Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2002
| Jurisdiction | UK Non-devolved |
| Citation | SI 2002/3113 |
2002 No. 3113
ROAD TRAFFIC
The Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2002
Made 16th December 2002
Laid before Parliament 10th January 2003
Coming into force 31th January 2003
The Secretary of State for Transport, in exercise of the powers conferred by sections 64, 65 and 85(2) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 19841and by section 36(5) of the Road Traffic Act 19882and now vested in him3, hereby—
(a) after consultation with representative organisations in accordance with section 134(2) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 and section 195(2) of the Road Traffic Act 1988, makes the Regulations set out in Part I of this Instrument, and
(b) gives the Directions set out in Part II.
PART I
THE TRAFFIC SIGNS REGULATIONS 2002
SECTION 1
PRELIMINARY
Citation and commencement
1. This Part of this Instrument—
(a) may be cited—
(i) as the Traffic Signs Regulations 2002, and
(ii) together with Part II below, as the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2002; and
(b) shall come into force on 31st January 2003.
Revocations
2. The Traffic Signs Regulations 19944and the Traffic Signs (Amendment) Regulations 19955are hereby revoked.
Savings
3.—(1) Subject to paragraph (2), any traffic sign which immediately before the coming into force of these Regulations was placed on or near a road shall be treated as prescribed by these Regulations, notwithstanding any provisions of these Regulations to the contrary, provided that—
(a)
(a) it is a sign prescribed, or to be treated as if prescribed, by the 1981 Regulations or by the 1994 Regulations; and
(b)
(b) it continues to comply with those Regulations,
as if those Regulations had not been revoked.
(2) Paragraph (1) shall cease to have effect—
(a)
(a) on 1st January 2005 in relation to the signs shown in each of the following diagrams—
(i) in the Traffic Signs Regulations 19576, diagrams 403 to 405, 412A to 418, 422 to 433, 435 to 459, 468 to 472, and 474 to 495;
(ii) in the Traffic Signs Regulations 19647, diagrams 742, 746, 837 and 838;
(iii) in the 1981 Regulations, diagrams 626.1, 627, 628.1, 641, 642.1, 649.2, 653, 734.7, 739.3, 742.1, 742.2, 742.3, 742.4, 742.5, 742.6, 747, 748, 749, 750, 751, 752, 752.1, 753, 753.1, 758, 759, 837.1, 838.1 and 905;
(iv) in the 1994 Regulations, diagrams 618.1 (when varied to include the legend “buses and coaches”), 784, 818.1 (when varied to show a distance greater than 2 miles), 820 (when varied to include the legend “buses and coaches”), 954.1 and 1028.2 (when varied to “COACHES”); and
(v) in the 1994 Regulations, diagrams 958, 959 and 960, in each case when varied to include the legend “& coaches”;
(b)
(b) on 1st January 2007 in relation to the signs shown in diagrams 622.1A (when varied to show “17T”), 626.2 (when displaying “17T” or “25T”), 1025 and 1025.2 in the 1994 Regulations;
(c)
(c) on 1st January 2010 in relation to—
(i) the signals prescribed by regulation 31(3) of the 1981 Regulations;
(ii) the sign shown in diagram 661 in the 1994 Regulations; and
(iii) the signs shown in diagrams 618.1, 618.2, 618.3, 618.3A and 620 in the 1994 Regulations when varied to include the orange badge symbol shown in diagram 661 in those Regulations;
(d)
(d) on 1st January 2015 in relation to—
(i) the signs shown in diagrams 728.1, 728.2, 729, 729.1, 729.2, 729.3, 730, 730.1, 732, 732.1, 732.2, 733, 733.1, 734.1, 734.2, 734.3, 734.4, 734.5, 734.6, 734.8, 734.9, 734.10, 736, 736.1, 737.1, 760 and 761 in the 1981 Regulations; and
(ii) the signs shown in diagrams 2308, 2309, 2310, 2311, 2313, 2314, 2315, 2315.1 and 2919 of the 1994 Regulations.
(3) Subject to paragraph (4), portable light signals which do not comply with regulation 35 shall be treated as prescribed by these Regulations if and so long as—
(a)
(a) those signals are of the size, colour and type prescribed by regulation 32 of the 1994 Regulations; and
(b)
(b) those signals and any apparatus (including the content of all instructions stored in, or executable by them) used in connection with them are the subject of an approval given and for the time being in force under direction 49 of the Traffic Signs General Directions 19948.
(4) Paragraph (3) shall cease to have effect on 1st January 2015.
(5) Notwithstanding regulation 2, the 1994 Regulations shall be treated, in relation to a paragraph (6) sign, as remaining in force during the extension period.
