On a smart motorway, National Highways sometimes need to close one or more lanes to traffic. This may be so that an incident can be managed or to create a safer environment for road users and workers.
The red X signals above and alongside the motorway tell you when lanes are closed and you need to move to another lane.
A red X shows that a lane is closed and it must not be used. It is illegal to drive in a lane marked with a red X.
© National Highways
To ensure compliance with the mandatory lane closures, enforcement cameras are placed on a number of overhead gantries.
West Midlands Police is merely the enforcement agency regarding these cameras and any queries regarding the operation of these cameras should be directed to National Highways.
For more information about motorway driving see: