The Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 1994

Interpretation general

4.  In these Regulations unless the context otherwise requires—

“the 1984 Act” means the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984;

“the 1988 Act” means the Road Traffic Act 1988;

“the 1981 Regulations” means the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 1981(1);

“articulated vehicle” means a motor vehicle with a trailer so attached to it as to be partially superimposed upon it;

“automatic half-barrier level crossing” means a level crossing where barriers are installed to descend automatically across part of the road when a railway vehicle or tramcar approaches and the operation of the barriers is monitored remotely from the crossing;

“automatic barrier crossing (L)” means a level crossing where barriers are installed to descend automatically across part of the road when a railway vehicle or tramcar approaches and the driver of the railway vehicle or tramcar is required to monitor the operation of the barriers when the railway vehicle or tramcar is at or near the crossing;

“automatic open crossing (L)” means a level crossing without automatic barriers where light signals are so installed as to be operated automatically by a railway vehicle or tramcar approaching the crossing and the driver of the railway vehicle or tramcar is required to monitor the operation of the light signals when the railway vehicle or tramcar is at or near the crossing;

“automatic open crossing (R)” means a level crossing without automatic barriers where light signals are so installed as to be operated automatically by a railway vehicle or tramcar approaching the crossing and the operation of the light signals is monitored remotely from the crossing;

“automatic level crossing” means an automatic half-barrier level crossing, an automatic barrier crossing (L), an automatic open crossing (L) or an automatic open crossing (R);

“central reservation” means—

(a)

any land between the carriageways of a road comprising two carriageways; or

(b)

any permanent work (other than a traffic island) in the carriageway of a road,

which separates the carriageway or, as the case may be, the part of the carriageway which is to be used by traffic moving in one direction from the carriageway or part of the carriageway which is to be used (whether at all times or at particular times only) by traffic moving in the other direction;

“contra-flow” means a part of a carriageway of a road where—

(a)

traffic is authorised to proceed in the opposite direction to the usual direction of traffic on that part; or

(b)

a specified class of traffic is authorised to proceed in the opposite direction to other traffic on that carriageway;

“cycle lane” means a part of the carriageway of a road which—

(a)

starts with the marking shown in diagram 1009; and

(b)

is separated from the rest of the carriageway—

(i)

if it may not be used by vehicles other than pedal cycles, by the marking shown in diagram 1049; or

(ii)

if it may be used by vehicles other than pedal cycles, by the marking shown in diagram 1004 or 1004.1;

“dual carriageway road” means a road which comprises a central reservation;

“enactment” includes any Act or subordinate legislation as defined in section 21(1) of the Interpretation Act 1978(2);

“excursion or tour” has the meaning given in section 137(1) of the Transport Act 1985(3);

“goods vehicle” means a motor vehicle or trailer constructed or adapted for use for the carriage or haulage of goods or burden of any description;

“hours of darkness” means the time between half an hour after sunset and half an hour before sunrise;

“level crossing” means a place where a road is crossed by a railway or a tramway on a reserved track on the level;

“local bus” means a public service vehicle used for the provision of a local service not being an excursion or tour;

“local service” has the meaning given in section 2 of the Transport Act 1985;

“major road” means the road at a road junction into which there emerges vehicular traffic from a minor road;

“manually operated” means a change from one sign to another or one signal aspect to another set in process by an operator;

“maximum gross weight” means—

(a)

in the case of a motor vehicle not drawing a trailer or in the case of a trailer, its maximum laden weight;

(b)

in the case of an articulated vehicle, its maximum laden weight (if it has one) and otherwise the aggregate maximum laden weight of all the individual vehicles forming part of that articulated vehicle; and

(c)

in the case of a motor vehicle (other than an articulated vehicle) drawing one or more trailers, the aggregate maximum laden weight of the motor vehicle and the trailer or trailers drawn by it,

and the foregoing references to the maximum laden weight of a vehicle (including a vehicle which is a trailer) are references—

(i)

in the case of a vehicle as respects which a gross weight not to be exceeded in Great Britain is specified in construction and use requirements (as defined by section 41(8) of the 1988 Act), to the weight so specified, or

(ii)

in the case of a vehicle as respects which no such weight is so specified, to the weight which the vehicle is designed or adapted not to exceed when in normal use and travelling on a road laden.

