The Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2002

SECTION 6MISCELLANEOUS TRAFFIC SIGNS

Temporary signs

53.—(1) In this regulation “temporary sign” means a sign placed on or near a road for the purpose of conveying to traffic—

(a)information about convenient routes to be followed on the occasion of—

(i)a sporting event;

(ii)an exhibition; or

(iii)any other public gathering,

which is in each case likely to attract a large volume of traffic;

(b)information about diversions or alternative traffic routes;

(c)information about the availability of new routes or destinations;

(d)information about changes in route numbers;

(e)warnings about, or information on how to avoid, any temporary hazards caused by—

(i)works being executed on or near a road;

(ii)adverse weather conditions or other natural causes;

(iii)the failure of street lighting or malfunction of or damage to any other apparatus, equipment or facility used in connection with the road or anything situated on or near or under it; or

(iv)damage to the road itself; or

(f)requests by the police for information in connection with road traffic accidents.

(2) A temporary sign—

(a)which conveys to traffic any information, warning, requirement, restriction or prohibition of a description which can be conveyed by a sign shown in a diagram in Schedules 1 to 12 (whether on its own or in conjunction or in combination with another such sign) shall be of the size, colour and type shown in that diagram;

(b)which does not fall within paragraph (a) (“a non-prescribed temporary sign”) shall be of such size, colour and type as is specified in paragraphs (3) to (6).

(3) The shape of a non-prescribed temporary sign shall be—

(a)rectangular but with the corners rounded; or

(b)as in sub-paragraph (a) with a rounded point at one end.

(4) A non-prescribed temporary sign shall be of a size appropriate to the circumstances in which it is placed and may incorporate—

(a)wording;

(b)numerals;

(c)arrows or chevrons;

(d)any appropriate symbol taken from any diagram in any Schedule; and

(e)the arms, badge or other device of a traffic authority, police authority or an organisation representative of road users.

(5) Every letter and numeral incorporated in a non-prescribed temporary sign other than any letter incorporated in the sign in accordance with paragraph (4)(e) shall be not less than 40 nor more than 350 millimetres in height, and every arrow so incorporated shall be not less than 250 nor more than 1000 millimetres in length.

(6) Every letter, numeral, arrow, chevron or symbol, other than a sign shown in a diagram in Schedules 1 to 5 when used as a symbol, incorporated in a non-prescribed temporary sign shall be—

(a)black on a background of white or of yellow;

(b)white on a blue background;

(c)blue on a white background;

(d)if the sign conveys information or warnings of the kind mentioned in paragraph (1)(e), white on a red background, except where it is placed on a motorway when it shall be black on a yellow background; or

(e)if the sign is a variable message sign, white, off-white or yellow on a black background or black on a yellow background, except when the sign is not in use when it shall display a plain black or grey face.

Flashing beacons

54.—(1) A beacon—

(a)showing an intermittent amber light and placed in combination with a temporary sign within the meaning of regulation 53 or the sign shown in diagram 562, 610, 7001, 7001.3, 7004, 7005, 7009, 7010.1, 7012, 7013, 7019, 7020, 7021, 7022, 7105, 7201, 7202 or 7207 and in compliance with the requirements in paragraph (2); or

(b)showing an intermittent blue light and placed by a constable or a person acting under instructions (whether general or specific) of the chief officer of police in combination with a sign shown in diagram 606, 609, 610, 616, 633, 829.1, 829.2, 829.3, 829.4, 7101.1, 7102 or 7105, and in compliance with (c) and (d) of the requirements in paragraph (2),

shall convey the warning that drivers of vehicles should take special care.

