Driver location signs, so if you’re calling emergency or breakdown services, you can tell them your exact location.
Top is the motorway you’re on (road identifier)
Middle is which carriageway you’re in, I’ve heard it claimed A for ‘away from London’ and B for ‘back to London’, although there are a lot of places where this doesn’t apply and slip roads can use other letters like C, D, E, F, G, etc. (carriageway identifier)
Bottom is the location, which is measured in kilometres from a designated datum point
I once saw a woman that looked like she was about to jump off a bridge, I called emergency services and gave them her location using these signs.
They’re pretty useless ime. When I called the police once and told them where I was by giving them one of these they didn’t know what I was on about. We had to go through a convoluted process on the phone of me remembering what the last junction was and then converting the distance from it in km to miles.
Think it’s to let Mario how far away the motorway is.
What I was told by a driving instructor was
Name of Road, A stands for away from origin, B stands for towards the origin and then the number is the distance
Thanks you amazing lot!
They are for children to tick off in their I-Spy on the Motorway books.
We got one for the trip to Cornwall and discovered that the majority of the pictures were from that route.
So added bonus of being able to tick off the actual items! 😁
Locator signs. Road number, which carriageway, distance from beginning
Driver location signs can give breakdown rescuers a quick idea of whereabouts you are. Providing them with the details written on the sign nearest to the incident will make it easier for help to get to you.
The top line shows which road you’re on.
The letter on the second line – A or B – tells us the direction you’re travelling in.
The bottom line tells us how far you are from a given location.
Location signs, as others have said. Regardless of their ‘usefulness’, don’t forget that if you breakdown on a motorway, or some dual carriageways, there are quarter-mile posts that give you your exact location and point to the nearest emergency telephone. The telephone is a definitive landmark for identification, as are the posts.
I hear Paul Walker from the original Fast and the Furious telling dispatch his mile marker location
I had to call the police the other day as there was a large obstruction in the middle lane which was causing vehicles to swerve.
I read out the identifier, the operator didn’t have a clue what I was talking about.
As a recovery driver.. these are often incredibly useful and I wish more people took note of them when breaking down on the motorway. Alternatively, download what3words. That app is a lifesaver.
I use these markers when I contact highways agency if I drive past a broken down vehicle on smart motorways or the occupants look like they are struggling.
If it’s in a live lane then I’ll ring 999 and give them the marker.
It allows me to be able to continue to drive safely without fiddling with my phone.
Highways agency number is: 0300 123 5000
Anyone can report a breakdown. Often I find they haven’t had it reported so it is very useful to have saved on my phone.
It’s very hard to hear operators next to a motorway if you’re the driver of the broken down car so I hope I help in some way whilst they’re concentrating on getting to a safe place.
It’s a marker post. The numbers are on A roads and motorways. The numbers are used by emergency services and National Highways to pin down exact locations. The numbers start at a ‘node’, which is usually two small white dots marked on the road. The numbers are in kilometres and metres. So on the A14 for example, if there is an incident the Police etc. will give a location of 6 over 4 (6 kilometers and 400 metres) on the Alpha. This is between junction 19 on the M1 and junction 1 on the A14 going east. Alpha and bravo relate to the order of distance ie, distance going up in number is Alpha and decending on the other side of the carriageway is Bravo. This sign here is blue so that will be a motorway, other signs/posts in green will be A roads.
Name of Motorway Mxx
Carriageway direction A or B
Kilometres from start
I rang 999 to report someone staggering along the hard shoulder, with no vehicle in sight. I quoted the nearest one of these and they had no idea what I was referring to. Had to quote a junction number in the end.
19 comments
Driver location signs, so if you’re calling emergency or breakdown services, you can tell them your exact location.
Top is the motorway you’re on (road identifier)
Middle is which carriageway you’re in, I’ve heard it claimed A for ‘away from London’ and B for ‘back to London’, although there are a lot of places where this doesn’t apply and slip roads can use other letters like C, D, E, F, G, etc. (carriageway identifier)
Bottom is the location, which is measured in kilometres from a designated datum point
I once saw a woman that looked like she was about to jump off a bridge, I called emergency services and gave them her location using these signs.
They’re pretty useless ime. When I called the police once and told them where I was by giving them one of these they didn’t know what I was on about. We had to go through a convoluted process on the phone of me remembering what the last junction was and then converting the distance from it in km to miles.
Think it’s to let Mario how far away the motorway is.
What I was told by a driving instructor was
Name of Road, A stands for away from origin, B stands for towards the origin and then the number is the distance
Thanks you amazing lot!
They are for children to tick off in their I-Spy on the Motorway books.
We got one for the trip to Cornwall and discovered that the majority of the pictures were from that route.
So added bonus of being able to tick off the actual items! 😁
Locator signs. Road number, which carriageway, distance from beginning
Driver location signs can give breakdown rescuers a quick idea of whereabouts you are. Providing them with the details written on the sign nearest to the incident will make it easier for help to get to you.
The top line shows which road you’re on.
The letter on the second line – A or B – tells us the direction you’re travelling in.
The bottom line tells us how far you are from a given location.
Location signs, as others have said. Regardless of their ‘usefulness’, don’t forget that if you breakdown on a motorway, or some dual carriageways, there are quarter-mile posts that give you your exact location and point to the nearest emergency telephone. The telephone is a definitive landmark for identification, as are the posts.
I hear Paul Walker from the original Fast and the Furious telling dispatch his mile marker location
I had to call the police the other day as there was a large obstruction in the middle lane which was causing vehicles to swerve.
I read out the identifier, the operator didn’t have a clue what I was talking about.
As a recovery driver.. these are often incredibly useful and I wish more people took note of them when breaking down on the motorway. Alternatively, download what3words. That app is a lifesaver.
I use these markers when I contact highways agency if I drive past a broken down vehicle on smart motorways or the occupants look like they are struggling.
If it’s in a live lane then I’ll ring 999 and give them the marker.
It allows me to be able to continue to drive safely without fiddling with my phone.
Highways agency number is: 0300 123 5000
Anyone can report a breakdown. Often I find they haven’t had it reported so it is very useful to have saved on my phone.
It’s very hard to hear operators next to a motorway if you’re the driver of the broken down car so I hope I help in some way whilst they’re concentrating on getting to a safe place.
It’s a marker post. The numbers are on A roads and motorways. The numbers are used by emergency services and National Highways to pin down exact locations. The numbers start at a ‘node’, which is usually two small white dots marked on the road. The numbers are in kilometres and metres. So on the A14 for example, if there is an incident the Police etc. will give a location of 6 over 4 (6 kilometers and 400 metres) on the Alpha. This is between junction 19 on the M1 and junction 1 on the A14 going east. Alpha and bravo relate to the order of distance ie, distance going up in number is Alpha and decending on the other side of the carriageway is Bravo. This sign here is blue so that will be a motorway, other signs/posts in green will be A roads.
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/656ef4271104cf0013fa74ef/know-your-traffic-signs-dft.pdf – page 168
Same as other responses
I’m just here to say I’m a civil engineer
Name of Motorway Mxx
Carriageway direction A or B
Kilometres from start
I rang 999 to report someone staggering along the hard shoulder, with no vehicle in sight. I quoted the nearest one of these and they had no idea what I was referring to. Had to quote a junction number in the end.