Citation and commencement

1.—(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2000.

(2) These Regulations shall come into force on 30th August 2000.

Amendment of the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986

2.  The Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986(2) shall be amended as follows:—

(a)in paragraph (2) of regulation 37 (audible warning instruments), after the words “other than a reversing alarm” shall be inserted the words “, a boarding aid alarm”;

(b)in paragraph (3) of regulation 37, after the words “A reversing alarm” shall be inserted the words “or a boarding aid alarm”;

(c)in paragraph (10) of regulation 37, the word “and” immediately after sub-paragraph (c) shall be deleted and there shall be inserted at the end of sub-paragraph (d) the words

“; and

(e)“boarding aid alarm” means an alarm for a power operated lift or ramp fitted to a bus to enable wheelchair users to board and alight and designed to warn persons that the lift or ramp is in operation.”;

(d)in paragraph (2) of regulation 99 (use of audible warning instruments), at the end shall be inserted the words “or in respect of the sounding of a boarding aid alarm.”; and

(e)in paragraph (3) of regulation 99, after the words “on a road any reversing alarm” shall be inserted the words “or any boarding aid alarm”.

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations make changes to the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 (S.I. 1986/1078) consequent upon certain provisions in the Public Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations 2000 (S.I. 2000/1970) which require power operated boarding lifts and ramps fitted to regulated public service vehicles to activate or produce an audible signal when in operation.

Accordingly, regulation 37 (audible warning instruments) is amended to include in paragraph (10) a definition of “boarding aid alarms” and to bring such alarms within the provisions (paragraphs (2) and (3)) controlling the permitted sound to be emitted from them. Regulation 99 (use of audible warning instruments) is amended so as to bring boarding aid alarms within paragraph (2) and enable them to be used whilst the vehicle is stationary and to include them within paragraph (3) so as to prevent their use if the signal would be likely to be confused with the sound emitted in the operation of a pedestrian crossing.