1INTRODUCTION
GENERAL
1.1 The Traffic Signs Manual is intended to give advice to traffic authorities and their agents on the correct use of signs and road markings. Mandatory requirements are set out in the current version of the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions; nothing in the manual can override these. The advice is given to assist authorities in the discharge of their duties under section 122 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, but it is for traffic authorities to determine what signing they consider necessary to meet those duties.
1.2 The Traffic Signs Manual is applicable in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. References to “the Secretary of State“ should therefore be interpreted as referring to the Secretary of State for Transport, the Department for Regional Development (Northern Ireland), the Scottish Government or the Welsh Government as appropriate.
1.3 Any reference to a "Chapter" is a reference to a Chapter of the Traffic Signs Manual, and any reference to a "section", unless otherwise stated, is a reference to a section in this chapter of the Manual. Where more detailed background information might be helpful, reference is made to Standards and Advice Notes in the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges, available from TSO or www.dft.gov.uk/ha/standards/dmrb.
1.4 Any reference to "the Regulations" or "the Directions" is a reference to the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2002 applicable to England, Scotland and Wales. Reference to a diagram number or to a Schedule is a reference to a diagram or schedule in those Regulations. In Northern Ireland the relevant legislation is the Traffic Signs Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997. Diagram and regulation numbering occasionally differs in the Northern Ireland Regulations; this is noted in the text where appropriate. Not all signs referred to in the text are included in the latter Regulations. References to directions are not applicable in Northern Ireland; where these are mentioned, advice should be sought from the Department for Regional Development's Roads Service Headquarters.
1.5 All traffic signs (including road markings) placed on a highway or road to which the public has access must be either prescribed by Regulations or authorised by the Secretary of State for Transport, the Department for Regional Development (Northern Ireland), the Scottish Government or the Welsh Government as appropriate. Care should be taken to ensure that no non-prescribed sign is used unless it has been authorised in writing. Failure to do so may leave an authority open to litigation. Except in the case of certain signs to indicate temporary obstructions or placed by the police in an emergency, signs may be placed only by or with the permission of the traffic authority.
USE OF WARNING SIGNS
1.6 Warning signs are used to alert drivers to potential danger ahead. They indicate a need for special caution by road users and may require a reduction in speed or some other manoeuvre.
1.7 Appropriate warning signs can greatly assist road safety. To be most effective, however, they should be used sparingly. Their frequent use to warn of conditions which are readily apparent tends to bring them into disrepute and detracts from their effectiveness. Unjustified signing should not be used at individual locations simply in response to complaints from the public. Care should be taken to ensure that a route is treated consistently, especially where it crosses the boundary between two traffic authorities.
1.8 Precise dimensions for all diagrams are indicated in the "P" series of working drawings available at www.gov.uk/working-drawings-for-traffic-signs. These also illustrate the permitted variants of symbols and show the correct layout of supplementary plates not illustrated in the Regulations. The "S" series of working drawings provides details of the more complex symbols and pictograms.
1.9 Certain warning signs may be incorporated into directional signs; for further details see Chapter 7.
1.10 Detailed guidance on the use of warning signs at road works is given in Chapter 8.
1.11 To prevent the proliferation of obsolete signs, and unnecessary visual intrusion, direction 37 limits to a maximum of three months the period for which the signs to diagram 790 “NEW LEVEL CROSSING CONTROL AHEAD” and diagram 7014 “NEW ROUNDABOUT AHEAD”, and their variants, may be displayed. See also para 1.43 and section 7.
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