ILLUMINATING M25 DANGERS

The death of a Kent county council worker whilst clearing debris from the carriageway highlights the dangers of motorway maintenance especially in the case of the M25. This is a particularly dangerous stretch of motorway where traffic flows of up to 100000 vehicles a day (expected to rise by 200% with the arrival of European traffic) are experienced and where the carriageway is unlit. There is evidence that lighting would save both motorists' lives and enable maintenance to be carried out at night but the DTP requires installation to be economically justified. Access to the carriageway is a major problem as rigid restrictions are in force regulating the number and timing of lane closures. Lane closures during maintenance are discussed with examples from Surrey, Essex, Buckinghamshire and the London Borough of Hounslow using signal display units, rolling lane closures and night working. It is suggested that the use of the dutch-style overhead gantries planned for the Dartford tunnel could be more widespread. The possibility of not doing the work at all is also discussed. (TRRL)

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/00396303
• Corporate Authors:

  Reed Business Information, Limited

  Quadrant House, The Quadrant
  Brighton Road
  Sutton, Surrey  United Kingdom  SM2 5AS
• Authors:
  • Parker, T
• Publication Date: 1988-10-13

Media Info

• Pagination: p. 12-15
• Serial:
  • SURVEYOR
  • Volume: 170
  • Issue Number: 5016
  • Publisher: Hemming Group, Limited
  • ISSN: 0039-6303

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Crashes; Freeways; Hazards; Highway maintenance; Night; Personnel; Protection; Risk assessment; Speed; Street lighting; Traffic flow; Traffic signals; Work zone traffic control
• Geographic Terms: United Kingdom
• Old TRIS Terms: Road closings
• ITRD Terms: 1643: Accident; 545: Lighting (street); 3847: Maintenance; 2752: Motorway; 9052: Night; 102: Personnel; 9149: Prevention; 9150: Risk; 637: Road closure; 5408: Speed; 671: Traffic flow; 565: Traffic signal; 8119: United Kingdom
• Subject Areas: Highways; Maintenance and Preservation; Safety and Human Factors; Security and Emergencies; Society;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00493186
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transport Research Laboratory
• Files: ITRD, TRIS
• Created Date: May 31 1990 12:00AM