BBC2's 'Motorway' programme

[Horse]

Anyone been watching the BBC2 Secret Life of the Motorway series, which focuses on the various people working on the M6, from traffic police (with hi-viz chaplain), to HA control room staff, Traffic Officers, road workers etc.?

I understand it features in next Tuesday's programme the near-miss video which was collected by cameras I had installed onto a Traffic Office vehicle for a project, while it was attending an incident on the M6.



http://assets.highways.gov.uk/specia...l%20Report.pdf

If you read the report you'll see the relevance of my comments in the 'managed motorways risk' thread.

Episode 1 of the series featured road workers trying to put signs on the central reservation, carrying them between passing HGVs. This is also something I've worked a lot on over the last few years, and which we're about to eliminate completely.

http://www.rowsaf.org.uk/Newsletter_PDF ... sue%208%20[4].pdf
See red sidebar.

(You may need to C&P to your browser, the auto link doesn't like '[4]'

[Slink_Pink]

Holy near miss Batman! Sitting at my desk, I actually (subconsciously) wheeled my chair back slightly watching that. Glad I've recently been to the toilet or the results may have been worse!

Must be satisfying to see your work being used to good effect though.

[Horse]

You can probably imagine our reaction in the office the first time we crowded around a screen to watch - it still makes me flinch almost two years later! A few days earlier I'd been riding around in that vehicle and stopped on one of the elevated sections - no good jumping over the barrier there without an abseil harness!

[jont]

I understand it features in next Tuesday's programme the near-miss video which was collected by cameras I had installed onto a Traffic Office vehicle for a project, while it was attending an incident on the M6.

Presumably not enough evidence to identify the driver for prosecution? Surely otherwise it has to be a pretty clear-cut "DWDCA" if not outright dangerous driving.

[martine]

http://assets.highways.gov.uk/specia...l%20Report.pdf

If you read the report you'll see the relevance of my comments in the 'managed motorways risk' thread.

(You may need to C&P to your browser, the auto link doesn't like '[4]'

I would but the link...doesn't.

[Horse]

I understand it features in next Tuesday's programme the near-miss video which was collected by cameras I had installed onto a Traffic Office vehicle for a project, while it was attending an incident on the M6.

Presumably not enough evidence to identify the driver for prosecution? Surely otherwise it has to be a pretty clear-cut "DWDCA" if not outright dangerous driving.

This is a test:

Watch the video again, carefully. Look at the two vehicles which pass through immediately after the errant HGV, in the rear-facing video. What was in lane 3? Watch the front-facing video; just after the HGV pulls in, what two colours do you see flashing?

[Horse]

http://assets.highways.gov.uk/specialis ... Report.pdf

[martine]

http://assets.highways.gov.uk/specialist-information/knowledge-compendium/2011-13-knowledge-programme/Traffic%20Officer%20Vehicle%20Conspicuity%20Final%20Report.pdf

Thanks Horse - that works.

Rather than me read the whole report can you point me in the right direction for the relevant bit to your motorway posts earlier? I'm not sure what point you're trying to make.

[Horse]

http://assets.highways.gov.uk/specialist-information/knowledge-compendium/2011-13-knowledge-programme/Traffic%20Officer%20Vehicle%20Conspicuity%20Final%20Report.pdf

Thanks Horse - that works.

Rather than me read the whole report can you point me in the right direction for the relevant bit to your motorway posts earlier? I'm not sure what point you're trying to make.

Do you mean about where to stand and wait? Look first at the diagrams of how far a TOV woild travel, and in what range of directions, if hit by an HGV. Then look at the advice for motorists, towards the end.

[Mr Cholmondeley-Warner]

I understand it features in next Tuesday's programme the near-miss video which was collected by cameras I had installed onto a Traffic Office vehicle for a project, while it was attending an incident on the M6.

Presumably not enough evidence to identify the driver for prosecution? Surely otherwise it has to be a pretty clear-cut "DWDCA" if not outright dangerous driving.

This is a test:

Watch the video again, carefully. Look at the two vehicles which pass through immediately after the errant HGV, in the rear-facing video. What was in lane 3? Watch the front-facing video; just after the HGV pulls in, what two colours do you see flashing?

OK so after watching it 20 or so times, I was able to see the traffic car after the truck had passed. I could not see any flashing colours - the headlamp glare just drowned everything else out for me. I saw no forward facing video.

Presumably your suggestion is that the truck was just trying to move out of the way of the traffic car - caused by some domino effect of other motorists changing lanes?

[Gareth]

Watch the video again, carefully. Look at the two vehicles which pass through immediately after the errant HGV, in the rear-facing video.

Do you have access to the source video file? I'm thinking it may show more detail than the YouTube version.

[Horse]

Sadly, not 'traffic' just a beat bobby (or whatever the correct term is).

It's noticeable that both the following (lane 2) HGV driver and the copper (lane 3) saw what was developing and hung back to give the errant HGV somewhere to go - unlike the car driver in lane 2 who was almost alongside the HGV when the driver swerved.

Apologies; I thought the video included that from the second camera, which was front-facing. After the near miss the HGV driver pulls in - followed by the police car, as the sky lights up blue & red.

Unfortunately, it was I believe just 'without due care' rather than anything more substantial. However, watch on Tuesday evening for the full-screen version!

[Horse]

Do you have access to the source video file? I'm thinking it may show more detail than the YouTube version.

I don't own the copyright (carefully not answering the question).

[Gareth]

It's noticeable that both the following (lane 2) HGV driver and the copper (lane 3) saw what was developing and hung back to give the errant HGV somewhere to go - unlike the car driver in lane 2 who was almost alongside the HGV when the driver swerved.

I was thinking the HGV driver may have moved into lane 1 after noticing the police car coming up in lane 3, possibly with blue lights. Of course the video clip doesn't show enough to indicate whether this might be the case, but I can imagine most drivers would, on seeing blue flashing lights approaching from behind, have the thought of getting out of the way uppermost in their minds even above wondering why an empty lane to the left was previously marked as closed.

[Stephen]

I take it the HA officers were given re training in how to cone off correctly ie at the required distance along with words of advice in to H+S the programme of Life on The Motorway is full of bad practises especially coning and rolling blocks where the HA officer gets out on foot and stops the slip road as we know should have been a second vehicle taking the slip road out or continuing the block past the on slip allowing it to merge into the main carriageway block.
Programmes like these alays look good from the outside but the inside their disasters waiting to happen.