British Sign Language Glossaries of Curriculum Terms

BSL Environmental Science Glossary - Smart motorways/ Active traffic management (ATM) definition

Definition: Motorways usually have 2, 3, 4 or 5 lanes. A motorway might have 4 lanes and a hard shoulder which can be used when vehicles break down; they are then safe whilst they call for someone to come and repair their vehicle. However, on a smart motorway there is no hard shoulder, and that inside lane can be used for traffic. The reason for this is that in the mornings and evenings there is more traffic, as drivers commute back and forth to work, which can result in congestion.

One option would be to add a 5th outside line, but that would be damaging for the environment and costly to build. Smart motorways have overhead electronic signage which has cameras mounted on them to monitor the traffic. If a vehicle breaks down and pulls over to the nearside lane an 'x' will appear above that lane on the overhead signs, telling drivers that this lane is now blocked and that they need to move over to another lane. The sign might also advise drivers to slow down (from maybe 70mph to 40mph) ahead of the broken-down vehicle.