Road Technology: New Traffic Technology For SH1 Wellington
March 17th, 2010
New technology to improve safety, traffic flow and on-road information is being introduced for Wellington motorway users. New electronic ‘Lane Control Signs’ on SH1 from the Terrace Tunnel in Wellington city to Ngauranga Gorge will be ready to go next month. Mounted on gantries and bridges straddling the motorway, the Lane Control Signs will display symbols to inform motorists of lane closures and revised speed limits.
Short messages may also be displayed on larger electronic signs to provide information about incidents such as crashes, adverse driving conditions or congestion, and to suggest alternative routes when appropriate. The signs will enable emergency services and motorway maintenance teams to reach and clear crash sites quickly and safely by directing motorists away from affected lanes. They will also minimise the phenomenon known as secondary crashes, caused when motorists are taken by surprise by a queue of vehicles slowed by an earlier incident.
The new signs will be managed via a fibre-optic network and CCTV cameras. These cameras, like others used in the region, will be monitored by a team of traffic operators based at the NZTA’s Wellington Traffic Operations Centre. Wellington Operations Manager Mark Owen says the technology will bring a variety of advantages. “Safety, speed and travel times will all be improved, and we’ll be communicating quality information to motorists where they need it most; in their cars.”
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