2013 No. 3167
Road Traffic
Special Roads
The M25 Motorway (Junctions 16 to 23) (Variable Speed Limits) Regulations 2013
Made 11th December 2013
Laid before Parliament 16th December 2013
Coming into force 20th January 2014

The Secretary of State for Transport makes the following Regulations in exercise of the powers conferred by section 17(2) and (3) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984.
1984. c.27. Section 17(2) was amended by the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 (c.22), Schedule 8, Part 2, Paragraph 28(3); section 17(2)(b) was amended by the Road Traffic Act 1991 (c.40), Schedule 8; section 17(2)(d) was inserted by the Road Traffic Act 1991 (c.40), Schedule 4, paragraph 25. There are other amendments to section 17 and 134 which are not relevant to these Regulations.
Representative organisations have been consulted in accordance with section 134(2) of that Act.

1 Citation and commencement
These Regulations may be cited as the M25 Motorway (Junctions 16 to 23) (Variable Speed Limits) Regulations 2013 and come into force on 20th January 2014.

2 Interpretation
In these Regulations—
“the 1982 Regulations” means the Motorways Traffic (England and Wales) Regulations 1982;
“the 2002 Regulations” means the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2002; and
“carriageway”, “hard shoulder”, “motorway” and “verge” have the same meaning as in the 1982 Regulations.
S.I. 1982/1163, as amended by S.I. 1983/374, 1984/1479, 1992/1364 and 2004/3258.
S.I. 2002/3113, as amended by S.I. 2005/1670. There are other amending instruments but none are relevant.

3 Variable speed limits
1 No person shall drive a vehicle on a section of road which is subject to a variable speed limit exceeding that indicated by a speed limit sign.
2 A section of a road is subject to a variable speed limit in relation to a vehicle being driven along it if—
(a) the road is specified in the Schedule;
(b) the vehicle has passed a speed limit sign; and
(c) the vehicle has not subsequently passed—
(i) another speed limit sign indicating a different speed limit; or
(ii) a traffic sign which indicates that the national speed limit is in force.
3 In relation to a vehicle, the speed limit indicated by a speed limit sign is the speed shown at the time the vehicle passes the sign, or, if higher, the speed limit shown by the sign ten seconds before the vehicle passed the sign.
4 For the purposes of this regulation a speed limit sign is to be taken as not indicating any speed limit if, ten seconds before the vehicle passed it, the sign had indicated no speed limit or that the national speed limit was in force.
5 In this regulation—
“national speed limit” has the meaning given by regulation 5(2) of the 2002 Regulations and a traffic sign which indicates that the national speed limit is in force means a traffic sign of the type shown in diagram 671 in Schedule 2 to the 2002 Regulations which is—
(a) placed on or near a road; and
(b) directed at traffic on the carriageway on which the vehicle is being driven;
“road” includes the adjacent hard shoulder and verge;
“speed limit sign”, in relation to a vehicle, means a traffic sign of the type shown in diagram 670 in Schedule 2 to the 2002 Regulations which is—
(a) situated on or near any part of a road specified in the Schedule; and
(b) directed at traffic on the carriageway on which the vehicle is being driven.
Signed by authority of the Secretary of State for Transport
Robert Goodwill Parliamentary Under Secretary of State Department for Transport 11th December 2013

