Road Traffic Act 1960

51 Traffic signs

(1) In this Act " traffic sign " means any object or device (whether fixed or portable) for conveying, to traffic on roads or any specified description of traffic, warnings, information, requirements, restrictions or prohibitions of any description specified by regulations made by the Minister and the Secretary of State acting jointly or authorised by the appropriate Minister, and any line or mark on a road for so conveying such warnings, information, requirements, restrictions or prohibitions.

(2) Traffic signs shall be of the size, colour and type prescribed by regulations made as aforesaid except where the appropriate Minister authorises the erection or retention of a sign of another character; and for the purposes of this subsection illumination, whether by lighting or by the use of reflectors or reflecting material, or the absence of such illumination, shall be part of the type or character of a sign.

(3) Regulations under this section may be made so as to apply either generally or in such circumstances only as may be specified in the regulations.

(4) Except as provided by this Part of this Act, no traffic sign shall be placed on or near a road except—

(a) a notice in respect of the use of a bridge;

(b) a traffic sign placed, in pursuance of powers conferred by a special Act of Parliament or order having the force of an Act, by the owners or workers of a tramway, light railway, or trolley vehicle undertaking, a dock undertaking or a harbour undertaking;

(c) a traffic sign placed on any land by a person authorised under the following provisions of this Part of this Act to place the sign on a highway, being a sign placed on that land for a purpose for which that person is authorised to place it on a highway.

(5) Regulations under this section, or any authorisation under subsection (2) thereof, may provide that section fourteen of this Act shall apply to signs of a type specified in that behalf by the regulations, or as the case may be to the sign to which the authorisation relates.

(6) References in any enactment (including any enactment contained in this Act) to the erection or placing of traffic signs shall include references to the display thereof in any manner, whether or not involving fixing or placing.