Traffic Signs Regulations, 1956

• Jurisdiction: Ireland
• Year: 1956
• Citation: IR SI 284/1956

S.I. No. 284 of 1956.
TRAFFIC SIGNS REGULATIONS, 1956.
The Minister for Local Government, in exercise of the powers vested in him by section 69 of the Local Government Act, 1946 (No. 24 of 1946), as amended by section 36 of the Local Government Act, 1955 (No. 9 of 1955), hereby makes the following Regulations :—
	1 Citation	1. These Regulations may be cited as the Traffic Signs Regulations, 1956.
	2 Definitions.	2.—(1) In these Regulations, save where the context requires otherwise, the following expressions shall have the meanings hereby assigned to them :—
" the Minister " means the Minister for Local Government ;
" bus-stop " means a stopping place for omnibuses appointed as such under a road regulation, and " bus-stop sign " means a sign to indicate such a stopping place ;
" dual carriageway " means a road the roadway of which is divided centrally so as to provide two separate roadways for traffic, each being a one-way roadway ;
" left " shall be construed with reference to the direction in which traffic is facing ;
" parking " means keeping or leaving a mechanically propelled vehicle (whether in charge or not in charge of any person) stationary ;
" pedestrian crossing " means a portion of the roadway specially marked for use by pedestrians crossing the road ;
" road " means a public road and includes any section of a public road ;
" roadway " means that portion of any road which is provided primarily for the use of vehicles ;
" one-way roadway " means a roadway the traffic on which is for the time being required by a road regulation to proceed in one direction only ;
" roadway markings " means markings placed on the surface of the roadway ;
" roundabout " means a road junction so constructed that traffic which enters it must proceed slowly in a circular direction ;
" passenger road service " has the same meaning as in the Road Transport Act, 1932 (No. 2 of 1932) as amended by the Road Transport Act, 1933 (No. 8 of 1933) ;
" route letter and number " means the route letter and number assigned to the route comprising such road by the Minister in any classification of roads made by him under subsection (2) of section 17 of the Ministry of Transport Act, 1919 ;
" special speed limit " means a speed limit prescribed under section 48 of the Road Traffic Act, 1933 (No. 11 of 1933) ;
" staggered road junction " means a sequence of two road junctions in close proximity, the second junction occurring on the opposite side to the first ;
" standing for street service vehicles " means a place (appointed as such under a road regulation) at which street service vehicles may stand for hire ;
" traffic " includes vehicles and animals of every description but does not include pedestrians, and where " traffic " is referred to as having rights or obligations the word shall connote the persons driving, riding or managing or controlling the vehicles or animals concerned ;
" traffic refuge " means a refuge for pedestrians on a roadway provided by a raised pavement, guard posts or similar means ;
" vehicle," " mechanically propelled vehicle," " street service vehicle," " taximeter area " and " omnibus " have the meanings assigned to them by the Road Traffic Act, 1933 (No. 11 of 1933) ;
" upright sign " means a traffic sign (other than a lamp, roadway or wall marking, or instrument for giving signals by mechanical means) erected on or beside a road, or suspended over a road ;
" informative sign " means an upright sign which gives information in regard to a road, including the places to which the road leads and the distances to or from such places ;
" warning sign " means an upright sign which warns persons of danger in relation to a road, or advises the precautions to be taken against such danger, or both ;
" regulatory sign " means an upright sign which indicates the existence of a road regulation in relation to a road, or implements such a regulation, or both ;
" design " when used in relation to an upright sign means the layout of the sign and includes the relative size and position of any symbols, figures, letters or other markings shown thereon.
(2) For the purposes of Parts IV and V of these Regulations—
(a) " white " includes stainless steel and polished aluminium ;
(b) " black " includes the colour of the surface of the roadway where that colour offers a reasonable contrast to white ;
(c) a continuous line, or a segment of a broken line, may be effected by placing studs side by side or end to end.
PART I. INFORMATIVE SIGNS.
	3 Informative Signs.	3.—(1) An informative sign shall show the information given in black letters, figures and markings on a white background surrounded by a black border.
(2) Place-names shall be shown in Roman letters in Irish and in English and where the spelling of a place-name is the same in both languages one inscription only need be shown on the sign.
(3) The shapes, dimensions and designs of informative signs, and the significance to be attached thereto, shall be as set out in Parts I, IV and VII of the Schedule hereto.
