The Road Humps (Scotland) Regulations 1989

Citation and commencement

1.  These Regulations shall be cited as the Road Humps (Scotland) Regulations 1989 and shall come into force on 1st August 1989.

Interpretation

2.—(1) In these Regulations—

“the Act” means the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984;

“hours of darkness” means the time between half-an-hour after sunset and half-an-hour before sunrise;

“traffic sign” has the same meaning as in section 64 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984(1);

“the Traffic Signs Regulations” means the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 1981(2).

(2) For the purposes of these Regulations road humps in a road shall be deemed to form part of a series where they are two or more in number and spaced so that not less than 20 metres nor more than 150 metres lies between one hump and the one next to it.

(3) For the purposes of these Regulations measurements to or from any point to or from a road hump shall be taken to or from that edge of the hump, as shown in the Schedule, which is nearest to the point and for the purposes of regulations 4 and 6 and of this paragraph—

(a) measurements to or from a horizontal bend shall be taken to or from that part of the bend which is nearest to the hump;

(b) measurements to or from a road junction shall be taken to or from the point nearest the hump on an imaginary line drawn across the mouth of the junction; and

(c) a horizontal bend begins where a vehicle would start the change of direction specified in regulation 4(2)(b)(i) and ends where a vehicle would finish that change of direction.

(4) A reference in these Regulations to a numbered regulation is a reference to the regulation bearing that number in these Regulations and a reference to the Schedule is a reference to the Schedule to these Regulations.

Consultation about road hump proposals

3.  Where a roads authority propose to construct a road hump, they shall, as well as consulting the chief officer of police as required by section 37(1) of the Act, also consult—

(a) the district council in whose district the road is situated;

(b) the local fire authority in whose area the road is situated;

(c) the Common Services Agency Scottish Health Service in respect of their provision of an ambulance service in terms of section 45 of the National Health Service (Scotland) Act 1978(3) and the National Health Service (Functions of the Common Services Agency) (Scotland) Order 1974(4); and

(d) one or more organisations representing persons who use the road to which the proposals relate, or representing persons who are otherwise likely to be affected by the road hump, unless it appears to the roads authority that there are no such organisations.

Circumstances in which road humps may be constructed and maintained

4.—(1) A road hump shall not be constructed in—

(a) any road which has more than one carriageway, or

(b) any special road whether or not it has more than one carriageway.

(2) A road hump shall only be constructed in a road where—

(a) to afford illumination throughout the hours of darkness there is a system of street lighting furnished by at least three lamps lit by electricity and placed not more than 38 metres apart or external lighting specifically provided for the hump or a street lamp within 5 metres of the hump; and

(b) on each road affording access for vehicular traffic to the road hump or, in the case of a series of road humps, the first in the series to be met by such traffic, there is a feature of one or more of the following descriptions:—

(i) save as provided in regulation 5(1) and (2) a horizontal bend or a junction between one road and another at which vehicular traffic would change its direction by not less than 70 degrees within an inner kerb radius of not more than 25 metres,

(ii) a traffic sign facing away from the road hump conveying to vehicular traffic the prohibition specified in diagram 616, 617 or 619 in Part II of Schedule 1 to the Traffic Signs Regulations,

(iii) the end of the carriageway at the closed end of a cul-de-sac, (iv) a traffic sign conveying to vehicular traffic the prohibition specified in diagram 1002.1 in Schedule 2 to those Regulations, any such feature being in the case of (i), (ii) or (iii) within 40 metres and in the case of (iv) within 60 metres of the hump.

Relaxations to regulation 4

5.—(1) Notwithstanding the provisions of regulation 4(2)(b)(i), where in a length of road there are—

(a) two side road junctions not more than 25 metres apart, or

(b) three side road junctions none of which is more than 25 metres from the next one, a road hump may be constructed beyond each end of that length of road if each hump is constructed within 15 metres from the side road junction nearest to it.

(2) Notwithstanding the provisions of regulation 4(2)(b)(i), (ii) and (iii), where in a length of road starting with a feature of a kind specified in regulation 4(2)(b)(i), (ii) or (iii)—

(a) there is a side road junction situated not more than 25 metres from that feature, or

(b) there are two side road junctions not more than 25 metres apart and one or both of which are not more than 25 metres from that feature, a road hump may be constructed beyond the end of that length of road furthest from that feature if the hump is constructed within 15 metres from the junction or from the junction furthest from the feature (as the case may be).

