Motorway Squares

jltownshend · Post by **jltownshend** » Thu Apr 26, 2007 10:54 am

What are the squares of banding for every few hundred yards (and just in the wrong place on on/off ramp roads)?

It's been bothering me for ages...

Thanks!

m25jambuster · Post by **m25jambuster** » Thu Apr 26, 2007 11:19 am

They are usually used as marker point by traffic police when recording a motorists speed using Vascar equipment. Can sometimes also be used by Police Helicopter crew for the same purpose.

sproggy · Post by **sproggy** » Thu Apr 26, 2007 11:20 am

I'm pretty sure they're sensors to detect stationary traffic - part of the traffic management system used to monitor the motorway network. But I'm willing to be corrected.

m25jambuster · Post by **m25jambuster** » Thu Apr 26, 2007 11:36 am

Sorry my mistake - misread the post - Sproggy is correct. I thought you meant the painted square blocks on the lanes of motorways etc.

bigblackfalco · Post by **bigblackfalco** » Thu Apr 26, 2007 11:41 am

jltownshend wrote:What are the squares of banding for every few hundred yards (and just in the wrong place on on/off ramp roads)?

It's been bothering me for ages...

Thanks!

Something for you to aim for when it's raining and you should've changed your tyres a few weeks back

Stevie · Post by **Stevie** » Thu Apr 26, 2007 11:44 am

I'm gonna kill that BlackAl. He told me they were guidance instrumentation for alien kidnap flights.

bigblackfalco · Post by **bigblackfalco** » Thu Apr 26, 2007 11:59 am

sproggy wrote:I'm pretty sure they're sensors to detect stationary traffic - part of the traffic management system used to monitor the motorway network. But I'm willing to be corrected.

Now I'm confused! Can you explain a little better....which white squares?

jltownshend · Post by **jltownshend** » Thu Apr 26, 2007 12:10 pm

bigblackfalco wrote: Something for you to aim for when it's raining and you should've changed your tyres a few weeks back

You've seen me then!

I do seem strangely drawn to the ones on the ramp roads...especially with low tyre pressure...

sproggy · Post by **sproggy** » Thu Apr 26, 2007 12:39 pm

bigblackfalco wrote:
sproggy wrote:I'm pretty sure they're sensors to detect stationary traffic - part of the traffic management system used to monitor the motorway network. But I'm willing to be corrected.
Now I'm confused! Can you explain a little better....which white squares?

They're not white squares. They're rectangular outlines of over-banding - basically 'they' grind grooves in the road surface in a rectangular pattern, put wires in the groves and then cover them over with over-banding tar. Easy to miss in the dry, not so easy to miss in the wet......

bigblackfalco · Post by **bigblackfalco** » Thu Apr 26, 2007 12:56 pm

Ahhhh...that makes more slippery sense. They're the ones that make yer sphincter do a 50p piece

Blackal · Post by **Blackal** » Thu Apr 26, 2007 3:55 pm

Stevie wrote:I'm gonna kill that BlackAl. He told me they were guidance instrumentation for alien kidnap flights.

The voices told me that's what they were

They are panels cut in the road, by the company "Trafficmasters" and they can register the speed a car or commercial vehicle is doing. You will notice a grey box at the side of the road in line with them.

a la DS2

http://www.ukspeedcameras.co.uk/guide.htm#DS2

Sneaky - feckin' sneaky

Al

sproggy · Post by **sproggy** » Thu Apr 26, 2007 4:04 pm

[quote="BlackalSneaky - feckin' sneaky

[/quote]

But it doesn't matter - they don't know who's vehicle it is doing whatever speed they record. Or even what vehicle.

Stevie · Post by **Stevie** » Thu Apr 26, 2007 4:32 pm

I don't think that's right BlackAl. The loop/grey box combination is operated by Amey (in Scotland anyway) and is there purely to detect traffic flow. In Scotland they are linked into the TrafficScotland data centre (used to be Nadics) which identifies and disseminates congestion information in central Scotland.

The Trafficmaster system uses ANPR boxes which are mast mounted, and coloured blue to avoid confusion with ANPR speed enforcement systems.

sproggy · Post by **sproggy** » Fri Apr 27, 2007 7:16 am

Stevie wrote:The Trafficmaster system uses ANPR boxes which are mast mounted, and coloured blue to avoid confusion with ANPR speed enforcement systems.

Errr, I don't think that's right - Trafficmaster doesn't use ANPR but simply monitors traffic speed. What would they need with ANPR? Or is Big Brother really watching us in that respect? I hope you're wrong.

Stevie · Post by **Stevie** » Fri Apr 27, 2007 8:48 am

As I understand it, Trafficmaster were given a licence to use ANPR for traffic flow monitoring. I understand that the conditions of licence were that the number plate information is not to stored or made available to anyone else.

It's described here:
http://www.spy.org.uk/cgi-bin/trafficmaster.pl

Also on the Wikipedia entry for ANPR

The UK company Trafficmaster has used ANPR since 1998 to estimate average traffic speeds on non-motorway roads without the results being skewed by local fluctuations caused by traffic lights and similar. The company now operates a network of over 4000 ANPR cameras [10], but claims that only the four most central digits are identified, and no numberplate data is retained [11].

And theses are the guys that make it:
http://www.pipstechnology.co.uk/

www.boxertrix.com

Motorway Squares

Motorway Squares

Re: Motorway Squares

Re: Motorway Squares