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| UK roadworks 'the best in Europe' | UK roadworks 'the best in Europe' |
| (about 7 hours later) | |
| The UK's motorway roadworks are the best organised in Europe, the AA Motoring Trust has said. | The UK's motorway roadworks are the best organised in Europe, the AA Motoring Trust has said. |
| The M42, near Birmingham, came top of a list of 53 European motorway roadworks sites inspected on behalf the trust. | The M42, near Birmingham, came top of a list of 53 European motorway roadworks sites inspected on behalf the trust. |
| The M5 near Clevedon, Bristol, and Taunton, Somerset, also rated highly along with the M1 near Hemel Hempstead and M25 near Cheshunt, Hertfordshire. | The M5 near Clevedon, Bristol, and Taunton, Somerset, also rated highly along with the M1 near Hemel Hempstead and M25 near Cheshunt, Hertfordshire. |
| The UK sites were praised for the 24-hour free tow-away service and permanent "well signed" speed cameras. | |
| All sites were commended for the condition of traffic lanes markings. | |
| But the independent inspectors were unhappy with amount of information given to drivers both on the approach to and through the roadworks. | |
| They recommended eye-catching roadside information to persuade drivers to slow down and inform them of progress through a contraflow system, similar to the Austrian "sad-to-smiling" faces signs. | |
| There is still clearly room for improvements that wouldn't cause that much of an upheaval in current practices. AA Motoring Trust head of roads and transport policy Paul Watters | There is still clearly room for improvements that wouldn't cause that much of an upheaval in current practices. AA Motoring Trust head of roads and transport policy Paul Watters |
| The five sites were inspected during the day and, apart from the Taunton roadworks, again at night. | |
| AA Motoring Trust head of roads and transport policy Paul Watters said: "On the basis of four UK motorway roadworks sites being rated 'very good', including the near-perfect M42 daytime site, expert European road engineers judged the UK to be best. | AA Motoring Trust head of roads and transport policy Paul Watters said: "On the basis of four UK motorway roadworks sites being rated 'very good', including the near-perfect M42 daytime site, expert European road engineers judged the UK to be best. |
| "There is still clearly room for improvements that wouldn't cause that much of an upheaval in current practices. | "There is still clearly room for improvements that wouldn't cause that much of an upheaval in current practices. |
| "In particular, better information leading to and through sites could help to improve driver attitude to roadworks and safety." | "In particular, better information leading to and through sites could help to improve driver attitude to roadworks and safety." |
| The M42, M1 and the M25 sites were rated "very good" during the day. | The M42, M1 and the M25 sites were rated "very good" during the day. |
| Clevedon's day and night random checks received a "good" rating, as did Taunton's day inspection. | |
| The Cheshunt night inspection yielded a "good" rating. | The Cheshunt night inspection yielded a "good" rating. |
| And the M42 night inspection resulted in an "acceptable" rating. | And the M42 night inspection resulted in an "acceptable" rating. |