(6) In paragraph (5)—
(a)
(a) “the extension period” means the period of 12 weeks beginning with the day on which these Regulations come into force; and
(b)
(b) “a paragraph (6) sign” is a sign which is of the size, colour and type shown in diagram 547.5, 547.6, 626.2, 629, 639.1A, 642.2, 643, 644, 661, 661.2, 661.3, 780, 780.1, 780.2, 784, 785, 832.10, 864, 872, 2010, 2206, 2207, 2308, 2309, 2919, 2920, 3001, 3001.1, 4002, 7002, 7003, 7007 or 7010 of the 1994 Regulations.
Interpretation—general
4. In these Regulations unless the context otherwise requires—
“the 1984 Act” means the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984;
“the 1988 Act” means the Road Traffic Act 1988;
“the 1981 Regulations” means the Traffic Signs Regulations 19819;
“the 1994 Regulations” means the Traffic Signs Regulations 1994;
“articulated vehicle” means a motor vehicle with a trailer so attached to it as to be partially superimposed upon it;
“automatic half-barrier level crossing” means a level crossing where barriers are installed to descend automatically across part of the road when a railway vehicle or tramcar approaches and the operation of the barriers is monitored remotely from the crossing;
“automatic barrier crossing (L)” means a level crossing where barriers are installed to descend automatically across part of the road when a railway vehicle or tramcar approaches and the driver of the railway vehicle or tramcar is required to monitor the operation of the barriers when the railway vehicle or tramcar is at or near the crossing;
“automatic open crossing (L)” means a level crossing without automatic barriers where light signals are so installed as to be operated automatically by a railway vehicle or tramcar approaching the crossing and the driver of the railway vehicle or tramcar is required to monitor the operation of the light signals when the railway vehicle or tramcar is at or near the crossing;
“automatic open crossing (R)” means a level crossing without automatic barriers where light signals are so installed as to be operated automatically by a railway vehicle or tramcar approaching the crossing and the operation of the light signals is monitored remotely from the crossing;
“automatic level crossing” means an automatic half-barrier level crossing, an automatic barrier crossing (L), an automatic open crossing (L) or an automatic open crossing (R);
“bus lane” has the meaning given in regulation 23;
“central reservation” means—
(a) any land between the carriageways of a road comprising two carriageways; or
(b) any permanent work (other than a traffic island) in the carriageway of a road,
which separates the carriageway or, as the case may be, the part of the carriageway which is to be used by traffic moving in one direction from the carriageway or part of the carriageway which is to be used (whether at all times or at particular times only) by traffic moving in the other direction;
“contra-flow” means a part of a carriageway of a road where—
(a) traffic is authorised to proceed in the opposite direction to the usual direction of traffic on that part; or
(b) a specified class of traffic is authorised to proceed in the opposite direction to other traffic on that carriageway;
“controlled parking zone” means either—
(a) an area—
(i) in which, except where parking places have been provided, every road has been marked with one or more of the road markings shown in diagrams 1017, 1018.1, 1019 and 1020.1; and
(ii) into which each entrance for vehicular traffic has been indicated by the sign shown in diagram 663 or 663.1; or
(b) an area—
(i) in which at least one of the signs shown in diagram 640.2A has been placed on each side of every road; and
(ii) into which each entrance for vehicular traffic has been indicated by the sign shown in diagram 665;
“cycle lane” means a part of the carriageway of a road which—
(a) starts with the marking shown in diagram 1009; and
(b) is separated from the rest of the carriageway—
(i) if it may not be used by vehicles other than pedal cycles, by the marking shown in diagram 1049; or
(ii) if it may be used by vehicles other than pedal cycles, by the marking shown in diagram 1004 or 1004.1;
“cycle track”, in relation to England and Wales, has the same meaning as in the Highways Act 198010and, in relation to Scotland, as in the Roads (Scotland) Act 198411;
“dual carriageway road” means a road which comprises a central reservation and “all-purpose dual carriageway road” means a dual carriageway road which is not a motorway;
“EEA Agreement” means the Agreement on the European Economic Area signed at Oporto on 2nd May 1992 as adjusted by the Protocol signed at Brussels on 17th March 199312;
“EEA Standard” means—
(a) a standard or code of practice of a national standards body or equivalent body of any EEA State;
(b) any international standard recognised for use as a standard or code of practice by any EEA State; or
(c) a technical specification recognised for use as a standard by a public authority of any EEA State,
and a reference to a “corresponding EEA Standard”, in relation to a British or European Standard, is a reference to an EEA Standard which requires a level of performance equivalent to that required by the British or European Standard;
“EEA State” means a State which is a contracting Party to the EEA Agreement;
“enactment” includes any Act or subordinate legislation as defined in section 21(1) of the Interpretation Act 197813;
“equestrian crossing” means a place...
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