The M1 Motorway (Junctions 13 to 16) (Variable Speed Limits) Regulations 2020

Statutory Instruments

2020 No. 956

Road Traffic

Special Roads

The M1 Motorway (Junctions 13 to 16) (Variable Speed Limits) Regulations 2020

Made

7th September 2020

Laid before Parliament

8th September 2020

Coming into force

29th September 2020

The Secretary of State makes the following Regulations in exercise of the powers conferred by section 17(2) and (3) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984(1).

Representative organisations have been consulted in accordance with section 134(2) of that Act.

Citation and commencement

1.  These Regulations may be cited as the M1 Motorway (Junctions 13 to 16) (Variable Speed Limits) Regulations 2020 and come into force on 29th September 2020.

Interpretation

2.  In these Regulations—

“the 1982 Regulations” means the Motorways Traffic (England and Wales) Regulations 1982(2);

“the 2016 Regulations and Directions” means the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016(3); and

“carriageway”, “hard shoulder”, “motorway” and “verge” have the same meaning as in the 1982 Regulations.

Variable speed limits

3.—(1) No person shall drive a vehicle on a section of road which is subject to a variable speed limit at a speed exceeding that indicated by a speed limit sign.

(2) A section of a road is subject to a variable speed limit in relation to a vehicle being driven along it if—

(a) the road is specified in the Schedule;

(b) the vehicle has passed a speed limit sign;

(c) the vehicle has not subsequently passed—

(i) another speed limit sign indicating a different speed limit; or

(ii) a traffic sign which indicates that the national speed limit is in force; and

(d) no speed restriction is in force by virtue of—

(i) an order or notice under section 14(4) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984; or

(ii) a traffic sign placed by a traffic officer pursuant to section 7 of the Traffic Management Act 2004(5).

(3) In relation to a vehicle, the speed limit indicated by a speed limit sign is the speed shown at the time the vehicle passes the sign, or, if higher, the speed limit shown by the sign ten seconds before the vehicle passed the sign.

(4) For the purposes of this regulation a speed limit sign is to be taken as not indicating any speed limit if, ten seconds before the vehicle passed it, the sign had indicated no speed limit or that the national speed limit was in force.

(5) In this regulation—

“national speed limit” has the meaning given by Schedule 1 to the 2016 Regulations and Directions and a traffic sign which indicates that the national speed limit is in force means a traffic sign of the type shown in diagram 671 in Part 2 of Schedule 10 to the 2016 Regulations and Directions which is—

(a)

placed on or near a road; and

(b)

directed at traffic on the carriageway on which the vehicle is being driven;

“road” includes the adjacent hard shoulder and verge; and

“speed limit sign” in relation to a vehicle, means a traffic sign of the type shown in diagram 670 in Part 2 of Schedule 10 to the 2016 Regulations and Directions which is—

(a)

situated on or near any part of a road specified in paragraph 1 of the Schedule; and

(b)

directed at traffic on the carriageway on which the vehicle is being driven.

Signed by authority of the Secretary of State for Transport

Vere

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State

Department for Transport

7th September 2020

Regulation 3(2)(a)

SCHEDULE THE SPECIFIED ROADS

1.  The specified roads are—

(a) that length of the northbound carriageway of the M1 beginning at junction 13 at a point 212 metres south-east of the north-western edge of the bridge carrying the A421 over the M1 (“the junction 13 bridge”) and ending at junction 16 at a point 162 metres south-east of the south-eastern edge of the south-eastern bridge of the gyratory carrying the A45 and A4500 over the M1 (“the junction 16 bridge edge”);

(b) that length of the southbound carriageway of the M1 beginning at junction 16 at a point 152 metres south-east of the junction 16 bridge edge and ending at junction 13 at a point 717 metres north-west of the south-eastern edge of the junction 13 bridge; and

(c) the slip roads referred to in paragraph 4.

2.  Any reference in this Schedule to—

(a) the letter “M” followed by a number is a reference to the motorway known by that name;

(b) the letter “A” followed by a number is a reference to the road known by that name; and

(c) a junction followed by a number is a reference to the junction of the M1 of that number.

3.  In this Schedule—

“Brogborough Interchange South” means the roundabouts to the north and south of the M1 at junction 13;

“off-slip road” means a slip road intended for the use of traffic exiting the M1;

“on-slip road” means a slip road intended for the use of traffic entering the M1; and

“slip road” means a road which connects the M1 with another road.

4.  The slip roads to which this paragraph refers are—

(a) at junction 13 the off-slip road from the southbound carriageway to Brogborough Interchange South and the on-slip road from Brogborough Interchange South to the northbound carriageway;

(b) at junction 14 the off-slip roads to, and the on-slip roads from, the A509;

(c) between junctions 14 and 15 the off-slip roads to, and the on-slip roads from, the roads within the Newport Pagnell Services area;

(d) at junction 15 the off-slip roads to, and the on slip roads from, the A45, A508 and Saxon Avenue;

(e) at junction 15A the off-slip roads to, and the on-slip roads from, the A43 and the roads within the Northampton Services area; and

(f) at junction 16 the off-slip road from the northbound carriageway to the A45 and A4500 and the on-slip road from those roads to the southbound carriageway.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations introduce variable speed limits to the northbound and southbound carriageways of the M1 motorway between junctions 13 and 16 and to roads which connect with the M1 motorway at and between those junctions.

Regulation 3 provides for variable speed limits to have effect on the roads specified in paragraph 1 of the Schedule. Where variable speed limit signs are in operation a vehicle may not be driven at a speed above the maximum indicated by each speed limit sign passed by a vehicle until it passes a sign indicating that the national speed limit applies or the vehicle leaves the roads covered by the regulation. Where a speed limit changes less than ten seconds before a vehicle passes the sign and the sign had indicated a higher speed limit, the regulation allows the driver to proceed at a speed up to the maximum applicable before the change. Where the speed limit sign indicates a speed limit when it is passed by a vehicle but less than ten seconds previously it was either giving no indication of a speed limit or that the national speed limit applied, the sign is to be taken as giving no indication of a speed limit to the vehicle passing it.

Contravention of these Regulations is an offence under section 17(4) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984.

An impact assessment has not been prepared for these Regulations as no significant impact on the cost of business or the voluntary sector is foreseen. An Explanatory Memorandum is published alongside the Regulations at www.legislation.gov.uk.

(1)

1984 c.27; section 17(2) was amended by the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 (c.22), Schedule 8, Part 2, paragraph 28(3); section 17(2)(b) was amended by the Road Traffic Act 1991 (c.40), Schedule 8; section 17(2)(d) was inserted by the Road Traffic Act 1991 (c.40), Schedule 4, paragraph 25. There are other amendments to sections 17 and 134 which are not relevant to these Regulations.

(2)

S.I. 1982/1163, relevant amending instruments are S.I. 1983/374, 1984/1479, 1992/1364, 2004/3258, 2015/392.

(3)

S.I. 2016/362, to which there are amendments not relevant to these Regulations.

(4)

Section 14 was substituted by the Road Traffic (Temporary Restrictions) Act 1991 (c.26), section 1(1) and Schedule 1.

(5)

2004 c.18.