“minor road” means a road on which, at its junction with another road, there is placed the sign shown in diagram 601.1 or 602 or the road marking shown in diagram 1003;

“mobile road works” means works on a road carried out by or from a vehicle or vehicles which move slowly along the road or which stop briefly from time to time along that road;

“motorway” means a special road—

(a)

which in England or Wales (save as otherwise provided by or under regulations made under, or having effect as if made under, section 17 of the 1984 Act) can only be used by traffic of Class I or II as specified in Schedule 4 to the Highways Act 1980(4); or

(b)

which in Scotland can only be used by traffic of Class I or Class II as specified in Schedule 3 to the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984(5);

“non-primary route” means a route, not being a primary route or a motorway or part of a primary route or of a motorway;

“passenger vehicle” means a vehicle constructed or adapted for the carriage of passengers and their effects;

“pedal cycle” means a unicycle, bicycle, tricycle, or cycle having four or more wheels, not being in any case mechanically propelled unless it is an electrically assisted pedal cycle of such class as is to be treated as not being a motor vehicle for the purposes of the 1984 Act;

“pedestrian zone” means an area—

(a)

which has been laid out to improve amenity for pedestrians; and

(b)

to which the entry of vehicles is prohibited or restricted;

“Pelican crossing” means a pedestrian crossing which conforms to The “Pelican” Pedestrian Crossings Regulations and General Directions 1987(6);

“plate” means a sign which by virtue of general directions given in exercise of the power conferred by section 65 of the 1984 Act must always be placed in combination or in conjunction with another sign and which is supplementary to that other sign;

“police vehicle” means a vehicle being used for police purposes or operating under the instructions of a chief officer of police;

“primary route” means a route, not being a route comprising any part of a motorway, in respect of which the Secretary of State—

(a)

in the case of a trunk road is of the opinion, and

(b)

in any other case after consultation with the traffic authority for the road comprised in the route is of the opinion,

that it provides the most satisfactory route for through traffic between places of traffic importance;

“principal road” means a road for the time being classified as a principal road—

(a)

by virtue of section 12 of the Highways Act 1980 (whether as falling within subsection (1) or classified under subsection (3)), or

(b)

by the Secretary of State under section 11(1) of the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984;

“public service vehicle” has the meaning given in section 1 of the Public Passenger Vehicles Act 1981(7);

“retroreflecting material” means material which reflects a ray of light back towards the source of that light;

“road maintenance vehicle” means a vehicle which—

(a)

in England and Wales is specially designed or adapted for use on a road by or on behalf of a highway authority for the purposes of the Highways Act 1980 for the purposes of road maintenance; or

(b)

in Scotland is specially designed or adapted for use on a road by or on behalf of a roads authority for the purposes of the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984(8) for the purposes of road maintenance;

“road marking” means a traffic sign consisting of a line or mark or legend on a road;

“route” includes any road comprised in a route;

“scheduled express service” means a service provided by a public service vehicle—

(a)

used to carry passengers for hire or reward at separate fares otherwise than in the provision of a local service; and

(b)

which is operated in accordance with a timetable;

“school bus” means a vehicle constructed or adapted to carry 12 or more passengers and being used to carry persons to or from a school as defined in section 114(1) of the Education Act 1944(9) and, in Scotland, as defined in the Education (Scotland) Act 1980(10);

“sign” means a traffic sign;

“stud” means a prefabricated device fixed or embedded as a mark in the carriageway of a road;

“taxi” means—

(a)

in England and Wales, a vehicle licensed under—

(i)

section 37 of the Town Police Clauses Act 1847(11); or

(ii)

section 6 of the Metropolitan Public Carriage Act 1869(12);

or under any similar enactment; and

(b)

in Scotland, a taxi licensed under section 10 of the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982(13);

