-Roads in England.  It comprises about three percent of the country's roads, but carries around a third of all traffic and two-thirds of freight.

View a map of our network

What does the motorway colour coding mean?

The road is colour coded according to the measured speed of traffic on a stretch of road to help visualise the traffic flow:

• Blue - speed is above 50mph
• Orange - speed is between 30mph and 50mph
• Red - speed is less than 30mph
• Grey - no speed data is available

Where are HAIPs situated?

• Ashford International Truck Stop M20 J10
• Birchanger Green (both carriageways) M11 J8
• Bluewater Shopping Centre M25 / A2 J2
• Charnock Richard (North & South) M6 J27-28
• Corley (East and West) M6 J3-4
• Fleet (South) M3 J4a-5
• Hartshead Moor (East) M62 J25-26
• Hopwood Park (both carriageways) M42 J2
• Keele (South) M6 J15-16
• Leicester Forest East (South) M1 J21-21a
• London Gateway (both carriageways) M1 J2-4
• Membury (East & West) M4 J14-15
• Michaelwood (North & South) M5 J13-14 
• Newport Pagnell (North & South) M1 J14-15
• Orwell Crossing Lorry Park (East) A14 J57-58
• Oxford (North) M40 J8a
• Rugby Night Owl Truck Stop A5 / M1 J18
• Sedgemoor (North) M5 J21-22
• South Mimms (both carriageways) M25 J23
• Telford (both carriageways) M54 J4
• Warwick (North) M40 J13-12
• Woodall (South) M1 J30-31

What other HA services provide live traffic information?

Real-time traffic information for England's motorways and major A roads is also available:

On the internet at http://www.highways.gov.uk/trafficinfo or http://www.highways.gov.uk/mobile from a mobile.

From our Traffic Radio service, available on DAB digital radio and the internet at http://www.trafficradio.org.uk/. To tune into the DAB service, simply press the "scan" button on your radio. The radio will tune into all available channels and you can select the new service by scrolling through the channels until you reach "Traffic Radio".

By phone from the Highways Agency 24-hour voice activated phone service on 08700 660 115. (Calls from BT landlines to 0870 numbers will cost no more than 8p per minute; mobile calls usually cost more).

Before using a mobile, find a safe place to park. Never stop on the hard shoulder of a motorway except in an emergency. Make sure it's safe and legal before you call.

Next generation HAIPs

New HAIPS roll-out across England to 100 new venues.

The next generation of the Highways Agency Information Points (HAIP) will be located on or close to the Highways Agency network and will display details of incidents in the immediate area, while also showing the wider national picture. The new HAIP content will include:

• CCTV
• Text
• Maps
• Images

This will allow road users to access key information where they start their journey - such as airports, ports and major venues - or where they break their journey at places like motorway service areas.

The service will provide trusted, reliable, useful and effective real time travel and traffic information at these locations to assist our customers and support a more reliable onward journey.

We expect most places will show the Highways Agency information on large display screens in public areas.

How can I leave some feedback?

You can use the following services to provide feedback and comments to help improve the service.

Highways Agency Information Line - 08457 50 40 30 which is open 24/7 all year round.

Alternatively, you can e-mail them on the following address: ha_info@highways.gsi.gov.uk

We take this feedback into account when designing upgrades to the services.

Why is not all local traffic information available?

The Highways Agency is responsible for the motorways and major A-Roads. The county/city councils and other local authorities manage most of the other roads. A few roads are privately owned.

Many local authorities do hold traffic information, roadwork schedules and CCTV images. These can be integrated into the next generation of Information Points where appropriate.

How can I get traffic information for the rest of the UK?

Information for the rest of the UK can be found through public news websites such as Transport Direct (http://www.transportdirect.info/) and others listed on our Useful Links page.

What is a roadside variable message sign (VMS)?

These signs are used to provide information to road users on the motorways and major A-Roads. Their main purpose is to communicate information and advice to drivers about emergencies, incidents and network management, aimed at improving safety and minimising the impact of congestion.

We also provide travel and delay times on VMS. This service is being rolled out on the majority of motorways and some major A-roads across England. The new messages let drivers know about the road conditions ahead, therefore allowing them to make informed decisions during their journeys.

How do traffic cameras work?

A traffic camera is a video camera positioned at strategic locations across the trunk road network to provide an immediate view of the traffic and any incidents for our control rooms. There are over 1500 cameras which are managed by operators in the National Traffic Control Centre (NTCC) and Regional Control Centre (RCC) control rooms.

The cameras are provided first and foremost for our operators to manage incidents.  

Occasionally an image will not be publicly available because the image is considered unsuitable or there are other operational reasons for doing so. 

The camera locations are not always the same as the monitoring equipment which provides speed information. Hence these two sources can sometimes appear to provide different information. This is because the traffic conditions visible on a traffic camera are localised, whereas the speed information is averaged across larger stretches of the road network.

What is MIDAS?

To make the signals and signs more responsive to traffic conditions a system called Motorway Incident Detection and Automated Signalling (MIDAS) has been developed. The system detects incidents or congestion from loops in the road and automatically sets appropriate VMS messages to warn drivers of conditions of the road ahead, together with maximum speed advised.

Find out more about MIDAS. 

CCTV

A traffic camera is a video camera positioned at strategic locations across the trunk road network to provide an immediate view of the traffic and any incidents for our control rooms. There are over 1500 cameras which are managed by operators in the National Traffic Control Centre (NTCC) and Regional Control Centre (RCC) control rooms.

Find out more about CCTV.