(1)A special road shall not be used, except as provided by or under regulations made under subsection (2) below, by any traffic other than traffic of a class authorised in that behalf by a scheme under section 1 of the [1949 c. 32.] Special Roads Act 1949 or section 11 of the [1959 c. 25.] Highways Act 1959 (or, if the road is one to which the last-mentioned Act applies by virtue of section 19 thereof, by any traffic other than traffic of a class for the time being authorised by virtue of that section).
(2)The appropriate Minister may make regulations with respect to the use of special roads, and such regulations may in particular—
(a)regulate the manner in which and the conditions subject to which special roads may be used by traffic of the class authorised in that behalf by such a scheme as is mentioned in subsection (1) above or, as the case may be, by virtue of the said section 19 ;
(b)authorise, or enable such authority as may be specified in the regulations to authorise, the use of special roads, on occasion or in emergency or for the purpose of crossing, or for the purpose of securing access to premises abutting on or adjacent to the roads, by traffic other than such traffic as aforesaid, or relax, or enable such authority as aforesaid to relax, any prohibition or restriction imposed by the regulations.
(3)Regulations made under subsection (2) above may make provision with respect to special roads generally, or may make different provision with respect to special roads provided for the use of different classes of traffic, or may make provision with respect to any particular special road.
(3A)Where by regulations made under subsection (2) above a limit of speed is to be observed, then, if it is to be observed—
(a)on all special roads; or
(b)on all special roads provided for the use of particular classes of traffic ; or
(c)on all special roads other than special roads of such description as may be specified in the regulations; or
(d)as mentioned in paragraph (a), (b) or (c) above except for such lengths of special road as may be so specified,
section 75 of this Act shall not apply in relation to that limit without prejudice to its application in relation to any lower limit of maximum speed or, as the case may be, higher limit of minimum speed required by any such regulations to be observed on any specified length of any specified special road.
(4)If a person uses a special road in contravention of this section or of regulations under subsection (2) above he shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding—
(a)in the case of an offence committed in respect of a motor vehicle otherwise than by unlawfully stopping or allowing the vehicle to remain at rest on a part of the road on which vehicles are in certain circumstances permitted to remain at rest, £50, and
(b)in any other case, £20.
(5)The provisions of this section, and of any regulations made under subsection (2) above, shall not apply to any part of a special road until such date as may be declared by a notice published by the highway authority, in manner prescribed for the publication of notices under section 1(7) of this Act, to be the date on which it is open for use as a special road; but nothing in this subsection shall be construed as preventing the making of regulations under subsection (2) above so as to come into force, in relation to any such road, on the said date.
(6)In this section " use ", in relation to a road, includes crossing.