“taxi rank” means an area of carriageway reserved for use by taxis waiting to pick up passengers;

“temporary statutory provision” means—

(a)

a provision having effect under section 9 (experimental traffic orders), section 12 (experimental traffic schemes in Greater London) or section 14 (temporary restriction of traffic on roads) of the 1984 Act or under a provision referred to in section 66 (traffic signs for giving effect to local traffic regulations) of that Act;

(b)

a prohibition, restriction or requirement indicated by a traffic sign placed pursuant to section 67 (emergencies and temporary obstructions) of the 1984 Act; or

(c)

a provision having effect under section 62 (temporary prohibition or restriction of traffic etc on roads for reasons of safety or public convenience) of the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984;

“terminal sign” means a sign placed in accordance with direction 8 or 9 of the Traffic Signs General Directions 1994(14);

“tourist attraction” means a permanently established excursion destination which—

(a)

is recognised by a local authority, the English Tourist Board, the Scottish Tourist Board or the Wales Tourist Board;

(b)

caters primarily for visitors to the area in which the attraction is located rather than for local residents;

(c)

is open to the public without prior booking during its normal opening hours; and

(d)

does not have retailing or catering as its main purpose;

“Tourist Information Centre” means a staffed information service centre recognised and supported by the English, Scottish or Wales Tourist Board;

“Tourist Information Point” means a display of tourist information approved by a regional, area or local tourist board;

“traffic lane” means, in relation to a road, a part of the carriageway having, as a boundary which separates it from another such part, a road marking of the type shown in diagram 1004, 1004.1, 1005, 1005.1, 1008, 1008.1, 1010, 1013.1, 1013.3, 1040, 1040.2 or 1049;

“tramcar” has the meaning given in section 141A(4) of the 1984 Act(15);

“trolley vehicle” has the meaning given in section 141A(4) of the 1984 Act;

“trunk road” as respects England and Wales has the meaning given in section 329(1) of the Highways Act 1980 and as respects Scotland in section 151(1) of the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984;

“unladen vehicle” has the meaning given in Schedule 18;

“variable message sign” has the meaning given in regulation 46(1);

“with-flow lane” means a traffic lane reserved for a specified class of traffic proceeding in the same direction as general traffic in an adjoining traffic lane; and

“works bus” means a vehicle constructed or adapted to carry 12 or more passengers (excluding the driver) which has been provided by an employer for the purpose of carrying persons employed by him or on his behalf to or from their place of employment and is being used for that purpose.

(1)

S.I. 1981/859, amended by S.I., 1982/1879, 1982/1880, 1983/1086, 1983/1088, 1984/966, 1986/1859, 1987/1706, 1989/2139, 1990/704.

(2)

1978 c. 30.

(3)

1985 c. 67.

(4)

1980 c. 66. Schedule 4 was amended by the Road Traffic (Consequential Provisions) Act 1988 (c. 54), Schedule 3, paragraph 21(3).

(5)

1984 c. 54.

(6)

S.I. 1987/16.

(7)

1981 c. 14. Section 1 was amended by the Transport Act 1985 (c. 67), Schedule 8.

(8)

1984 c. 54.

(9)

1944 c. 31.

(10)

1980 c. 44 as amended by the Self-Governing Schools etc (Scotland) Act 1989 (1989 c. 39).

(11)

1847 c. 89. Section 37 was amended by the Transport Act 1985 (c. 67) section 16(a) and Schedule 8.

(12)

1869 c. 115. Section 6 was amended byl the Statute Law (Repeals) Act 1976 (c. 16) and by the Transport Act 1981 sections 35(1) and 40(1) and Schedule 12, Part III.

(13)

1982 c. 45.

(14)

Part II of this Instrument.

(15)

This section was inserted by section 46 of the Road Traffic Act 1991 (1991 c. 40).