(2) The requirements mentioned in paragraph (1) are—

(a)the peak intensity of light emitted by the lens or lenses of each such beacon shall be—

(i)if the period between individual flashes does not exceed ¼ of a second, not less than 100 candela on the principal axis of the relevant lens;

(ii)if the period between individual flashes exceeds ¼ of a second, not less than 2000 candela on the principal axis; or

(iii)if the period between the cessation of a double flash and the start of the succeeding double flash exceeds ¼ of a second, not less than 1000 candela on the principal axis;

(b)each lens shall be of such a shape and size that the perimeter of its area projected horizontally onto a vertical plane shall be capable of lying wholly inside a square having sides of 200 millimetres in length and wholly outside a square having sides of 100 millimetres in length;

(c)the height of the centre of the lenses from the surface of the carriageway in the immediate vicinity shall be not less than 800 (or in the case of a beacon of the kind mentioned in paragraph (1)(b) 450) nor more than 1500 millimetres; and

(d)the rate of flashing shall be not less than 55 nor more than 150 individual or double flashes per minute.

Road danger lamps

55.—(1) A lamp showing a steady or intermittent amber light which—

(a)conforms to—

(i)British Standard Specification BS3143: Part 1: 1985 amended by Amendment No. 1 dated February 1985;

(ii)BS3143: Part 2: 1990 amended by Amendment No. 1 dated November 1993 and Amendment No. 2 dated December 1998; or

(iii)a corresponding EEA Standard; and

(b)is illuminated separately and by a single source of light,

shall indicate to traffic the limits of a temporary obstruction of the road and in this regulation is called a “road danger lamp”.

(2) The height of the centre of each lens of a road danger lamp from the surface of the road in the immediate vicinity of the lamp shall not exceed 1500 millimetres where the speed limit on the road is 40 mph or less, or 1200 millimetres where the speed limit on the road is more than 40 mph.

(3) The rate of flashing of a road danger lamp which shows an intermittent light shall be—

(a)if the lamp is placed not less than 50 metres from a street lamp lit by electricity on a road subject to a speed limit of 40 mph or less, either—

(i)not less than 900 flashes per minute; or

(ii)not less than 55 nor more than 150 flashes per minute;

(b)in any other case not less than 900 flashes per minute.

Cones, delineators and cylinders

56.—(1) In this regulation—

“cone” means the sign shown in diagram 7101.1;

“delineator” means the sign shown in diagram 7102;

“cylinder” means the sign shown in diagram 7103.

(2) A cone shall consist of a conically shaped device made of rubber or flexible plastic material in respect of which—

(a)the base is of any single colour; and

(b)the base is a polygon having not more than eight sides, which would be contained wholly within a circle with a diameter of three quarters of the height of the cone.

(3) The part of a cone coloured white shall, subject to paragraph (5), be illuminated with white retroreflecting material and the part coloured red may be illuminated with red retroreflecting material.

(4) Information about the ownership of a cone may be moulded—

(a)into the base in characters not more than 80 mm high in the same colour as the base;

(b)into the conical body in characters not more than 40 mm high in the same colour as that body; or

(c)as mentioned in both sub-paragraphs (a) and (b).

(5) Information about the manufacture of a cone, required to comply with British Standard Specification BS873: Part 8: 1985 or a corresponding EEA Standard and occupying an area not exceeding 30 square centimetres, may be indicated on the part coloured white in characters not exceeding 5 millimetres in height, leaving at least 90% of the remaining area of white colour illuminated with white retroreflecting material.

(6) A rotating device may be mounted on top of a cone and—

(a)that device shall—

(i)be red and not reflectorised; and

(ii)display one or more signs shown in either diagram 560 or diagram 561; and

(b)those signs shall be coloured amber, intermittently whilst rotating and constantly whilst static.

(7) A delineator shall consist of a flat device—

(a)of which the side intended to be exposed to traffic is coloured as shown in diagram 7102 and the reverse side is either so coloured or coloured only grey or only red;

(b)which is made of rubber or flexible plastic material; and

(c)of which the base is of any single colour, except that a reflectorised white line 100 millimetres wide at an angle of not more than 60 degrees to the road surface may be marked on one side of the base at right angles to the face of the delineator.

(8) The white part of a delineator shall, subject to paragraph (10), be illuminated with white retroreflecting material and the red part (except on the reverse side when that side is coloured only red) may be illuminated with red retroreflecting material.

(9) Information about the ownership of a delineator may be moulded into the base in characters not more than 80 mm high and in the same colour as the base.