(3) For the purposes of this regulation a side road junction includes a crossroad junction.

Nature, dimensions, location and spacing of road humps

6.—(1) A road hump constructed or maintained in a road shall be so constructed and maintained that—

(a) save as provided in paragraph (3) below, it extends across the whole width of the carriageway on which it is placed and its cross-section conforms to the pattern, the length measurement and either of the height measurements as shown in the Schedule, a measurement being deemed to conform if it is, in the case of a vertical measurement, no more than 15 per cent or 12 millimetres greater or no more than 20 per cent or 12 millimetres less, and, in the case of a horizontal measurement, no more than 5 per cent, greater or less, than the corresponding meas urement so shown;

(b) no part of it is within 8 metres of a road junction giving access to vehicular traffic to that road or a horizontal bend with an inner kerb radius of less than 50 metres at which a vehicle would change its direction by more than 45 degrees;

(c) it is at right angles to an imaginary line along the centre of the carriageway of the road in which it is constructed;

(d) it is not within 500 metres of another road hump in that road unless it forms part of a series with that other road hump; and

(e) where it is constructed or maintained in a carriageway with a gradient of more than 10 per cent, it is not within 20 metres of the top of that part of the carriageway which has that gradient and the distance between road humps on the gradient is not greater than 70 metres.

(2) A road hump may be constructed and maintained so that its centre line, at right angles to the edge of the road, is in the same position as the centre line of the pattern of black and white stripes specified in paragraph 4(1) of Schedule 2 of the “Zebra” Pedestrian Crossings Regulations 1971(5).

(3) Save as mentioned in paragraph (2) above, a road hump shall not be constructed or maintained in a road within the limits of a zebra controlled area as defined in regulation 3(1) of the said Regulations of 1971 or within 30 metres from the centre line, at right angles to the edge of the road, of the said pattern of stripes.

(4) A road hump may not be constructed or maintained within the limit of a “pelican” crossing as defined in regulation 3(2) of the “Pelican” Pedestrian Crossings Regulations and General Directions 1987(6) or within 30 metres of any part of any such crossing.

(5) A road hump shall not be constructed or maintained in a road—

(a) on a railway level crossing or within 20 metres of the nearest rail forming part of the railway track at any such crossing;

(b) within 20 metres of any part of any traffic sign of a kind shown in diagram 845, 846, 847, 848, 849, 850, 851 or 852 in Part IV of Schedule 1 to the Traffic Signs Regulations or within 10 metres of a traffic sign of a kind shown in diagram 1025, 1025.1, 1025.2 or 1025.3 in Schedule 2 to those Regulations;

(c) under or within 25 metres of a structure over a carriageway of the road any part of which is 6.5 metres or less above the surface of the carriagway;

(d) where it would form part of a series of more than 20 humps; or

(e) above or within 25 metres of any part of a bridge, tunnel, culvert or other similar structure over or through which that road passes.

Placing of traffic signs

7.  Where a road hump or series of road humps is constructed in a road the roads authority for that road shall forthwith cause to be placed and thereafter cause to be maintained—

(a) traffic signs of a kind shown in diagram 557.1, in combination with traffic signs of a kind shown in diagram 557.2, 557.3 or 557.4 in Part I of Schedule 1 to the Traffic Signs Regulations in such positions as the authority may consider requisite for the purpose of securing that adequate warning of the presence of a road hump or a series of road humps is given to persons using the road; and

(b) except in a case specified in sub-paragraph (c) below, on the road hump or, in the case of a series of road humps, on each hump in the series, the traffic sign shown in diagram 1060 in Schedule 2 to those Regulations; and

(c) in a case where a road hump is placed within the area of a pedestrian crossing which complies with the requirements prescribed in the “Zebra” Pedestrian Crossings Regulations 1971, a traffic sign of the kind shown in diagram 544 in Part I of Schedule 1 to the Traffic Signs Regulations to face traffic approaching that crossing together with a traffic sign of the kind shown in diagram 547.5 in that Part.

James Douglas-Hamilton

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Scottish Office

St. Andrew’s House,

Edinburgh

27th June 1989