Motorway Incident Detection and Automatic Signalling: Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|Road traffic sensor}}

{{other uses of|MIDAS}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2017}}

{{Use British English|date=September 2017}}

{{other uses of|MIDAS}}

'''Motorway Incident Detection and Automatic Signalling''', usually abbreviated to '''MIDAS''', is a UK distributed network of [[traffic]] [[sensor]]s, mainly inductive loops, (trialling at the moment radar technology by Wavetronix and magneto-resistive wireless sensors by Clearview Intelligence), which are designed to alert the local regional control centre (RCC) to [[traffic flow]] and average speeds, and set [[variable message sign]]s and advisory speed limits (or mandatory speed limits on [[Smart motorway|smart motorwaysmotorway]]s) with little human intervention. Companies such as RAC, TomTom and Google use this traffic flow data via halogens reporting systems.

Originally installed on the congested western stretch of the [[M25 motorway]], much of the [[M60 motorway]] around [[Manchester]] and the Birmingham box (M6, M5 and M42), MIDAS has been installed on all but the most minor stretches of UK motorway. The system has successfully reduced accidents.<ref name="hacost">{{cite web|url=http://www.ha-research.co.uk/projects/index.php?id=437|title=Cost effectiveness of MIDAS|publisher=Highways Agency|accessdate=2007-01-07|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071008103143/http://www.ha-research.co.uk/projects/index.php?id=437|archivedate=8 October 2007|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Additionally, the system is installed on parts of the non-motorway trunk road network including the [[A14 road (England)|A14]].<ref name="A14">{{cite web |url=http://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/projects/22585.aspx |title=A14 Corridor Traffic Management Scheme |publisher=Highways Agency |accessdate=2011-07-18 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605103135/http://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/projects/22585.aspx |archivedate=5 June 2011 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> Although all stretches with MIDAS have at least small signals in the central reservation to show advisory speed limits for the whole carriageway, major motorways often also have text [[Variable-message sign|variable message signs]], and on the busiest stretches, lane control signals above each lane. Additionally, many motorways, called [[Smartsmart motorway|smart motorways]]s, have now been equipped with the newest signs and signals for variable mandatory speed limits and lane control.

The system replaced the Automatic Incident Detection '''(AID)''' system which was trialled in 1989 on an {{convert|83|km|0}} section of the [[M1 motorway]].<ref name="hacost" /> MIDAS was first operated on the M25 in the SouthWest quadrant before the section went live with a variable speed limit.