(10) Information about the manufacture of a delineator, required in order to comply with British Standard Specification BS 873: Part 8: 1985 or a corresponding EEA Standard and occupying an area not exceeding 30 square centimetres, may be indicated on the part coloured white in characters not exceeding 5 millimetres in height, leaving at least 90% of the remaining area of white colour illuminated with white retroreflecting material.

(11) A cylinder shall consist of a cylindrically shaped device made of rubber or flexible plastic material.

(12) The white part of a cylinder shall, subject to paragraph (14), be illuminated with white retroreflecting material and the part coloured red may be illuminated with red retroreflecting material.

(13) Information about the ownership of a cylinder may be moulded into the lower of the two red parts in red characters not more than 40 mm high.

(14) Information about the manufacture of a cylinder, required in order to comply with British Standard Specification BS873: Part 8: 1985 or a corresponding EEA Standard and occupying an area not exceeding 30 square centimetres, may be indicated on the part coloured white in characters not exceeding 5 millimetres in height, leaving at least 90% of the remaining area of white colour illuminated with white retroreflecting material.

Refuge indicator lamps

57.  A lamp in the form of an illuminated spherical globe for conveying the warning that drivers of vehicles are approaching a street refuge may be placed subject to the following conditions—

(a)the globe shall be white;

(b)the globe shall have a diameter of not less than 275 nor more than 335 millimetres; and

(c)the height of the centre of the globe above the surface of the carriageway in the immediate vicinity shall be not less than 3800 millimetres nor more than 5000 millimetres.

Variable message signs

58.—(1) In these Regulations a “variable message sign” means a device capable of displaying, at different times, two or more aspects falling within the following descriptions—

(a)a sign shown in a diagram in Schedule 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 11 or 12;

(b)a legend of a type shown in Schedule 15 in accordance with the provisions of that Schedule;

(c)a non-prescribed temporary sign as defined by regulation 53(2)(b);

(d)a blank grey or a blank black face.

(2) A variable message sign shall be of a size appropriate to display the messages referred to in sub-paragraphs (a) and (b) of paragraph (1), having regard to the normal speed of traffic on the road on or near which the sign is situated.

(3) If the construction or method of operation of a variable message sign prevents a sign from being displayed in the colours shown for it in the appropriate diagram in Schedule 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7 or 12, a black legend or symbol on a white or yellow background may be displayed as a white, off-white or yellow legend or symbol on a dark background, provided that any red triangle or red circle forming part of the sign is included.

(4) A legend or symbol as mentioned in paragraph (3) may be in the form of a white, off-white or yellow outline of the legend or symbol.

(5) The size of any symbol or legend, including any red triangle or circle, displayed on a variable message sign, which is displayed by means of light-emitting characters or symbols, may be varied so that the size of the symbol or legend appears to road users to be the same as it appears to them to be when it is not displayed in this manner.

(6) When a variable message sign displays—

(a)the sign shown in diagram 670;

(b)any sign shown in a diagram in Part I of Schedule 11 except diagrams 6006.2, 6008.1, 6009.3 and 6012; or

(c)a legend of the type shown in Schedule 15,

it may also display four lamps, which are of the size, colour and type specified in regulation 46(7) and have a rate of flashing of not less than 60 nor more than 150 flashes per minute, and the distance between the lamps shall accord with the overall size of the variable message sign.

(7) Where a variable message sign displays by means of light-emitting characters or symbols—

(a)the sign shown in diagram 504.1, 505.1, 506.1, 507.1, 510, 512, 512.1, 512.2 or 513; or

(b)the sign shown in diagram 670 (when showing the numerals “20”, “30”, “40” or “50”) in such a way that the sign is only visible when associated equipment detects the presence of a vehicle exceeding the speed limit indicated by the sign,

the variable message sign may display, beneath the sign displayed on it, the legend “SLOW DOWN” in characters having a height not less than one quarter of the height of the displayed sign.

(8) The display of a blank black or grey face on a variable message sign accompanied by four flashing lamps of the kind mentioned in paragraph (6) shall indicate to drivers that they should take special care.

(9) A variable message sign which displays alternately the signs shown in diagrams 7023 and 7024 shall be manually operated.