Department for Transport

“ As the meaning of the road marking is specified in Schedule 19, it is not appropriate for it to be provided at bus stops used by non—local buses, except where the marking was laid before the 2002 Regulations came into force and the bus stop clearway is supported by an order. In this case the upright sign without the word "local" may continue to be used. It is not appropriate to make a new order for a bus stop clearway with conditions different from those set out in Schedule 19. Where non—local buses need to use a bus stop this should be signed only with the bus stop flag sign to diagram 970. ”

“ Although there is no specific requirement to provide the sign, it is helpful to both pedestrians and drivers, particularly where the pedestrian zone has a carriageway and separate footways, as it indicates that normal traffic conditions resume. Where it is clear that a fully paved road has come to an end, and there are very few exceptions to the prohibition of vehicles, it might not be necessary to provide an end sign. Where a sign is provided, the roundel shown in the upper panel will be a grey—coloured version of that shown on the entry sign. ”

“ The larger overall size of the assembly can sometimes obstruct sight lines. A backing board can deprive non-rectangular signs of a primary recognition aid: their distinctive silhouette. Yellow backing boards can be especially environmentally intrusive, and their over-use could eventually devalue their attention-attracting benefits. A less garish way of increasing a sign’s conspicuity is simply to provide a standard sign of larger size. Not only will this be more noticeable than a smaller sign, but it will also improve legibility and hence reading distance, which a yellow backing board cannot. ”

“ With—flow bus lanes on the left hand side of the carriageway are always available to both buses and pedal cycles; it is not considered safe to force cyclists to use the general traffic lane where they would be confined between two streams of motor traffic. There might, however, be situations where a with—flow lane leads directly to a bus—only facility that is not available to pedal cycles (e.g. a bus—only gate or the entrance to a bus station) . In these circumstances, where the bus lane excludes cyclists, traffic signs will need the Department's authorisation. ”

“ In this case, that part of the carriageway reserved for buses should be separated from the opposing flow of traffic by a traffic island and not by a continuous line marking to diagram 1049 (see figure 15-13) . Bus gates are often used to remove through traffic from a road but allow full access. They effectively create a "no through road" for all traffic other than buses. The bus gate may be located either at a junction or part way along a road, and may be used by pedal cycles and taxis where permitted by the order. ”

“ Advisory contra—flow lanes should normally be considered only where either the 85th percentile speed of traffic is less than 25 mph, or vehicle flows are less than 1000 vehicles per day. The order required for the one-way street should permit cyclists to travel in the opposite direction without formally designating a lane for use by cycles only. The advisory lane is marked on the carriageway in a similar manner to an advisory with-flow lane, i.e. the boundary is indicated by a hazard warning line to diagram 1004. ”

“ When the one-way road forms a junction with the side of another road, the signs should be sited in line with the backline of the major road, although they may be placed a short distance into the one-way road if this enables advantage to be taken of a convenient mounting point such as a lamp column. It may be desirable to orientate the sign to suit the direction of approaching traffic. ”

“ However, there might be certain situations where it is required to prohibit waiting on the verge or footway, but not on the main carriageway. This is most likely on rural roads subject to an order that prohibits stopping on the main carriageway (i.e. a 24-hour rural clearway; see paras 9.3 to 9.8) . It might be desirable to prevent waiting on a verge because the ground is soft or newly seeded, or perhaps for road safety or security reasons, such as near an airfield. In this case, the sign to diagram 637.1 is used, with no road markings. ”

“ A backing board must not itself be provided with a border, nor give the impression of being an additional border. Where it seems that a sign is not being noticed by drivers, it should be checked to ensure that it is well-sited, not obscured by vegetation or other obstructions, and is of the appropriate size and in good condition. Only then should the use of a yellow backing board be considered.
1.32 A yellow backing board may be reflectorised to increase its conspicuity at night, although this is not usually necessary for regulatory signs. ”

“ Disabled badge holders are permitted to park for up to three hours where there is a waiting, but not a loading prohibition. Where a length of road is not suitable for parking by disabled badge holders, a prohibition of loading should be considered. However, if a loading provision is necessary, a loading bay should be provided as this cannot be used by disabled badge holders (see paras 7.27 to 7.29) . A prohibition of loading still permits drivers to pick up and set down passengers. ”

“ ONE-WAY ROADS
4.35 The "one-way traffic" sign to diagram 652 may be used only to indicate the effect of a traffic regulation order which requires vehicles to proceed in one direction only. It should not be used to sign traffic along one carriageway of a dual carriageway road. However, where a rural dual carriageway comprises two one-way roads (i.e. where there is non-highway land between the two carriageways) each carriageway should be subject to a one-way traffic order and signs to diagram 652 provided accordingly. ”

“ Outside the times of operation there are no restrictions on parking unless there are signs and markings to indicate otherwise. Where no class of vehicle is shown, the parking place may be used by any vehicle. The limited waiting period is omitted where there is unlimited parking for a particular class of vehicle and times of operation are shown. Where the parking place operates at all times and there is no limit on waiting, a sign to diagram 801 (with or without a supplementary plate) or 969 should be used as appropriate (see para 7.5) . ”

“ General access should be permitted only at times when it is deemed essential. Where access is required at all times, the road should be signed in accordance with section 5 and not as a pedestrian zone. It should be noted that "Except for access" is not a permitted variant of either diagram 618.2 or 618.3. A disadvantage of using a variable message sign is that it does not inform drivers when the period during which access is permitted comes to an end. 11.10 Only one size of zone entry sign is prescribed, although the overall height will vary according to the time periods and exceptions shown. ”

