THE TRAFFIC SIGN (SPEED-LIMITS) REGULATIONS, 1936.

New Zealand Police Gazette, Volume LXII, Issue 1, 13 January 1937, Page 30

THE TRAFFIC SIGN (SPEED-LIMITS) REGULATIONS, 1936.

Serial Number 87 /1936.

Enacting authority : His Excellency the Governor-General in Council. Act pursuant to which the regulations were made : The Motorvehicles Act, 1924. Date on which the regulations were made : 16th dav of December, 1936. Date of notification in Gazette : 17th day of December, 1936.

REGULATIONS. 1. These regulations may be cited as the Traffic Sign (Speedlimits) Regulations, 1936. 2. These regulations shall come into force on the 21st day of December, 1936. 3. In these regulations, unless inconsistent with the context, “ The said Act ” means the Motor-vehicles Amendment Act, 1936 : , “ Closely populated locality ” means a locality declared to be a closely populated locality for the purposes of section 3 of the said Act: “ Erecting authority ” means in respect of any road or place the local authority as hereinafter defined, and also includes the Minister and the Main Highways Board: “ Local authority ” means in respect of any road or place the -.. local authority in the district of which the road or place is situated : “ Local speed-limit ” means a speed-limit for motor-vehicle traffic duly imposed by a local authority : “ Minister ” means the Minister of Transport: “ Road ” includes road, street, or other place to which the public have access, and includes any portion of a road (as herein defined) that is physically continuous with any other portion of road, whether bearing a separate name or not, if one of such portions is and the other is not subject to any speed-limit or exclusion from a speed-limit to which these regulations relate: “ Traffic sign ” means a sign as described in these regulations.

Traffic signs shall be of the following classes : Class Y : That is to say, signs denoting—{a) The speed-limit of thirty miles an hour referred to in section 3 of the said Act, or (b) A local speed-limit. Class Z : That is to say, signs denoting (а) The exclusion by the Minister of any road in a borough or town district from the speed-limit of thirty miles an hour imposed by section 3 of the said Act, or (b) The end of a road subject to a local speed-limit, or (c) The end of a road subject to the speed-limit of thirty miles an hour referred to in section 3 of the said Act.

5. Signs of Class Y shall be in the form of diagram No. 1 in the Schedule hereto, that is to say, a disc 18 in. in diameter, coloured red, bearing a roundel 12 in. in diameter, coloured white, charged with arabic numerals coloured black 6 in. high with stems 1 in. wide to represent the speed-limit in miles an hour. 6. Signs of Class Z shall be in the form of diagram No. 2 in the Schedule hereto, that is to say, a disc 18 in. in diameter, coloured white, charged with a bend sinister A\ in. wide, coloured black. 7. All supports of traffic signs if used solely as such shall be coloured white.

8. Subject to the provisions of Regulation 12 hereof, a sign of Class Y shall be erected—- #

{a) At every motor-traffic approach to a closely populated locality. (b) At each end of every road affected by any local speed-limit, and also at or near every such road in such a way that the driver of a motor-vehicle turning into such road from any other road that is fit and reasonably suitable for motortraffic in general may have a reasonable opportunity of being aware of the existence of such speed-limit. (c) At each end of any road excluded by the Minister from the speed-limit of thirty miles an hour imposed by section 3 of the said Act and so as to face persons leaving such road : Provided that if one end of such road is at the boundary of a borough, town district, or closely populated locality, then the sign shall not be erected at such end. 9. A sign of Class Y may in the discretion of the local authority be erected—

(a) At any other part of a road at the ends of which a sign of Class Y is by the last preceding regulation required to be erected.

(b) In borough and town districts and closely populated localities on any part of a road affected by the speed-limit fixed by section 3 of the said Act. 10. Subject to the provisions of Regulation 12 hereof, a sign of Class Z shall be erected (a) At each end of any road excluded by the Minister from the speed-limit of thirty miles an hour imposed by section 3 of the said Act, and so as to face persons approaching such road.

