Citation and commencement

1.  These Regulations may be cited as the M60 Motorway (Junctions 8 to 18) and the M62 Motorway (Junctions 18 to 20) (Variable Speed Limits) Regulations 2017 and come into force on 21st August 2017.

Interpretation

2.  In these Regulations-

"the 1982 Regulations" means the Motorways Traffic (England and Wales) Regulations 1982(2);

"the 2016 Regulations and Directions" means the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016(3); and

"carriageway", "hard shoulder", "motorway" and "verge" have the same meaning as in the 1982 Regulations.

Variable speed limits

3.-(1) No person shall drive a vehicle on a section of a road which is subject to a variable speed limit at a speed 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 Schedule 1 to the 2016 Regulations and Directions 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 Part 2 of Schedule 10 to the 2016 Regulations and Directions which is-

"road" includes the adjacent hard shoulder and verge; and

"speed limit sign" in relation to a vehicle, means a traffic sign of the type shown in diagram 670 in Part 2 of Schedule 10 to the 2016 Regulations and Directions which is-

Regulation 3(2)(a)

SCHEDULETHE SPECIFIED ROADS

1.  The specified roads are-

(a)that length of the north and eastbound carriageway of the M60 and the north and eastbound carriageway of the M62 beginning at the southern point and ending at the northern point;

(b)that length of the south and westbound carriageway of the M62 and the south and westbound carriageway of the M60 beginning at the northern point and ending at the southern point;

(c)the carriageways of the on-slips roads and off-slip roads referred to in paragraph 4; and

(d)the relevant linking carriageways referred to in paragraph 5.

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; and

(b)the letter "A" or "B" followed by a number is a reference to the road known by that name.

3.  In this Schedule-

"back of the diverge nose" means the shortest side of the diverge nose;

"circulatory interchange" means, at junction 18 of the M62, the gyratory known as Simister Island and, at junction 20 of the M62, the gyratory known as Thornham Interchange;

"diverge nose" means a paved area approximately triangular in shape between a motorway and a linking carriageway or a slip road and which is marked with road markings of a type shown in diagram 1042 in Part 6 of Schedule 9 to the 2016 Regulations and Directions;

"linking carriageway" means a carriageway (or a specified length of carriageway) linking one motorway to another;

"northern point" means the western edge of the western bridge carrying the circulatory interchange over the carriageway of the M62 at junction 20;

"off-slip road" means a slip road intended for the use of traffic exiting the M60 or M62 as the case may be;

"on-slip road" means a slip road intended for the use of traffic entering the M60 or M62 as the case may be;

"slip road" means a road which connects a motorway with another road other than a motorway; and

"southern point" means the northern edge of the northern bridge carrying the circulatory carriageway of the A6144 over the M60 at junction 8.

4.  The roads to which this paragraph refers are-

(a)at junction 8 of the M60, the on-slip road connecting from the A6144 to the north-westbound carriageway of the M60 and the off-slip road connecting to the A6144 from the south-eastbound carriageway of the M60;

(b)at junction 9 of the M60, the on-slip roads connecting from, and the off-slip roads connecting to, the B5158, A5081 and Barton Road;

(c)at junction 10 of the M60, the on-slip roads connecting from, and the off-slip roads connecting to the B5214;

(d)at junction 11 of the M60, the on-slip roads connecting from, and the off-slip roads connecting to, the A57 and Brookhouse Avenue;

(e)at junction 13 of the M60-

(i)the on-slip road connecting from the A572 and A575 to the north-eastbound carriageway of the M60 and the off-slip road connecting from that carriageway to those roads; and

(ii)the on-slip road connecting from the A572 and B5211 to the southbound carriageway of the M60 and the off-slip road connecting from that carriageway to those roads;

(f)at junction 14 of the M60, the on-slip road connecting from the A580 to the north-eastbound carriageway of the M60;

(g)at junction 15 of the M60, the carriageway of the off-slip road connecting to the westbound carriageway of the A580 from the south-westbound carriageway of the M60 beginning at the diverge and ending at a point 230 metres from the back of the diverge nose in the direction of travel;

(h)at junction 16 of the M60, the on-slip road connecting from the A666 to the north- eastbound carriageway of the M60 and the off-slip road connecting to the A666 from the south-westbound carriageway of the M60;

(i)at junction 17 of the M60, the on-slip roads connecting from, and the off-slip roads connecting to, the A56;

(j)between junctions 18 and 19 of the M62, the on-slip roads connecting from, and the off-slip roads connecting to, the Birch Services motorway service area; and

(k)at junction 19 of the M62, the on slip roads connecting from, and the off-slip roads connecting to, the A6046.

