Road Traffic Act 1960

Traffic Signs

51 Traffic signs

(1) In this Act " traffic sign " means any object or device (whether fixed or portable) for conveying, to traffic on roads or any specified description of traffic, warnings, information, requirements, restrictions or prohibitions of any description specified by regulations made by the Minister and the Secretary of State acting jointly or authorised by the appropriate Minister, and any line or mark on a road for so conveying such warnings, information, requirements, restrictions or prohibitions.

(2) Traffic signs shall be of the size, colour and type prescribed by regulations made as aforesaid except where the appropriate Minister authorises the erection or retention of a sign of another character; and for the purposes of this subsection illumination, whether by lighting or by the use of reflectors or reflecting material, or the absence of such illumination, shall be part of the type or character of a sign.

(3) Regulations under this section may be made so as to apply either generally or in such circumstances only as may be specified in the regulations.

(4) Except as provided by this Part of this Act, no traffic sign shall be placed on or near a road except—

(a) a notice in respect of the use of a bridge;

(b) a traffic sign placed, in pursuance of powers conferred by a special Act of Parliament or order having the force of an Act, by the owners or workers of a tramway, light railway, or trolley vehicle undertaking, a dock undertaking or a harbour undertaking;

(c) a traffic sign placed on any land by a person authorised under the following provisions of this Part of this Act to place the sign on a highway, being a sign placed on that land for a purpose for which that person is authorised to place it on a highway.

(5) Regulations under this section, or any authorisation under subsection (2) thereof, may provide that section fourteen of this Act shall apply to signs of a type specified in that behalf by the regulations, or as the case may be to the sign to which the authorisation relates.

(6) References in any enactment (including any enactment contained in this Act) to the erection or placing of traffic signs shall include references to the display thereof in any manner, whether or not involving fixing or placing.

52 Powers and duties of highway authorities as to placing of traffic signs

(1) Subject to and in conformity with such general directions as may be given by the Minister and the Secretary of State acting jointly, or such other directions as may be given by the appropriate Minister, a highway authority may cause or permit traffic signs to be placed on or near any road in their area.

(2) The appropriate Minister may give directions to a highway authority—

(a) for the placing of a traffic sign of any prescribed type or authorised character specified in the directions;

(b) for replacing a sign so specified by, or converting it into, a sign of another prescribed type or authorised character so specified.

53 Traffic signs for giving effect to local traffic regulations

A constable, or a person acting under the instructions (whether general or specific) of the chief officer of police, may place on a highway, or on any structure on a highway, traffic signs of any size, colour and type prescribed or authorised under section fifty-one of this Act, being signs indicating prohibitions, restrictions or requirements relating to vehicular traffic, as may be requisite for giving effect to regulations, orders or directions made or given under section fifty-two of the Metropolitan Police Act, 1839, under section twenty-two of the local Act of the second and third year of the reign of Queen Victoria, chapter ninety-four, under section twenty-one of the Town Police Clauses Act, 1847, or under section three hundred and eighty-five of the Burgh Police (Scotland) Act, 1892, or any corresponding provision contained in a local Act relating to any part of Scotland, or for giving effect to directions given under subsection (3) of section twelve of this Act.

54 Emergency traffic signs

(1) A constable, or a person acting under the instructions (whether general or specific) of the chief officer of police, may place on a highway, or on any structure on a highway, traffic signs of any size, colour and type prescribed or authorised under section fifty-one of this Act, being signs indicating prohibitions, restrictions or requirements relating to vehicular traffic, as may be necessary or expedient to prevent or mitigate congestion or obstruction of traffic, or danger to or from traffic, in consequence of extraordinary circumstances; and the power to place signs conferred by this subsection shall include power to maintain a sign for a period of seven days or less from the time when it was placed, but no longer.

(2) Section fourteen of this Act shall apply to signs placed in the exercise of the powers conferred by this section.

55 Traffic signs in connection with experimental traffic schemes in London

For the purpose of giving notice of any prohibition, restriction or requirement imposed by regulations under section thirty-five of this Act a constable, or a person acting under the instructions (whether general or specific) of the commissioner of police of the metropolis or the commissioner of police for the City of London, may place on a highway, or on any structure on a highway, traffic signs of any size, colour and type prescribed or authorised under section fifty-one of this Act.

56 Removal of traffic signs, and c

(1) The highway authority may by notice in writing require the owner or occupier of any land on which there is an object or device (whether fixed or portable) for the guidance or direction of persons using roads to remove it, and if a person fails to comply with such a notice the highway authority may themselves effect the removal, doing as little damage as may be; and the expense incurred by them in so doing shall be recoverable by them from the person so in default and, in England or Wales, shall be so recoverable summarily as a civil debt.

