Road Traffic (Signs) Regulations 2006

JurisdictionIreland
CitationIR SI 637/2006
Year2006

S.I. No. 637 of 2006

Road Traffic (Signs) Regulations 2006

I, Martin Cullen, Minister for Transport, in exercise of the powers conferred on me by section 95 (as amended by section 37 of the Road Traffic Act 1994 (No. 7 of 1994)) of the Road Traffic Act 1961 (No. 24 of 1961) and the National Roads and Road Traffic (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 2002 ( S.I. No. 298 of 2002 ) (as adapted by the Public Enterprise (Alteration of Name of Department and Title of Minister) Order 2002 ( S.I. No. 305 of 2002 )) and section 2 of the Road Traffic Act 2006 (No. 23 of 2006) to give further effect to Directive No. 2004/54/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 20041 , hereby make the following regulations:

Part 1

Preliminary and General

Citation and Collective Citation

1. (1) These Regulations may be cited as the Road Traffic (Signs) Regulations 2006.

(2) The Road Traffic (Signs) Regulations 1997 to 2005, the Road Traffic (Traffic Signs - Periodic Special Speed Limits) Regulations 2005 ( S.I. No. 756 of 2005 ) and these Regulations may be cited together as the Road Traffic (Signs) Regulations 1997 to 2006.

Definitions

2. In these Regulations -

“Act of 2004” means Road Traffic Act 2004 (No. 44 of 2004);

“left hand side” and “right hand side” are determined by facing in the direction of traffic flow;

“road tunnel speed limit sign” means a traffic sign indicating a road regulation in respect of a speed limit under Part 2 of the Act of 2004 applying to a road in a road tunnel;

“prohibited vehicle” means a mechanically propelled vehicle, other than a vehicle which is designed and constructed for the carriage of passengers, where the total number of axles is equal to or greater than the figure specified on, as the case may be, sign RUS 046 or RUS 047;

“total number of axles” in relation to a mechanically propelled vehicle, means that all the wheels of the vehicle, the centres of which lie in a vertical plane extending across the full width of the vehicle at right angles to its longitudinal axis is to be regarded as forming a single axle and in determining the total number of axles, any axle attached to a vehicle or attached to any trailer drawn by the vehicle which is capable of transmitting any part of the weight of the vehicle or trailer to the surface of a road is included in the total.

Part 2

Regulatory Signs - Variable Message

Road tunnel speed limit sign

3. (1) A road tunnel speed limit sign, traffic sign number RVMS 100 (“sign RVMS 100”) shall, when provided at the entrance to or a road in a road tunnel -

(a) indicate that the speed limit displayed on the sign is the speed limit that applies to the road in the tunnel for the purposes of Part 2 of the Act of 2004, and

(b) consist of a black square which, when illuminated, shall display a red border enclosing a black disc and within that black disc, the speed limit applying in white or yellow figures, and a fixed rectangular information plate, placed above or below the black square, on which shall be shown in black letters on a white background the letters “km/h”.

(2) Where special speed limit bye-laws apply a special speed limit under section 9(6) of the Act of 2004 in respect of the entrance to or a road in a road tunnel, sign RVMS 100 shall be provided by the country or city council concerned.

(3) Where sign RVMS 100, is provided in a road tunnel, speed limit signs, traffic sign numbers RUS 039, RUS 040, RUS 041, RUS 042, RUS 043, RUS 044 and special speed limit traffic sign number RUS 045 are not required in that road tunnel.

(4) Sign RVMS 100 shall be lighted and extinguished by the road authority or its agent using an automatic or manually operated device, as and when required, to display the speed limit applying.

(5) The dimensions and design of, and the figures and letters to be used on, sign RVMS 100 are set out in Part 1 of Schedule 1.

Traffic lane control sign (road tunnel and approach road)

4. (1) Traffic sign number RVMS 101 (“sign RVMS 101”) shall, when provided above a traffic lane on the approach road to the entrance to a road tunnel, at the entrance to a road tunnel or in a road tunnel, indicate to traffic in the traffic lane either that traffic must stop or the direction in which traffic must proceed.

(2) Sign RVMS 101 shall face the traffic that it is intended to control and consist of a black square which, when lit, displays on a black background, the signal aspect of -

(a) an illuminated green arrow pointing downwards in a vertical direction, to indicate that the traffic lane is open and that traffic in the traffic lane, above which such downward pointing green arrow signal is displayed, may proceed or continue to do so in that traffic lane,

(b) an illuminated red cross, in the shape of the letter “X”, to indicate that the traffic lane is closed and that traffic in the traffic lane above which the red cross signal is displayed, shall not proceed past that sign in that traffic lane, or

(c) an illuminated green arrow pointing to -

(i) the left at an angle of 45 degrees from the vertical direction, to indicate that traffic, in the traffic lane above which a downward pointing inclined left green arrow signal is displayed, or

(ii) the right at an angle of 45 degrees from the vertical direction, to indicate that traffic, in the traffic lane above which a downward pointing inclined right green arrow signal is displayed,

shall proceed to move into the adjacent traffic lane in the direction indicated by the arrow.

(3) Sign RVMS 101 shall be lit in such a manner so as to show -

(a) a constant red light when the red cross signal aspect referred to in subparagraph (b) of paragraph (2) is illuminated, or

(b) a constant green light when any of the green arrow signal aspects referred to in subparagraph (a) or (c) of paragraph (2) is illuminated.

(4) Whenever one of the signal aspects referred to in subparagraph (a), (b) or (c) of paragraph (2) is illuminated above a traffic lane none of the other signal aspects referred to in those subparagraphs shall be illuminated above that same traffic lane.

(5) A set of 4 lanterns shall be provided in combination with sign RVMS 101 with a lantern positioned at each corner inside the black square. The lanterns, when lit, shall emit an amber light with the top and bottom lights flashing alternately when either of the signal aspects referred to in subparagraph (b) or (c) of paragraph (2) is illuminated.

(6) The requirement that the lanterns to which paragraph (5) refers shall emit an amber light with top and bottom lights flashing alternately does not apply in respect of sign RVMS 101 where, for the time being, one or more of the lanterns has failed to light or to flash.

(7) Sign RVMS 101 shall be lighted and extinguished by the road authority or its agent using an automatic or manually operated device, as and when required, to illuminate the appropriate signal aspect referred to in subparagraph (a), (b) or (c) of paragraph (2) to control the passage of traffic on a traffic lane in a road tunnel.

(8) The dimensions and design of, and the various signal aspects to be illuminated on, sign RVMS 101 are set out in Part 2 of Schedule 1.

Part 3

Regulatory Signs - Upright

Prohibited vehicles

5. (1) Traffic sign number RUS 046 (“sign RUS 046”) shall, when provided on a public road -

(a) indicate that the driver of a prohibited vehicle shall not proceed beyond the sign, and

(b) consist of a white disc with a red...

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