5.  The relevant linking carriageways are-

(a)at junction 12 of the M60-

(i)the carriageway beginning at the diverge from the northbound carriageway of the M60 and ending at a point 40 metres from the back of the diverge nose in the direction of travel;

(ii)the carriageway beginning at the diverge from the southbound carriageway of the M60 and ending at a point 50 metres from the back of the diverge nose in the direction of travel;

(iii)the carriageway from the westbound carriageway of the M602 beginning at the diverge from the linking carriageway to the southbound carriageway of the M60 and ending at the merge with the northbound carriageway of the M60;

(iv)the carriageway from the eastbound carriageway of the M62 beginning at the diverge from the linking carriageway to the southbound carriageway of the M60 and ending at the merge with the northbound carriageway of the M60;

(v)the carriageway from the eastbound carriageway of the M62 beginning at the diverge from the linking carriageway to the northbound carriageway of the M60 and ending at the merge with the southbound carriageway of the M60; and

(vi)the carriageway from the westbound carriageway of the M602 beginning at the diverge from the linking carriageway to the northbound carriageway of the M60 and ending at the merge with the linking carriageway from the eastbound carriageway of the M62 to the southbound carriageway of the M60;

(b)at junction 15 of the M60-

(i)the carriageway beginning at the diverge from the north-eastbound carriageway of the M60 towards the M61 north-westbound and ending at a point 170 metres from the back of the diverge nose in the direction of travel;

(ii)the carriageway beginning at the diverge from the south-westbound carriageway of the M60, towards the M61 north-westbound, and ending at a point 250 metres from the back of the diverge nose in the direction of travel;

(iii)the carriageway from the south-eastbound carriageway of the M61 beginning at the diverge from the linking carriageway to the south-westbound carriageway of the M60 and ending at the merge with the north-eastbound carriageway of the M60; and

(iv)the carriageway from the south-eastbound carriageway of the M61 beginning at the diverge from the linking carriageway to the north-eastbound carriageway of the M60 and ending at the merge with the south-west bound carriageway of the M60;

(c)at junction 18 of the M62-

(i)the carriageway beginning at the diverge from the north-eastbound carriageway of the M60 and ending at a point 140 metres from the back of the diverge nose in the direction of travel;

(ii)the carriageway beginning at the diverge from the south-westbound carriageway of the M62 and ending at a point 100 metres from the back of the diverge nose in the direction of travel;

(iii)the carriageway beginning at the merge of the carriageway from the M66 southbound with the north-eastbound carriageway from the circulatory interchange and ending at the merge with the north-eastbound carriageway of the M62; and

(iv)the carriageway beginning at the merge of the carriageway from the M60 northbound with the south-westbound carriageway from the circulatory interchange and ending at the merge with the south-westbound carriageway of the M60; and

(d)at junction 20 of the M62-

(i)the carriageway beginning at the diverge from the north-eastbound carriageway of the M62 and ending at the carriageway of the circulatory interchange; and

(ii)the carriageway from the carriageway of the circulatory interchange to the merge with the south-westbound carriageway of the M62.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations introduce variable speed limits to-

(a)the north and eastbound and the south and westbound carriageways of the M60 motorway between junctions 8 and 18 and the M62 motorway between junctions 18 and 20;

(b)certain roads for joining and for leaving the motorway at junctions within the ranges mentioned in paragraph (a); and

(c)certain roads which link the M60 motorway or M62 motorway to another motorway.

Regulation 3 provides for variable speed limits to have effect on the roads specified in paragraph 1 of 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 the 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 applied, 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.

An impact assessment has not been prepared for these Regulations as no impact on the cost of business or the voluntary sector is foreseen. An Explanatory Memorandum is published alongside the Regulations at www.legislation.gov.uk.