SCHEDULE THE SPECIFIED ROADS
Regulation 3(2)(a)
1 The specified roads are—
(a) that length of the clockwise carriageway of the M25 beginning in the vicinity of junction 16 at marker post 102/8 and ending at the start of the northern parapet railing of the western bridge over the circulatory carriageway of the A1 at junction 23;
(b) that length of the anti-clockwise carriageway of the M25 beginning at the start of the southern parapet railing of the eastern bridge over the circulatory carriageway of the A1 at junction 23 and ending in the vicinity of junction 16 at marker post 102/8;
(c) the carriageways of the clockwise slip roads;
(d) the carriageways of the anti-clockwise slip roads;
(e) the linking carriageways; and
(f) the carriageways of the spur road.
2 Any reference in this Schedule to—
(a) the letter “M” followed by a number is a reference to the motorway known by that name;
(b) the letter “A” followed by a number is a reference to the road known by that name; and
(c) a junction followed by a number is (unless the context otherwise requires) a reference to the junction of the M25 of that number.
3 In this Schedule—
“on-slip road” means a slip road intended for use of traffic entering the M25;
“off-slip road” means a slip road intended for use of traffic exiting the M25;
“spur road” is a reference to lengths of carriageway forming a spur of the M25; and
“linking carriageway” is a reference to a carriageway (or specified length of the carriageway) linking a part of the M25 to another motorway.
4 The clockwise slip roads are—
(a) the on-slip roads which connect—
(i) the A412 with the clockwise carriageway of the M25 at junction 17;
(ii) the A404 with the clockwise carriageway of the M25 at junction 18;
(iii) the A41 with the clockwise carriageway of the M25 at junction 20;
(iv) the A405 with the clockwise carriageway of the M25 at junction 21A; and
(v) the A1081 with the clockwise carriageway of the M25 at junction 22.
(b) the off-slip roads which connect the clockwise carriageway of the M25 at—
(i) junction 17 with the A412;
(ii) junction 18 with the A404;
(iii) junction 20 with the A41;
(iv) junction 21A with the A405;
(v) junction 22 with the A1081; and
(vi) junction 23 with the A1.
5 The anti-clockwise slip roads are—
(a) the on-slip roads which connect—
(i) the A412 with the anti-clockwise carriageway of the M25 at junction 17;
(ii) the A404 with the anti-clockwise carriageway of the M25 at junction 18;
(iii) the A41 with the anti-clockwise carriageway of the M25 at junction 20;
(iv) the A405 with the anti-clockwise carriageway of the M25 at junction 21A;
(v) the B556 with the anti-clockwise carriageway of the M25 at junction 22; and
(vi) the A1 with the anti-clockwise carriageway of the M25 at junction 23.
(b) the off-slip roads which connect the anti-clockwise carriageway of the M25 at—
(i) junction 17 with the A412;
(ii) junction 18 with the A404;
(iii) junction 20 with the A41;
(iv) junction 21A with the A405; and
(v) junction 22 with the A1081.
6 The linking carriageways are—
(a) at junction 16, the carriageway beginning at the merge of the separate linking carriageways from the M40 eastbound and M40 westbound and ending at the merge with the M25 clockwise; and
(b) at junction 16, the carriageway beginning at the diverge from the M25 anti-clockwise and ending at the merge with the M40 eastbound.
7 The spur road carriageways are—
(a) at junction 19, the carriageway beginning at the diverge from the M25 clockwise and ending at the western edge of the bridge carrying Langleybury Lane over the M25 spur road; and
(b) at junction 19, the carriageway beginning at the eastern edge of the bridge carrying Langleybury Lane over the M25 spur road and ending at the merge with the M25 anti-clockwise.

EXPLANATORY NOTE
(This note is not part of the Regulations)
These Regulations introduce variable speed limits to the M25 Motorway from junctions 16 to 23 and on associated slip roads, linking carriageways and spur roads.
Regulation 3 provides for variable speed limits to have effect on the roads specified in the Schedule. Where variable speed limit signs are in operation a vehicle may not be driven at a speed above the maximum indicated by each speed limit sign passed by a vehicle, until it passes a sign indicating that the national speed limit applies or the vehicle leaves the roads covered by the regulation. Where a speed limit changes less than ten seconds before a vehicle passes the sign and the sign had indicated a higher speed limit, the regulation allows a driver to proceed at a speed up to the maximum applicable before the change. Where the speed limit sign indicates a speed limit when it is passed by a vehicle but less than ten seconds previously it was either giving no indication of a speed limit or that the national speed limit applies, the sign is to be taken as giving no indication of a speed limit to the vehicle passing it.
Contravention of these regulations is an offence under section 17(4) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984.