(b) At each end of a road subject to a local speed-limit and so as to face persons leaving such road. 11. A sign of Class Z may in the discretion of the local authority be erected at the end of a road in a borough, town district, or closely populated locality subject to the speed-limit imposed by section 3 of the said Act if the substantially direct continuation of such road is not subject to a speed-limit and if the sign is erected so as to face persons leaving such road. 12. Where by Regulation 8 or Regulation 10 hereof a sign is required to be erected in a specified place, it shall be deemed a sufficient compliance with such requirement if the sign is erected at some other place approved by the Commissioner of Transport within or adjoining the district of the local authority. 13. It shall be sufficient compliance with the requirements of these regulations if the local authority continues to maintain in lieu of any sign of Class Y or Class Z hereinbefore required a sign of Class D as described in Regulation 16 of the Motor-vehicle Regulations, 1933, which was erected and maintained at the date of coming into force of these regulations, and any such last-mentioned sign shall be seemed to be the sign described by these regulations. 14. Every sign the erection of which is required by these regulations shall be erected by the local authority : Provided that it shall be sufficient compliance with this regulation if a sign is erected by an erecting authority on behalf of the local authority. 15. The local authority liable for the erection of a traffic sign and every local authority that has erected a traffic sign that remains in position at the coming into force of these regulations shall at all times while such sign remains in position maintain the same in good repair, undefaced, and undamaged, and with the colours thereof and the characters thereon in bright, clear, and legible condition. 16. Every erecting authority erecting a traffic sign shall erect the same at such a site, at such a height above the level of the road, and generally in such a position and manner that, subject to any provisions herein to the contrary, it shall (a) Not be a source of danger to pedestrian or other traffic : ( b ) Where practicable, be clearly and readily visible for at least 200 ft. before reaching it to the driver of a motor-vehicle approaching it: (c) Where practicable, be illuminated by the headlights of approaching motor-vehicles : (d) Where practicable, appear on the left-hand side of the road to a person approaching the locality to which it is intended to refer : Provided, however, that a sign of Class Z may be placed on the reverse of a sign of Class Y notwithstanding that it may thereby appear on the right-hand side : ( e ) Give persons approaching it sufficient time for its warning or information to have the full value,

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17. In every district or part of a district where a system of streetlighting is in existence the local authority shall cause a street-lamp or other lamp to be placed in such a position as to illuminate adequately the face of every traffic sign duly erected, and shall cause such lamp to be kept alight during the time in which street-lamps in the locality are for the time being usually kept alight. 18. No local authority shall erect or maintain, or cause or permit to be erected or maintained, or to be on any road or in any place visible from a road, any traffic sign in or similar to either of the forms hereinbefore described which is not used solely for denoting the respective matters set out in Regulation 4 hereof.

19. No person shall, except in the capacity of an employee of the erecting authority, erect or maintain, or cause or permit to be erected or maintained, or to be on any road or in any place visible from a road, any traffic sign unless authorized thereto in writing by the erecting authority.

20. In the case of a sign of Class Y erected under due authority by an automobile association, the association may have its monogram placed on the lower portion of the sign, on the red ground, in wffiite lettering or symbols which are containable entirely within a circle of not more than 2 in. diameter.

21. No person shall erect or maintain, or cause or permit to be erected or maintained, or to be on any road or in any place visible from a road, any sign, device, or object liable to be mistaken for a traffic sign.

22. No person shall cause or permit his name, or the name of any business carried on by him, or the name of any wares dealt with by him, to be displayed on a sign which is so erected or maintained that its erection or maintenance constitutes a breach of any provision of these regulations :

Provided that it shall be a defence to any person charged with an offence against this clause if such person proves that the sign was erected and maintained without his knowledge, or that before the date of the offence he gave notice in writing to the occupier of the land on which the sign is erected reqxuring such occupier forthwith to remove the sign.

23. No person shall remove, mutilate, obscure, or in any manner damage or interfere with any traffic sign.

24. It shall be a defence to any person charged with driving a motor-vehicle at a speed in excess of a speed-limit if such person proves that at the time and place of the alleged offence the required traffic signs were not duly erected and maintained. 25. Every person who —

(a) Fails to comply with any condition, duty, or obligation imposed by these regulations ; or ( b ) Offends against or fails to comply with any of these regulations—shall be deemed to have committed an offence and shall be liable to a fine of £SO.