Traffic Signs (Speed Limits) Regulations and General Directions 1962
| Year | 1962 |
1962 No. 2388
ROAD TRAFFIC
The Traffic Signs (Speed Limits) Regulations and General Directions 196229thOctober 1962
31stOctober 1962
1stNovember 1962
The Secretary of State and the Minister of Transport (hereinafter referred to as "the Minister"), acting jointly in exercise of their powers under section 51 of the Road Traffic Act 1960(a) and of all other powers them enabling in that behalf and after consultation with representative organisations in accordance with the provisions of section 260 (2) of that Act, hereby make the Regulations set out in Part I of this Instrument; and the Secretary of State (as respects the erection of traffic signs such as are prescribed by the said Regulations on roads in Scotland) and the Minister (as respects the erection of such signs on roads in England or Wales), each acting in exercise of his powers under section 22 (1) of the said Act of 1960 as amended by section 12 (3) of the Road Traffic Act 1962(b) and of all other powers him enabling in that behalf, hereby give the Directions set out in Part II of this Instrument:—
PART I.—TRAFFIC SIGNS (SPEED LIMITS) REGULATIONS
1. These Regulations may be cited as the Traffic Signs (Speed Limits) Regulations 1962.
2.—(1) The Traffic Signs (Speed Limits) Regulations 1961(c) and the Traffic Signs (40 m.p.h. Speed Limit) Regulations 1961(d) are hereby revoked.
(2) A traffic sign which, immediately before the coming into operation of these Regulations, is situated on or near any road—
(a) if it is a sign shown in any diagram set out in either of the Schedules to the Traffic Signs (30 m.p.h. Speed Limit) Regulations 1957(e) and if it then complies with the provisions relating thereto by virtue of those Regulations, shall be treated as prescribed by these Regulations until 4th August 1965;
(b) if it is a sign shown in any diagram set out in the Schedule to the Traffic Signs (40 m.p.h. Speed Limit) Regulations 1958(f) and if it then complies with the provisions relating thereto by virtue of those Regulations, shall be treated as prescribed by these Regulations until 7th January 1967;
(a) 8 & 9 Eliz. 2. c. 16.
(c) S.I. 1961/2375 (1961 III, p. 4369).
(d) S.I. 1961/2376 (1961 III, p. 4377).
(e) S.I. 1957/274 (1957 II, p. 2088).
(f) S.I. 1958/302 (1958 II, p. 2101).
(c) if it is a sign shown in diagram 327 or diagram 401 set out in Schedule 1 to the Traffic Signs Regulations 1957(a) or in any diagram set out in the Schedule to the Traffic Signs (Speed Limits) Regulations 1960(b), the Schedule to the Traffic Signs (Speed Limits) Regulations 1961 or the Schedule to the Traffic Signs (40 m.p.h. Speed Limit) Regulations 1961 and if it then complies with the provisions relating thereto by virtue of those Regulations, shall be treated as prescribed by these Regulations until the expiration of 5 years from their coming into operation.
3.—(1) In these Regulations—
"hours of darkness" means the time between half-an-hour after sunset and half-an-hour before sunrise, and
"road" means any length of road.
(2) In these Regulations references to a speed limit in relation to a road are references to a limit of speed on the driving of motor vehicles on that road—
(a) imposed by virtue of the road's being a restricted road for the purposes of section 19 of the Road Traffic Act 1960, or
(b) imposed by an order under section 11 of the Road Traffic Act 1962 or deemed to have been so imposed by virtue of subsection (6) of that section.
(3) Any reference in the following Regulations to a numbered diagram is a reference to the diagram of that number set out in the Schedule to these Regulations.
(4) Any reference in Regulations 6, 7, 8 or 9 of these Regulations to a traffic sign shown in a numbered diagram is a reference to a sign of the size, colour and type shown in that diagram, and in so far as it is a reference to, or a reference which includes, a sign shown in diagram 1, diagram 2 or diagram 3, it shall be treated as a reference to such a sign which indicates a speed limit in force on a road in accordance with the provisions of Regulation 4 (a) of these Regulations.
(5) The Interpretation Act 1889(c) shall apply for the interpretation of these Regulations as it applies for the interpretation of an Act of Parliament, and as if for the purposes of section 38 of that Act these Regulations were an Act of Parliament and the Regulations revoked by Regulation 2 of these Regulations were Acts of Parliament thereby repealed.
Signs for indicating speed limits
4. Subject to Regulation 5 of these Regulations, for the purposes of section 22 (1) of the Road Traffic Act 1960 (which, as amended by section 12 (3) of the Road Traffic Act 1962, imposes a duty on a competent authority, inter alia, to erect signs for indicating speed restrictions on roads) every traffic sign for conveying information to traffic—
(a) that a speed limit is in force on a road—
(i) shall indicate by means of appropriate numerals what the speed limit is, and
(ii) shall be of the size, colour and type, and shall otherwise conform with the provisions as to the position, size, colour and type of numerals, shown in diagram 1, diagram 2 or diagram 3; and
(a) Part I of the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 1957, S.I. 1957/13 (1957 II, p. 2001).
(b) S.I. 1960/1124 (1960 III, p. 2947).
(c) 52 & 53, Vict. c. 63.
(b) that a speed limit is not in force on a road shall be of the size, colour and type shown in diagram 4, diagram 5 or diagram 6.
Variations in dimensions relating to signs
5. Any variation in a dimension specified in any of the diagrams set out in the Schedule to these Regulations shall be treated as permitted by these Regulations if the variation—
(a) in the case of a dimension so specified as over twelve inches, does not exceed 5% of that dimension;
(b) in the case of a dimension so specified as two inches or as over two inches but...
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