(2) The appropriate Minister may give directions to a highway authority requiring the authority to remove, or cause to be removed, any traffic sign or any such object or device as is mentioned in the foregoing subsection.

(3) After the repeal by virtue of this Act of section six of the Locomotive Act, 1861, a bridge authority shall, if so directed by the appropriate Minister, remove, or cause to be removed, any notice in respect of the use of a bridge placed under that section.

57 Traffic signs: default powers

(1) If a highway authority or bridge authority fail to comply with any direction given under subsection (2) of section fifty-two of this Act or under the last foregoing section, the appropriate Minister may himself carry out the work required by the direction; and the expense incurred by him in so doing shall be recoverable by him from the authority and, in England or Wales, shall be so recoverable summarily as a civil debt.

(2) Any such direction as aforesaid—

(a) if relating to a road or bridge in England or Wales, shall be enforceable on the application of the Minister by mandamus;

(b) if relating to a road or bridge in Scotland, shall be enforceable by order of the Court of Session on an application by the Lord Advocate under section ninety-one of the Court of Session Act, 1868.

58 Power to enter on land

A highway or bridge authority or the appropriate Minister may enter any land and exercise such other powers as may be necessary for the purpose of the exercise and performance of their powers and duties of placing, replacing, converting and removing traffic signs or their powers and duties under section fifty-six of this Act.

59 Traffic signs: modifications as respects trunk roads

In relation to a trunk road,—

(a) subsection (1) of section fifty-two of this Act shall have effect with the omission of references to directions, and

(b) the provisions of this Part of this Act relating to directions for the placing, replacing, conversion and removal of traffic signs, notices, objects or devices shall not apply except in relation to a bridge repairable by a person other than the appropriate Minister.

60 Traffic signs: modifications as respects roads where parking permitted without lights

(1) In relation to a road with respect to which an exemption under paragraph (c) of subsection (1) of section ten of the Road Transport Lighting Act, 1957, has effect (whether absolutely or subject to conditions), the power conferred by subsection (1) of section fifty-two of this Act of placing traffic signs indicating the existence of the exemption shall, if the local authority for the area in which the road is situated are not the highway authority for the road, be exercisable by the local authority with the consent of the highway authority; and the powers conferred by subsection (2) of section fifty-two and by section fifty-six of this Act of giving to the highway authority directions for the replacing of a traffic sign by, or its conversion into, a sign of another type or character or for the removal of a traffic sign or other object or device shall include power to give such directions to the local authority in relation to a traffic sign, object or device placed by them on or near any such road.

(2) In this section " local authority" means, as respects England and Wales, the council of a county borough, county district or metropolitan borough or the Common Council of the City of London, and, as respects Scotland, a county council or town council.

61 Traffic signs: modifications as respects cattle-grids

(1) As respects traffic signs relating to a cattle-grid provided in England or Wales under the Highways (Provision of Cattle-Grids) Act, 1950, or the Highways Act, 1959, for a highway not being for the purposes of the said Act of 1959 a highway maintainable at the public expense, or to a by-pass so provided for use in connection with such a cattle-grid, " highway authority " in sections fifty-two and fifty-six to fifty-eight (both inclusive) of this Act shall include the council of the county comprising the rural district, the council of the borough, or the council of the urban district, as the case may be, in which the highway is situated.

(2) As respects traffic signs relating to a cattle-grid provided in Scotland under the Highways (Provision of Cattle-Grids) Act, 1950, for a road for the maintenance or management of which no highway authority is responsible, or to a by-pass provided for use in connection with such a cattle-grid, " highway authority " in sections fifty-two and fifty-six to fifty-eight (both inclusive) of this Act shall include the appropriate authority as defined by paragraph (b) of subsection (8) of section one of that Act.

62 Construction of references to highway authorities for purposes of sections 52 and 56 to 58

References to a highway authority in sections fifty-two and fifty-six to fifty-eight (both inclusive) of this Act shall be construed as including references to any person responsible for the maintenance of a road.

63 Ministers' powers to make advances for erection, and c, of traffic signs

(1) The appropriate Minister may, out of moneys provided by Parliament, make advances towards any expenses incurred by a council or local authority, on whom any obligation is imposed by or under the foregoing provisions of this Part of this Act in relation to the erection, maintenance, alteration or removal of traffic signs, in the discharge of that obligation.

(2) An advance under this section may be either by way of grant or by way of loan or partly in the one way and partly in the other, and shall be upon such terms and subject to such conditions as the appropriate Minister thinks fit.