The Road Traffic (Northern Ireland) Order 1995

General interpretation N.I.

2—(1) The Interpretation Act (Northern Ireland) 1954F1 shall apply to Article 1 and the following provisions of this Order as it applies to a Measure of the Northern Ireland Assembly.

(2) In this Order—

• “carriage of goods” includes the haulage of goods;

• “carriageway” means a way constituted or comprised in a road being a way over which the public have a right of way for the passage of vehicles;

• “constable” does not include a member of the Naval, Military or Royal Air Force Police;

• “cycle” means a bicycle, a tricycle, or a cycle having 4 or more wheels, not being in any case a motor vehicle;

• “the Department” means the Department of the Environment;

• “driver”, where a separate person acts as a steersman of a motor vehicle, includes that person as well as any other person engaged in the driving of the vehicle;

• “enactment” includes any order, regulation, rule, bye-law or other instrument made under a statutory provision;

• “footpath” means a way over which the public have a right of way on foot only, not being a footway or a part of a road;

• “footway” means a way comprised in a road which also comprises a carriageway, being a way over which the public have a right of way on foot only;

• “goods” includes goods or burden of any description;

• “goods vehicle” means a motor vehicle constructed or adapted for use for the carriage of goods, or a trailer so constructed or adapted;

• “international road haulage permit” means a licence, permit, authorisation or other document issued in pursuance of a Community instrument relating to the carriage of goods by road between member States or an international agreement to which the United Kingdom is a party and which relates to the international carriage of goods by road;

• [F2 “the Offenders Order” means the Road Traffic Offenders (Northern Ireland) Order 1996]

• “the Order of 1981” means the Road Traffic (Northern Ireland) Order 1981F3 ;

• [F4 “the Order of 2007” means the Road Traffic (Northern Ireland) Order 2007;]

• “owner”, in relation to a vehicle which is the subject of a hiring or hire-purchase agreement, means the person in possession of the vehicle under that agreement;

• “prescribed” means prescribed by regulations;

• “public path” and “public right of way” have the same meaning as in the Access to the Countryside (Northern Ireland) Order 1983F5 ;

• “public road” includes any part of a public road and any bridge or tunnel over or through which a public road passes;

• “road” includes a public road and any street, carriageway, highway or roadway to which the public has access;

• “the Road Traffic Orders” means this Order[F6 the Order of 1981 F7 . . . the Road Traffic Regulation (Northern Ireland) Order 1997]F8 [F9 . . . the Order of 2007][F10 and the Taxis Act (Northern Ireland) 2008];

• “statutory provision” has the meaning assigned to it by section 1(f) of the Interpretation Act (Northern Ireland) 1954F11 ;

• [F12 “taxi” has the same meaning as in the Taxis Act (Northern Ireland) 2008;]

• “traffic” includes the passage of animals on a road;

• “traffic sign”[F6 has the meaning assigned to it by Article 28 of the Road Traffic Regulation (Northern Ireland) Order 1997]

• “trolley vehicle” means a mechanically propelled vehicle adapted for use without rails under power transmitted to the vehicle from some external source (whether or not there is in addition a source of power on board the vehicle).

(3) References in this Order to a class of vehicles are to be interpreted as references to a class defined or described by reference to any characteristics of the vehicles or to any other circumstances whatsoever, and accordingly as authorising the use of “category” to indicate a class of vehicles, however defined or described.

F1 1954 c.33 (NI)

F2 1996 NI 10

F3 1981 NI 1

F4 Art. 2(2): definition of "the Order of 2007" inserted (27.6.2007) by Road Traffic (Northern Ireland) Order 2007 (S.I. 2007/916 (N.I. 10)), arts. 1(3), 86(1), Sch. 7 para. 9(a); S.R. 2007/302, art. 2, Sch.

F5 1983 NI 18

F6 1997 NI 2

F7 Word in art. 2(2) in definition of "the Road Traffic Orders" omitted (27.6.2007) by virtue of Road Traffic (Northern Ireland) Order 2007 (S.I. 2007/916 (N.I. 10)), arts. 1(3), 86(1), Sch. 7 para. 9(b)(i); S.R. 2007/302, art. 2, Sch.

F8 Word in art. 2(2) in definition of "the Road Traffic Orders" omitted (23.11.2009) by virtue of Taxis Act (Northern Ireland) 2008 (c. 4), ss. 58(1), 59, Sch. 2 para. 6(a)(i); S.R. 2009/352, art. 2, Sch.

F9 Words in art. 2(2) in definition of "the Road Traffic Orders" inserted (27.6.2007) by Road Traffic (Northern Ireland) Order 2007 (S.I. 2007/916 (N.I. 10)), arts. 1(3), 86(1), Sch. 7 para. 9(b)(ii); S.R. 2007/302, art. 2, Sch.

F10 Words in art. 2(2) in definition of "the Road Traffic Orders" added (23.11.2009) by Taxis Act (Northern Ireland) 2008 (c. 4), ss. 58(1), 59, Sch. 2 para. 6(a)(ii); S.R. 2009/352, art. 2, Sch.

F11 1954 c.33 (NI)

F12 Words in art. 2(2) inserted (31.5.2016) by Taxis Act (Northern Ireland) 2008 (c. 4), s. 59, Sch. 2 para. 6(b); S.R. 2015/389, art. 2(3), Sch. Pt. 3