Restrictions on use of special roads
20.—(1) A special road shall not be used, except as provided by or under regulations made under this Article, by any traffic other than traffic of a class prescribed in relation to that road by the designation order made in respect of it.
(2) Until such date as may be declared by a notice published by the Department in the Belfast Gazette as the date on which a special road is open for use by traffic of the prescribed classes, no person shall use that special road unless he is authorised by the Department to do so.
(3) The Department may make regulations with respect to the use of special roads, and such regulations may, in particular—
(a)specify the manner in which and the conditions subject to which such roads may be used by traffic of the classes prescribed in relation to those roads in designation orders;
(b)authorise, or enable such authority as may be specified in the regulations to authorise, the use of such roads, on occasion or in emergency, or for the purpose of crossing, or for the purpose of securing access to land abutting on or adjacent to the roads, by traffic other than such traffic as aforesaid, or relax, or enable any such authority as aforesaid to relax, any prohibition or restriction imposed by the regulations.
(4) If any person uses a special road in contravention of paragraph (1) or (2), or of any regulations made under paragraph (3), he shall be guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 4 on the standard scale.
(5) This Article (other than paragraph (2) and so much of paragraph (4) as relates thereto) and any regulations made thereunder shall not apply to any part of a special road until the date declared by the notice mentioned in paragraph (2) as the date on which it is open for use by traffic of the prescribed classes, but nothing in this paragraph shall be construed as preventing the making of regulations under this Article so as to come into force, in relation to any such road, on that date.