PART II. WARNING SIGNS.
	4 Warning Signs.	4.—(1) A warning sign shall consist of a yellow diamond (being a square with one diagonal vertical, the corners being rounded), on which shall be shown in black a symbol to indicate the nature of the hazard to be met, the yellow diamond being surrounded by a black border.
(2) The following shall be as set out in Parts II, V and VII of the Schedule hereto :—
(a) the dimensions and designs of warning signs ;
(b) the symbols to be used thereon ;
(c) the significance to be attached thereto.
PART III. REGULATORY SIGNS.
	5 Major Road Ahead Sign.	5.—(1) The regulatory sign to indicate that a road ahead is a major road, the traffic on which has the right of way over traffic approaching from the road on which the sign is provided, shall consist of a red inverted equilateral triangle with rounded corners, the space inside the triangle being either hollow or coloured white.
(2) The dimensions and design of the sign to which this article applies shall be as set out in section A of Part III and in Part VII of the Schedule hereto.
	6 Stop Sign.	6.—(1) The regulatory sign to indicate—
(a) that a road ahead is a major road, the traffic on which has the right of way over traffic approaching from the road on which the sign is provided, and
(b) that traffic so approaching the road ahead must halt before entering it,
shall consist of a red octagon with a white border and showing the word " Stop " in white letters.
(2) The dimensions and design of the sign to which this article applies shall be as set out in section B of Part III and in Part VII of the Schedule hereto.
	7 End of Speed Limit Sign.	7.—(1) The regulatory sign to indicate the end of a stretch of road to which a special speed limit applies shall consist of a white circular disc crossed obliquely by a black bar.
(2) The dimensions and design of the sign to which this article applies shall be as set out in section C of Part III and in Part VII of the Schedule hereto.
	8 Other Regulatory Signs.	8.—(1) A regulatory sign (other than a major road ahead sign, a stop sign and an end of speed limit sign) shall consist of a white circular disc with a red border, appropriate symbols, figures or letters being shown in black on the disc, an oblique red bar being added whenever a prohibition is indicated.
(2) The following shall be as set out in section D of Part III and in Parts VI and VII of the Schedule hereto :—
(a) the dimensions and designs of signs to which this article applies ;
(b) the symbols, figures and letters to be used on such signs ;
(c) the significance to be attached to such signs.
PART IV. PEDESTRIAN CROSSINGS.
	9 Pedestrian Crossing Signs.	9.—(1) The traffic signs to indicate a pedestrian crossing shall consist of—
(a) roadway markings in accordance with sub-article (2) of this article to indicate the portion of roadway available for use as a pedestrian crossing, and
(b) a device (in this article referred to as a " beacon ") to indicate the location of the pedestrian crossing, consisting of a spherical globe which shall—
(i) be coloured yellow,
(ii) show a yellow light at night-time,
(iii) be approximately one foot in diameter, and
(iv) be mounted not less than seven feet and not more than fourteen feet above the surface of the ground in the immediate vicinity.
(2) The roadway markings to indicate a pedestrian crossing shall be as follows :—
(a) where there is a traffic refuge at the pedestrian crossing, there shall be a separate set of markings on each side of the traffic refuge, each set consisting of two parallel continuous white lines which shall—
(i) each be approximately six inches wide,
(ii) extend across the roadway from its edge to the nearer limit of the traffic refuge, and
(iii) be not less than six feet and not more than twenty feet apart ;
(b) where traffic is controlled by traffic lights and there is no traffic refuge at the pedestrian crossing, there shall be two continuous parallel white lines which shall—
(i) each be approximately six inches wide,
(ii) extend across the full width of the roadway, and
(iii) be not less than six feet and not more than twenty feet apart ;
(c) where traffic is not controlled by traffic lights and there is no traffic refuge at the pedestrian crossing, there shall be alternate black and white stripes as follows :—
(i) each stripe shall be, as nearly as is practicable, two feet wide ;
(ii) the stripes shall be placed across the full width of the roadway ;
(iii) the stripes shall be parallel with the line of the road ;
(iv) the stripes shall be, as nearly as is practicable, equal in length and the length shall be not less than six feet and not more than twenty feet.
(3) A beacon need not be provided at a pedestrian crossing where traffic is...