Statutory Instruments
1996 No. 1483

HIGHWAYS, ENGLAND AND WALES
The Highways (Road Humps) Regulations 1996

Made
6th June 1996

Laid before Parliament
17th June 1996

Coming into force
9th July 1996

The Secretary of State for Transport, as respects England, and the Secretary of State for Wales, as respects Wales, make these Regulations in exercise of powers conferred by sections 9OC(1) and 90D(1) and (2) of the Highways Act 1980(1) and all other powers enabling them in that behalf, after consultation with representative organisations in accordance with sections 9OC(6) and 90D(3) of that Act—

Citation and commencement

1.  These Regulations may be cited as the Highways (Road Humps) Regulations 1996 and shall come into force on 9th July 1996.

Interpretation

2.—(1) In these Regulations—

“the Act” means the Highways Act 1980;

“traffic sign” has the same meaning as in section 64 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984(2);

“the Traffic Signs Regulations” means the Traffic Signs Regulations 1994(3)

(2) A reference in these Regulations to a traffic sign is a reference to that sign, if used in Wales, with the prefer W as prescribed by the Traffic Signs (Welsh and English Language Provisions) Regulations 1985(4).

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

Consultation about road hump proposals

3.  Where the Secretary of State or a local highway authority proposes to construct a road hump, he or they shall, as well as consulting the chief officer of police as required by section 9OC(1) of the Act, also consult—

(a)where the proposal is by a local highway authority in England which is the council of a County, any district council in whose district the highway is situated;

(b)in all cases, the chief officer of the fire brigade for the area in which the highway concerned is situated and the chief officer of any body providing ambulance services under the National Health Service Act 1977(5) and operating in that area;

(c)in all cases, organisations appearing to him or them to represent persons who use the highway to which the proposal relates, or to represent persons who are otherwise likely to be affected by the road hump.

Nature, dimensions and location of road humps

4.—(1) Subject to regulation 7, no road hump shall be constructed or maintained in a highway unless—

(a)each face of it across the carriageway of the highway in which it is constructed is at right angles to an imaginary line along the centre of that carriageway;

(b)it has a minimum length of 900 millimetres measured parallel to an imaginary line along the centre of that carriageway from the point where one face meets the surface of that carriageway to the point where the other face meets the surface of that carriageway;

(c)the highest point on it is not less than 25 millimetres nor more than 100 millimetres higher than an imaginary line parallel to the centre line of that carriageway connecting the surface of that carriageway on one side of the road hump to the surface of that carriageway on the other side of the road hump and passing vertically below that point; and

(d)it has no vertical face of any material forming part of that road hump exceeding 6 millimetres measured vertically from top to bottom of that face.

(2) A road hump may be constructed and maintained in a highway so that an imaginary line along the centre of the hump from one side of the road to the other is in the same position as an imaginary line from one side of the road to the other along the centre of the pattern of black and white stripes specified in paragraph 4(1) of Part I of Schedule 2 to the “Zebra” Pedestrian Crossings Regulations 1971(6).

(3) Save as mentioned in paragraph (2) above, no road hump shall be within the limits of a zebra controlled area as defined in regulation 3(1) of the regulations mentioned in that paragraph or within 30 metres from the imaginary line along the centre of the pattern of stripes mentioned in that paragraph.

(4) A road hump may be constructed and maintained in a highway so that an imaginary line along the centre of the hump from one side of the road to the other is in the same position as an imaginary line along the centre of the limits of the crossing from one side of the road to the other as shown in a diagram in Schedule 2 to the “Pelican” Pedestrian Crossings Regulations 1987(7).

(5) Save as mentioned in paragraph (4) above, no road hump shall be within the limits of a “pelican” crossing as defined in regulation 3(1) of the regulations mentioned in that paragraph or within 30 metres of any part of any such crossing.

(6) No road hump shall be constructed or maintained in a highway:

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

(b)within 2 metres of any rail providing support and guidance for vehicles carried on flanged wheels and running in a carriageway of that highway otherwise than at a railway level crossing;

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

(d)above or within 25 metres of any part of a bridge over which a carriageway of that highway passes or any part of a tunnel, culvert or other similar structure which crosses beneath a carriageway of that highway.

Lighting of road humps

5.  Subject to regulation 7 no road hump shall be constructed in any highway unless in that highway there is lighting for that road hump which is–

(a)a system of street lighting furnished by at least three lamps lit by electricity and placed so that not more than 38 metres separate any of the lamps from the next one to it, or

(b)a system of street lighting complying with the British Standard for Road Lighting published by the British Standards Institution under number BS 5489 or with a standard or code of practice of a national standards body or equivalent body of any member state of the European Community, or

(c)lighting specially provided for the road hump.

Placing of traffic signs

6.  Subject to regulation 7, where a road hump is constructed in a highway the highway authority for that highway shall cause to be placed and thereafter cause to be maintained appropriate traffic signs as prescribed in the Traffic Signs Regulations in such positions (if such positions are not prescribed in the Traffic Signs Regulations) as the authority may consider requisite for the purpose of providing adequate warning of the presence of a road hump or a series of road humps to persons using the highway.

7.  Where a road hump is placed in a highway which is subject to a speed limit of 20 miles per hour or less, the provisions of regulations 4(1)(a), 4(6)(c) and(d), 5 and 6 shall not apply.

Revocation

8.  The Highways (Road Humps) Regulations 1990(8) and the Highways (Road Humps) (Amendment) Regulations 1990(9) are hereby revoked.

Saving

9.  A road hump constructed in compliance with The Highways (Road Humps) Regulations 1990 shall be treated as having been constructed in compliance with these regulations.

Signed by authority of the Secretary of State for Transport and the Secretary of State for Wales

Steven Norris
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State,
Department of Transport
4th June 1996

William Hague
Secretary of State for Wales
6th June 1996

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Order)
These regulations revoke the Highways (Road Humps) Regulations 1990 and replace them with new provisions.
The principal changes are:
(a)A road hump may now be constructed in any highway which is subject to a speed limit of 30 miles per hour or less. Formerly no hump could be constructed in a trunk road, special road or principal road.
(b)Humps of any height between 25 millimetres and 100 millimetres are permitted. Formerly the minimum height was 50 millimetres
(c)The shape of a hump is no longer prescribed, but it must have a minimum length of 900 millimetres. The 1990 Regulations prescribed cross sections and hump dimensions by means of diagrams.
(d)The positioning of humps is no longer restricted, except in respect of zebra and pelican crossings, railway level crossings, tramways and structures 6.5 metres or less above the carriageway, in which cases the former restrictions have been retained.
(e)The required lighting of the road hump may now conform to BS5489 published by the British Standards Institution of 389 Chiswick High Road, London, W4 4AL, as an alternative to the two previous requirements of lamps separated by no more than 38 metres or specially provided lighting, both of which continue to apply.
(f)Particular traffic signs are no longer prescribed. The highway authority is now required to place appropriate traffic signs in such positions as they consider suitable, subject to the requirements of the Traffic Signs Regulations.


(1)
1980 c. 66; sections 90A to F were added by the Transport Act 1981 (c. 56), section 32 and Schedule 10.

(2)
1984 c. 27.

(3)
S.I. 1994/1519.

(4)
S.I. 1985/713 Part I.

(5)
1977 c. 49.

(6)
S.I. 1971/524.

(7)
S.I. 1987/16.

(8)
S.I. 1990/703.

(9)
S.I. 1990/1500.