The Road Humps Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1999

Citation, commencement and interpretation

1.—(1) These Regulations may be cited as The Road Humps Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1999 and shall come into operation on 19th April 1999.

(2) In these Regulations “traffic sign” has the meaning assigned to that term by Article 28 of the Road Traffic Regulation (Northern Ireland) Order 1997(1).

Circumstances in which road humps may not be constructed

2.  No road hump shall be constructed in any special road.

Nature, dimension and location of road humps

3.—(1) Subject to regulation 6, no road hump shall be constructed or maintained in a road unless—

(a) each face of it across the carriageway of the road in which it is constructed is at right angles to an imaginary line along the centre of that carriageway;

(b) it has a minimum length of 900 millimetres measured parallel to an imaginary line along the centre of that carriageway from the point where one face meets the surface of that carriageway to the point where the other face meets the surface of that carriageway;

(c) the highest point on it is not less than 25 millimetres nor more than 100 millimetres higher than an imaginary line parallel to the centre line of that carriageway connecting the surface of that carriageway on one side of the road hump to the surface of that carriageway on the other side of the road hump and passing vertically below that point; and

(d) it has no vertical face of any material forming part of that road hump exceeding 6 millimetres measured vertically from top to bottom of that face.

(2) A road hump may be located within the limits of a zebra crossing so that an imaginary line along the centre of the hump from one side of the road to the other is in the same position as an imaginary line from one side of the road to the other along the centre of the pattern of black and white stripes required by paragraph 4 of Part I of Schedule 2 to the Zebra Crossings Regulations.

(3) Save as mentioned in paragraph (2) no road hump shall be located within the limits of a zebra controlled area or within 30 metres from the imaginary line along the centre of the pattern of stripes mentioned in that paragraph.

(4) A road hump may be located within the limits of a Pelican crossing so that an imaginary line along the centre of the hump from one side of the road to the other is in the same position as an imaginary line along the centre of the limits of the crossing from one side of the road to the other as shown in a diagram in Schedule 2 to the Pelican Crossings Regulations.

(5) Save as mentioned in paragraph (4) no road hump shall be located within the limits of a Pelican controlled area or within 30 metres from the imaginary line along the centre of the limits of the crossing mentioned in that paragraph.

(6) Subject to regulation 6, no road hump shall be constructed or maintained in a road—

(a) on a railway level crossing or within 20 metres of any rail forming part of the railway track at that crossing;

(b) within 2 metres of any rail providing support and guidance for vehicles carried on flanged wheels and running in the carriageway of the road otherwise than at a railway level crossing;

(c) under or within 25 metres of any part of a structure over the carriageway of the road any part of which is 6£5 metres or less above the surface of the carriageway; or

(d) above or within 25 metres of any part of a bridge over which the carriageway of the road passes or any part of a tunnel, culvert or other similar structure which crosses beneath the carriageway of the road.

(7) In this regulation—

• “Pelican crossing” has the same meaning as “crossing” in regulation 2(1) of the Pelican Crossings Regulations;

• “Pelican controlled area” has the same meaning as “controlled area” in regulation 2(1) of the Pelican Crossings Regulations;

• “Pelican Crossings Regulations” means the (Pelican) Pedestrian Crossings Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1989(2);

• “zebra crossing” has the same meaning as “zebra crossing” in regulation 2 of the Zebra Crossings Regulations;

• “zebra controlled area” has the same meaning as in regulation 2 of the Zebra Crossings Regulations;

• “Zebra Crossings Regulations” means the “Zebra” Pedestrian Crossings Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1974(3).

Lighting of road humps

4.  Subject to regulation 6, no road hump shall be constructed in any road unless in the road there is lighting for that road hump which is—

(a) a system of street lighting furnished by at least three lamps lit by electricity and placed so that not more than 38 metres separate any of the lamps from the next one to it; or

(b) a system of street lighting complying with the British Standard for Road Lighting published by the British Standards Institution under number BS 5489 or with an equivalent standard or code of practice published by a national standards body or equivalent body of any member state of the European Community before the coming into operation of these Regulations; or

(c) a street lamp within 5 metres of the hump; or

(d) lighting specially provided for the road hump.

Placing of traffic signs

5.  Subject to regulation 6, where a road hump is constructed in a road there shall be placed and thereafter maintained appropriate traffic signs as prescribed in the Traffic Signs Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997(4) in such positions as the Department may consider requisite to provide adequate warning of the presence of a road hump or a series of road humps to persons using the road.

6.  Where a road hump is placed in a road which is subject to a speed limit of 20 miles per hour or less, the provisions of regulations 3(1)(a), 3(6)(c) and (d), 4 and 5 shall not apply.

Revocation

7.  The Road Humps Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1992(5) and the Road Humps (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996(6) are hereby revoked.

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of the Environment on

L.S.

J. Carlisle

Assistant Secretary

8th March 1999.