This New and intersesting sounding scheme has been lauched by the Highways Agency, the RHA and The FTA. It is designed to help drivers across England to decide weather to park up or take a different route during nasty weather. With the winter fast approaching we’ll soon see if it works or indeed is noticed by drivers. It should cover all major routes including A roads and motorways. The system is based on Amber or Red weather alerts depending on the news and reports given by the Met Office.

 *Amber alerts will be given out when it is highly likely that the weather will effect travelling and drivers should keep listening to traffic and radio reports. 

* Red alerts will only be given out in exceptional circumstances, when the weather is so severe it will affect traffic and travel. During red alerts all goods vehicles will be asked to leave the road network immediately and find some where safe to park.

 We should here about these warnings through radio travel reports (good old Sally!), On DAB radion on the Highways agency’s traffic service and obviously through t’internet, at www.trafficradio.org.uk and the RHA and FTA’s networks, although i’m not sure how.  It all sounds good, but in my opinion there is a very fine line between an Amber alert and a Red alert, so their could be some scope for inconsistences depending who’s working at the MET office, but thats just me being synical! Hopefully it will work well and we’ll all be a bit safer for it. A good scheem lets just hope it sticks.