“ PRIORITY SIGNS
4.29 The sign to diagram 615 indicates that drivers must give priority to vehicles from the opposite direction on a narrow length of road. It should be used only when vehicles at each end of the priority section are clearly visible to each other and speeds are not high. The sign must not be displayed to traffic approaching from both directions. It must never be used upside down in an attempt to imply reversed priority. The sign must always be accompanied by the supplementary plate to diagram 615.1 (Give way to oncoming vehicles) at the start of the priority section. ”

“ This is likely to occur where (a) oncoming vehicles need occasionally to encroach into the cycle lane, for example to pass parked vehicles on the opposite side or to pass cyclists travelling in the with-flow direction, (b) occasional loading and unloading needs to be allowed for within the lane, or (c) it is not possible to prohibit waiting in the lane at all times. Each of these situations will limit the benefit of the lane for cyclists, and the traffic authority will need to be satisfied that this form of provision will not unduly compromise their safety. ”

“ In most cases where a road needs to be kept clear for planned works, a temporary prohibition of waiting and loading will be adequate (see paras 6.26 to 6.29) .
9.34 The time period shown may be varied or omitted; the expression "At any time" is not used (see Schedule 16, item 38) . The sign, which is prescribed in one size only, should face oncoming traffic and be placed at regular intervals along the length of road to which the restriction applies. As there is no "End" sign, the signs to diagram 636.2 should be fairly closely spaced so that it is clear where the restriction ends. ”

“ Care should be taken to ensure that signs are used only as prescribed in the Regulations, and in accordance with any relevant directions, and that no non-prescribed sign is used unless it has been formally authorised in writing. Failure to do so may leave an authority open to litigation, or make a traffic regulation order unenforceable. ”

“ Identifiers might be necessary where schemes for different permit holders are in operation in adjacent areas. Each scheme would have its own identifier (e.g. "A" for one scheme and "B" for another) shown on the respective signs. To provide flexibility for residents, permit schemes may overlap so that some roads are common to two or more schemes. The signs on these roads would include the permit identifiers for each scheme as shown in diagram 660.3. Permit identifiers are often used in conjunction with a controlled parking zone (see section 12) . ”

“ The sign should be provided only where cyclists are required to use a pedestrian crossing facility that they cannot legally cycle on, at the entrance to a pedestrian area, at a location with a low headroom or width restriction (e.g. a subway or bridge) or at places where visibility is restricted to such an extent that cycling would be unsafe (see also para 5.8) . ”

“ The weight limit prohibition sign to diagram 626.2A indicates a structural limit and applies to all types of vehicle, including buses. The sign is used to give effect to an order prohibiting a vehicle above the maximum gross weight specified on the sign from driving on a weak bridge. When the legend in the upper panel is varied to read "WEAK ROAD", it is used where an order has been made because the condition of a road is such that its use by heavy vehicles is liable to damage it. ”

“ Pedestrian zones are generally areas such as shopping streets where pedestrians will normally predominate and have full use of the width of the road, either at all times or at certain times of day. The roads may be fully paved for pedestrians or comprise a carriageway with separate footways.
11.2 Where alternative access to premises is available, it might be possible to prohibit all vehicles from a pedestrian zone without any exceptions. ”

“ Figure 14-5 Terminal signs at a road junction where the side road (relevant road) has a lower speed limit than the major road
14.13 Figures 14-4 to 14-7 illustrate the signing requirements imposed by directions 9 (2) to 9 (5) . It should be stressed that these are the minimum requirements that have to be met in order to comply with the Regulations and Directions and with section 85 of the Road Traffic Regulation 1984. There is nothing to prevent traffic authorities from providing additional terminal signs at road junctions, Direction 9 (3) requires only one sign on entering the side road. ”

“ Where the sign faces oncoming traffic and is intended to be read from a moving vehicle, its size needs to be appropriate to the circumstances. Signs need to be larger when the 85th percentile speed is higher, where there is a time plate that drivers need to read, and where there are no bay markings to make the footway parking more conspicuous. ”

“ Subject always to compliance with the Directions, which, except in Northern Ireland, are mandatory (see para 1.4) , it is for traffic authorities to determine what signing is necessary to meet those duties, although failure to follow the Manual's guidance without good reason might well lead to enforcement difficulties. In particular, adjudicators might consider such failure to be evidence that the signing was unclear. Traffic authorities should always remember that the purpose of regulatory signs is to ensure that drivers clearly understand what restrictions or prohibitions are in force. ”

“ Loading bays might not be required where the red route operates during day-time hours only and loading can take place overnight. Provision may be made for on-street parking, particularly for disabled badge holders, where there is no alternative. Time-limited waiting by any vehicle might be required where small retail businesses, for example, could be adversely affected by red route controls. Parking and loading bays should normally be the exception rather than the rule and should be provided only over short lengths of road. ”

“ As drivers need to be made fully aware of the speed limit, the boundary sign has to be of a simple design to avoid being a distraction. A speed limit sign must never be incorporated within a boundary sign. If a speed limit terminal sign, to either diagram 670 or 671, is mounted back to back with the boundary sign, any irregularly shaped backing board facing drivers leaving the town or village must be coloured grey. ”

“ A distance plate is not used as in most cases traffic can turn either left or right into the clearway. However, distance plates should be provided if the road is a slip road leading to a dual carriageway. For traffic turning into the side road and leaving the clearway it will normally be sufficient to provide a single sign to diagram 642 together with an "End" plate on the left hand side of the minor road. ”

“ To avoid driver confusion, it is recommended that wherever possible two or more different schemes (such as long stay and short stay parking) should not be introduced in the same road. However, where it is necessary to provide adjacent bays that belong to two different schemes, two separate signs to diagram 661.2A should be erected side by side on the boundary. Each sign should have its own parking place identifier with an arrow pointing towards the appropriate ticket machine. There should also be separate bay markings for each scheme, set apart by a distance of at least 100 mm. ”