Citation and commencement

1.  These Regulations may be cited as the Traffic Signs (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003 and shall come into operation on 19th May 2003.

Amendments

2.—(1) The Traffic Signs Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997(4) shall be amended as provided by paragraphs (2) to (12).

(2) In regulation 11 (proportions and form of letters, numerals, symbols and other characters) –

(a)for paragraph (1) there shall be substituted the following paragraph –

“(1) Subject to paragraphs (2), (3) and (5) –

(a)all letters, numerals and other characters incorporated in the signs or parts of the signs shown in the diagrams in Schedules 1 to 5, 7, 10 and 12 which have a red, blue, brown, black or green background (other than those incorporated in the bottom panels of diagrams 544.1A and 674, the top panels of diagrams 2919 and 2920, the petrol price display in diagram 2919, diagrams 5001.1, 5001.2, 5003, 5003.1, 5005 and 5005.1 and the top and bottom panels of diagram 7008) shall have the proportions and form shown in Part I of Schedule 13; and

(b)all letters, numerals and other characters incorporated in the signs or parts of the signs shown in the diagrams in Schedules 1 to 5, 7, 10 and 12 which have a white, yellow or orange background (other than those incorporated in the bottom panels of diagrams 544.1A and 674, the top panels of diagrams 2919 and 2920 and the top and bottom panels of diagram 7008) shall have the proportions and form shown in Part II of Schedule 13.”;

(b)for paragraph (4) there shall be substituted the following paragraph –

“(4) Any letters, numerals or other characters incorporated in the bottom panels of diagrams 544.1A and 674, the top panels of diagrams 2919 and 2920, the petrol price display in diagram 2919 and the top and bottom panels of diagram 7008, may have proportions and form other than the proportions and form shown in Schedule 13.”.

(3) In regulation 21 (buses, bus lanes and bus symbols) in paragraph (2)(b) after the first occurrence of the word “cycles” there shall be inserted “, motorcycles”.

(4) In Schedule 1 (warning signs) after diagram 544.1 there shall be inserted the following diagram and the words specified in and under it –

(5) In Schedule 2 (regulatory signs) diagram 674.1 shall be deleted;

(6) In Schedule 3 (signs for railway and tramway level crossings) for diagram 784 and the words specified in and under it there shall be inserted the following –

(7) In Schedule 4 (other informatory signs) after diagram 879 there shall be inserted the following diagram and the words specified in and under it –

(8) In Schedule 5 (signs for bus, tram and pedal cycle facilities) –

(a)for diagram 958 and the words specified in and under it there shall be substituted the following –

(b)for diagram 959 and the words specified in and under it there shall be substituted the following –

(c)in diagram 961 in item 3 of the table for the words “item 21” there shall be substituted “items 21, 22”.

(9) In Schedule 12 Part I (miscellaneous warning, informatory and regulatory signs for roadworks) after diagram 7005 there shall be inserted the following diagram and the words specified in and under it –

(10) In Schedule 15 (legends for use on variable message signs) in Part I (signs automatically activated by vehicular traffic) after item 1 there shall be inserted the following item –

“1A.  The legend “SLOW DOWN” and the sign in diagram 670 shown in Schedule 2 may be displayed on a sign which is activated automatically by the speed of a vehicle approaching the equipment which controls the sign.”.

(11) In Schedule 16 (permitted variants) in item 22 in column (2) after the words “661.3,” there shall be inserted “961,”.

(12) In Schedule 17 (illumination requirements) –

(a)in item 1, column 2 –

(i)after the words “554.1,” there shall be inserted “554.1A,”; and

(ii)the word “674.1,” shall be deleted;

(b)in item 2, column 2 –

(i)after the words “857.1,” there shall be inserted “881,”; and

(ii)after the words “975,” there shall be inserted “7008,”.

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations.)

These Regulations further amend the Traffic Signs Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997. The principal amendments are to –

(a)regulation 11 to permit the top and bottom panels of the sign shown in diagram 7008 to have proportions and form other than those shown in Schedule 13 (regulation 2(2));

(b)regulation 21(2)(b) to redefine the expression “bus lane” (regulation 2(3));

(c)transfer the sign in diagram 674.1 from Schedule 2 to Schedule 1 and re-number it as diagram 544.1A (regulation 2(4) and (5));

(d)the sign in diagram 784 by changing the dimensions and weight of vehicles to which it applies and by retaining its original vehicular application as a permitted variant (regulation 2(6));

(e)add the sign in diagram 881 to indicate a waterway (and bridge, if appropriate) (regulation 2(7));

(f)add a permitted variant to the signs in diagrams 958 and 959 to permit the use of with-flow bus lanes by motorcycles (regulation 2(8)(a) and (b));

(g)add a permitted variant to the sign in diagram 961 to permit a reference to the month of the year to be added (regulation 2(8)(c)); and

(h)add the sign in diagram 7008 to indicate the nature of street works, giving the names of the employer and contractor and an emergency telephone number (regulation 2(9)).

These Regulations have been notified to the European Commission pursuant to Directive 98/34/EC of 22nd June 1998 laying down a procedure for the provision of information in the field of technical standards and regulations and of rules on Information Society Services (O.J. No. L204, 21.07.98, p. 37-48) as amended by Directive 98/48/EC of 20th July 1998 (O.J. No. L217, 05.08.98, p. 18-26). Copies of the Directives can be obtained from the Stationery Office Bookshop, 16 Arthur Street, Belfast, BT1 4GD.