M42 Overhead Signs
This page shows messages from the signs National Highways publishes, which is not every sign on the road, with where each M42 sign is and which way it faces.
2 overhead message signs on the M42 are showing right now.
Checked 03:47 Sat 26 Sept 2026 Each message shows when National Highways last set it, and how long ago.
Two kinds of traffic information. This page shows what the overhead message signs on the M42 are displaying. Our latest traffic news shows National Highways’ incident and roadworks reports. Each can carry something the other does not, so we show both and label which is which - check both before you travel.
⚠ Our last check of the overhead signs was more than an hour ago, so we have hidden the sign messages until we check again.
2 messages on this page
M42 Northbound Message Signs (J8 → J9)
In junction order, in the direction of travel.
To J10 Tamworth 6 miles 7 mins
03:3726 Sept 2026set 9 min ago✓ Checked by us 03:47
TO J10
TAMWORTH
6 MILES
7 MINS
Overhead Message
To J10 Tamworth 6 miles 7 mins
02:3826 Sept 2026set 1 hr ago✓ Checked by us 03:47
TO J10
TAMWORTH
6 MILES
7 MINS
Overhead Message
Source: National Highways’ overhead message signs, as at 03:47 Sat 26 Sept 2026. This page shows the messages on the M42. Powered by National Highways’ Transport Data Feeds.
Why the M42 has so many signs
The M42 between Junction 3A (the M40) and Junction 7 (the M6) was the pilot for Active Traffic Management. It went live in 2006 with mandatory variable speed limits, hard shoulder running, better driver information signs and a new incident management system. Because it worked, the system was later extended north to Junction 9, onto the M6 as far as its Junction 5, and onto the approach to the M42 at the northern end of the M40.
Between the M5 and Junction 3A, and north of Junction 9 towards Tamworth, the M42 is outside that managed section.
What the signs are used for
Message signs warn of queues, closed lanes, incidents and weather ahead, and give journey information. Speed roundels are shown separately on M42 speed limits now. A red X over a lane means the lane is closed and must not be used.
How busy the signed stretch is
The four main-line stretches from Junction 3A to Junction 7 are the busiest on the road. The Department for Transport’s 2025 counts average about 126,000 vehicles a day across them:
| Stretch | Vehicles per day |
|---|---|
| J3A to J4 | 129,185 |
| J4 to J5 | 136,724 |
| J5 to J6 | 109,996 |
| J6 to J7 | 128,313 |
J3A to J4 is counted at two points; we show the busier one. The other recorded 125,023.
Where the managed section starts and ends
Northbound, the variable speed limit starts at Junction 3A, where the M40 meets the M42, and ends just after the Junction 9 area, where the signs point to Coleshill and Kingsbury. In between are the Shirley, Solihull, airport and NEC junctions and the links to the M6, so most of the signs on this page face traffic on that part of the road.
A sign is not the whole story
A message on a sign is a snapshot of what the control centre is warning about at that moment. For the full list of incidents and works on the M42 see the latest M42 traffic news.
Traffic count figures on this page are from the Department for Transport road traffic statistics, 2025.