Road Traffic (Traffic and Parking) Regulations, 1997

• Jurisdiction: Ireland
• Citation: IR SI 182/1997

S.I. No. 182 of 1997.
ROAD TRAFFIC (TRAFFIC AND PARKING) REGULATIONS, 1997
ARRANGEMENT OF ARTICLES
PRELIMINARY AND GENERAL
1. Short Title.
2. Commencement.
3. Revocations.
4. Interpretation.
5. Non-application of certain Prohibitions and Restrictions.
6. Directions of Garda Síochána.
RULES FOR TRAFFIC
7. General Obligation Regarding Speed.
8. Yielding Right of Way.
9. Drive on Left.
10. Overtaking.
11. Turning at Junctions.
12. Reversing.
13. Driving on Footway.
14. Cycle Tracks.
15. Roundabouts.
16. Median Strip.
17. Weight Restriction on Vehicles Entering a Road.
18. Signals by Drivers.
19. Signals by Garda Síochána.
20. Stop Sign and Line.
21. Yield Sign and Line.
22. Mandatory Signs at Junctions.
23. Prohibitory Traffic Signs.
24. Other Mandatory Signs.
25. Centre of Roadway Lines.
26. Merging and Diverging Markings.
27. Traffic Lane Markings.
28. No Entry.
29. Box Junctions.
30. Traffic Lights.
31. Level Crossings.
32. Bus Lanes.
33. Rules for Traffic on Motorways.
34. Height Restrictions.
35. Ban on U-Turns.
RULES FOR PARKING
36. Prohibitions on Parking.
37. Restrictions on Parking.
38. Restrictions on Parking Heavy Goods Vehicles.
39. Parking in Bus Lanes.
40. Clearways.
41. Prohibition on Parking at School Entrances.
42. Parking in Loading Bays.
43. Disabled Persons' Permits.
44. Disabled Persons Parking Bays.
PEDESTRIANS, CYCLISTS AND ANIMAL TRAFFIC
45. Pedestrianised Streets.
46. Rules for Pedestrians.
47. Pedal Cyclists.
48. Overtaking of Animals.
49. Drovers.
50. Horses on Roadway.
51. Hours of Darkness.
FIRST SCHEDULE
Part I
General Bye-Laws/Regulations Revoked
Part II
Bye-Laws Revoked
SECOND SCHEDULE
SIGNALS
THIRD SCHEDULE
BODIES WHICH MAY GRANT DISABLED PERSONS' PERMITS
S.I. No. 182 of 1997.
ROAD TRAFFIC (TRAFFIC AND PARKING) REGULATIONS, 1997.
The Minister for the Environment, in exercise of the powers conferred on him by sections 3 and 35 of the Road Traffic Act, 1994 (No. 7 of 1994) hereby makes the following Regulations:—
	1 Short Title	1. These Regulations may be cited as the Road Traffic (Traffic and Parking) Regulations, 1997.
	2 Commencement	2. These Regulations shall come into operation on 1st day of October, 1997.
	3 Revocations	3. (1) The Regulations listed in Part I of the First Schedule are hereby revoked.
(2) ( a ) The Bye-Laws listed in Part II of the First Schedule are hereby revoked save for Part V and Part VII of each such Bye-Laws.
( b ) The Dublin Area Traffic and Parking Bye-Laws ( S.I. No. 182 of 1986 ) are hereby revoked save for Part V, Part VII and Part VIII.
