The Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 1994

Significance of light signals

33.—(1) The significance of the light signals prescribed in paragraphs (2) and (3) of regulation 30 and in regulation 32 shall be as follows—

(a) except as provided in sub-paragraphs (b), (f) and (g) the red signal shall convey the prohibition that vehicular traffic other than tramcars shall not proceed beyond the stop line;

(b) when a vehicle is being used for fire brigade, ambulance or police purposes and the observance of the prohibition conveyed by the red signal in accordance with sub-paragraph (a) would be likely to hinder the use of that vehicle for the purpose for which it is being used, then sub-paragraph (a) shall not apply to the vehicle, and the red signal shall convey the prohibition that that vehicle shall not proceed beyond the stop line in a manner or at a time likely to endanger any person or to cause the driver of any vehicle proceeding in accordance with the indications of light signals operating in association with the signals displaying the red signal to change its speed or course in order to avoid an accident;

(c) except as provided in sub-paragraph (f), the red-with-amber signal shall denote an impending change to green or a green arrow in the indication given by the signals but shall convey the same prohibition as the red signal;

(d) the green signal shall indicate that vehicular traffic other than tramcars may proceed beyond the stop line and proceed straight on or to the left or to the right;

(e) the amber signal shall, when shown alone, convey the same prohibition as the red signal, except that, as respects any vehicle other than a tramcar which is so close to the stop line that it cannot safely be stopped without proceeding beyond the stop line, it shall convey the same indication as the green signal or green arrow signal which was shown immediately before it;

(f) save as provided in sub-paragraph (g), the green arrow signal shall indicate that vehicular traffic other than tramcars may, notwithstanding any other indication given by the signals, proceed beyond the stop line only in the direction indicated by the arrow for the purpose of procceding in that direction through the junction controlled by those signals; and

(g) where more than one green arrow is affixed to light signals in accordance with regulation 31(1)(b), vehicular traffic other than tramcars may, notwithstanding any other indication given by the signals, proceed beyond the stop line only in the direction indicated by any one of the green arrows for the purpose of procceding in that direction through the junction controlled by those signals.

(2) Vehicular traffic proceeding beyond a stop line in accordance with paragraph (1) shall proceed with due regard to the safety of other road users and subject to any direction given by a constable in uniform or a traffic warden or to any other applicable prohibition or restriction.

(3) The significance of the light signals prescribed in regulation 30(5) shall be as follows—

(a) when placed beside the carriageway of a road, they shall convey the prohibition that vehicular traffic (other than vehicles being used in the circumstances described in paragraph (1)(b)) shall not proceed beyond the signals; and

(b) when displayed on a gantry over the carriageway, they shall convey the prohibition that vehicular traffic (other than vehicles being used in the circumstances described in paragraph (1)(b)) proceeding in the traffic lane immediately below the signals shall not proceed beyond them in that lane,

and for the purposes of this paragraph light signals which are mounted on a post situated beside the carriageway but which are projected over it or part of it shall be treated as light signals placed beside the carriageway of that road.

(4) The significance of the light signals prescribed in regulation 30(7) shall be as follows—

(a) the amber signal shall convey the prohibition that traffic shall not proceed beyond the stop line on the carriageway, except for a vehicle which is so close to the stop line that it cannot safely be stopped without proceeding beyond the stop line; and

(b) the intermittent red signals shall convey the prohibition that traffic shall not proceed beyond the stop line.

(5) The significance of the light signals prescribed in regulation 30(9) shall be as follows—

(a) the aspect shown in diagram 3013.1 shall convey the prohibition that a tramcar shall not proceed beyond the stop line;

(b) the aspect shown in diagram 3013.2 shall indicate that a tramcar may proceed beyond the stop line and proceed straight ahead;

(c) the aspect shown in diagram 3013.3 shall indicate that a tramcar may proceed beyond the stop line and proceed to the left;

(d) the aspect shown in diagram 3013.4 shall indicate that a tramcar may proceed beyond the stop line and proceed to the right; and

(e) the aspect shown in diagram 3013.5 shall convey the prohibition that a tramcar shall not proceed beyond the stop line except that, as respects a tramcar which is so close to the stop line that it cannot safely be stopped without proceeding beyond the stop line, it shall convey the same indication as the aspect which was shown immediately before it.

(6) In this regulation—

(a) “primary signals” means light signals erected on or near the carriageway of a road and sited near either one or both ends of the stop line, or if there is no stop line, sited at either or both edges of the carriageway or part of the carriageway which is in use by traffic approaching and controlled by the signals;

(b) “secondary signals” means light signals erected on or near the carriageway facing traffic approaching from the direction of the primary signals but sited beyond those signals as viewed from the direction of travel of such traffic;

(c) “stop line” in relation to light signals means the road marking shown in diagram 1001 placed on a carriageway in conjunction with those light signals being either primary signals alone, or secondary signals alone or both primary and secondary signals and, where no stop line is provided or the stop line is not visible, references in the preceding paragraphs of this regulation to the stop line are—

(i) in a case where the sign shown in diagram 7011 is placed in conjunction with the light signals, to be treated as references to that sign; and

(ii) in any other case, to be treated as references to the post or other structure on which the primary signals are mounted; and

(d) any reference to light signals, to the signals or to a signal of a particular colour is, where secondary signals have been placed, a reference to the light signals displayed by both the primary and secondary signals or, as the case may be, by the primary signals operating without the secondary signals or by the secondary signals operating without the primary signals.