	4 Interpretation	4. (1) In these Regulations:—
"the Act of 1961" means the Road Traffic Act, 1961 (No. 24 of 1961);
"the Act of 1968" means the Road Traffic Act, 1968 (No. 25 of 1968);
"the Act of 1993" means the Roads Act, 1993 (No. 14 of 1993);
"the Act of 1994" means the Road Traffic Act, 1994 (No. 7 of 1994);
"access" means entry or exit by vehicles to or from premises adjacent to or accessible only from a road and includes stopping a vehicle on a roadway solely for the purpose of loading or unloading goods on to or from such vehicle from or to such premises;
"animal" does not include a cat or a dog;
"appointed stand" has the meaning assigned to it by section 84 (as amended by section 6 of the Act of 1968) of the Act of 1961;
"authorised person" has the meaning assigned to it by section 103(8) (inserted by the Act of 1968) of the Act of 1961;
"bus lane" and "contra flow bus lane" have the meanings assigned to them in article 32;
"bus-only street" means a street or portion of a street at each entrance to which is provided traffic sign number RUS 021 accompanied by an information plate to indicate that vehicles, other than omnibuses and vehicles entering for access only, are prohibited from entering that street;
"carriageway" means that part of a roadway on which traffic proceeds in a single direction;
"casual trading" and "casual trading area" have the meanings assigned to them by the Casual Trading Act, 1995 (No. 19 of 1995);
"clearway" has the meaning assigned to it in article 40;
"cycle track" means part of a road, including part of a footway or part of a roadway, which is reserved for the use of pedal cycles and from which all mechanically propelled vehicles, other than mechanically propelled wheelchairs, are prohibited from entering except for the purpose of access;
"disabled persons parking bay" means a space intended for the parking of a mechanically propelled vehicle in which is displayed a disabled persons parking permit;
"direction of traffic flow" means—
( a ) the direction in which a vehicle proceeds forwards along a carriageway so that the median strip is at all times on the right hand side of the vehicle, or
( b ) where no median strip is provided, the direction in which a vehicle proceeds along a carriageway so that having entered the carriageway without contravening either article 22 or article 23, it proceeds in the same direction along the carriageway;
"footway" has the meaning assigned to it by section 2(1) of the Act of 1993;
"goods vehicle" means a vehicle used exclusively for carrying goods and taxed for commercial purposes;
"grass margin" means that portion of a public road situated on either side of a footway and which is provided for the growing of grass, trees or shrubbery of any kind;
"holiday" means Good Friday or any day that is a public holiday for the purposes of the Holidays (Employees) Act, 1973 (No. 25 of 1973);
"left hand side" and "right hand side" shall be determined by facing in the direction of traffic flow;
"lighting up hours" means the period commencing one half hour after sunset on any day and ending one half hour before sunrise on the next day;
"loading bay" has the meaning assigned to it in article 42;
"local authority" means the council of a county, the council of a county borough, the council of a borough, the council of an urban district or the commissioners of a town;
"median strip" means a boundary between the two carriageways of a road other than a traffic sign to which article 10 of the Regulations of 1997 refers;
"motorway" has the meaning assigned to it in section 2(1) of the Act of 1993;
"parking bay" means the area contained between lines of the type referred to in article 17 of the Regulations of 1997.
"public road" has the meaning assigned to it by section 2 (1) of the Act of 1993;
"the Regulations of 1997" means the Road Traffic (Signs) Regulations, 1997;
"road" has the meaning assigned to it by section 2 (1) of the Act of 1993;
"road inset" means a part of a roadway specially inset in a footway or road' verge;
"road junction" means the section of a roadway contained within the projection of roadway boundaries at the intersection of roadways;
"road verge" means that part of a public road which is not a footway, a grass margin, a median strip or a roadway;
"roadway" has the meaning assigned to it by section 2(1) of the Act of 1993;
"roadworks" has the meaning assigned to it in section 101 (d) of the Act of 1961;
"traffic" does not include pedestrians;
"traffic sign" has the meaning assigned to it by section 95(1) of the Act of 1961, as amended by section 37 of the Act of 1994;
"traffic warden" has the meaning assigned to it by section 2 (3) of the Local Authorities (Traffic Wardens) Act 1975 (No. 14 of 1975);
"taxi" and "wheelchair accessible taxi" have the meanings assigned to them in the Road Traffic (Public Service Vehicles) (Amendment) Regulations 1995 ( S.I. No. 136 of 1995 ).
(2) A reference in these Regulations to the loading of goods shall be taken to include the supplying of fuel for the operation of the vehicle.
(3) (i) Notwithstanding paragraph (ii), a reference in these Regulations to a traffic sign means a reference to a traffic sign prescribed in the Regulations of 1997 and any number referred to in association with a traffic sign shall be the number allocated to such sign in such Regulations.
(ii) Descriptions given to traffic signs in the Regulations of 1997 may be referred to in these Regulations for the purpose of identification.
(4) A reference in these Regulations to an information plate accompanying a traffic sign shall, unless otherwise specified, be to a plate which shall indicate the period during which the restriction or prohibition indicated by such traffic sign applies.
(5) A reference to a vehicle in these Regulations shall, unless otherwise specified, mean a mechanically propelled vehicle (other than a mechanically propelled wheelchair) and a pedal cycle.
(6) For the purpose of these Regulations, a pedestrian shall include a person in charge of a vehicle which is not mechanically propelled.
(7) ( a ) In these Regulations, any reference to an article or Schedule, which is not otherwise identified, is a reference to an article of, or Schedule to, these Regulations.
( b ) In these Regulations, any reference to a sub-article, paragraph, or sub-paragraph, which is not otherwise identified, is a reference to the sub-article, paragraph, or sub-paragraph of the provision in which the reference occurs.
	5 Non-application of certain Prohibitions and Restrictions	5. (1) These Regulations shall apply save where compliance is not possible as a result of an obstruction to traffic or pedestrians or because of an emergency situation confronting a road user which could not reasonably have been expected or anticipated.
(2) Save where otherwise expressly provided in these Regulations, a prohibition on the entry of a vehicle to a road or an area or the prohibition on the stopping or parking of a vehicle imposed by these Regulations shall not apply to—
( a ) a vehicle used in connection with the removal of an obstruction...