Citation and commencement

1.  These Regulations may be cited as the M56 Motorway (Junctions 6 to 7) (Variable Speed Limits) Regulations 2022 and come into force on 12th September 2022.

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 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;

(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; and

(d) no speed restriction is in force by virtue of—

(i) an order or notice under section 14( 4) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984; or

(ii) a traffic sign placed by a traffic officer pursuant to section 7 of the Traffic Management Act 2004( 5).

(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)

SCHEDULE THE SPECIFIED ROADS

1.  The specified roads are—

(a) that length of the eastbound carriageway of the M56 beginning at junction 7 at a point 160 metres east of the eastern edge of the bridge carrying Yarwood Heath Lane over the M56 and ending at junction 6 at a point 205 metres south-west of the south-western expansion joint of the bridge carrying the M56 over the A538;

(b) that length of the westbound carriageway of the M56 beginning at junction 6 at a point 120 metres north-east of the north-eastern expansion joint of the bridge carrying the M56 over the A538 and ending at junction 7 at a point 20 metres east of the eastern edge of the bridge carrying the off-slip road from the westbound carriageway over the M56; and

(c) the roads, or lengths of roads, referred to in paragraph 4.

2.  Any reference in this Schedule to—

(a) the letter “A” followed by a number is a reference to the road known by that name; and

(b) a junction followed by a number is a reference to the junction of the M56 of that number.

3.  In this Schedule—

“ expansion joint” means an assembly holding together, and allowing the expansion and contraction of, parts of a bridge;

“ off-slip road” means a road intended for the use of traffic exiting the M56;

“ on-slip road” means a road intended for the use of traffic entering the M56; and

“ the M56” means the motorway known by that name.

4.  The roads to which this paragraph refers are—

(a) at junction 6—

(i) the off-slip road from the eastbound carriageway; and

(ii) that length of the on-slip road to the westbound carriageway beginning at a point 160 metres south-west of its junction with the Hale Four Seasons Roundabout and ending at the merger with the westbound carriageway; and

(b) at junction 7—

(i) that length of the off-slip road from the westbound carriageway beginning at the diverge from the westbound carriageway and ending at a point 183 metres south-east of the southern expansion joint of the bridge carrying the off-slip road over the M56; and

(ii) that length of the on-slip road to the eastbound carriageway beginning at a point 855 metres south-east of the eastern edge of the bridge carrying the link roads to the Bowden Roundabout over the A556 and ending at the merger with the eastbound carriageway.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations introduce variable speed limits to–

(a) the eastbound and westbound carriageways of the M56 motorway between junctions 6 and 7;

(b) the entirety of the eastbound off-slip road at junction 6; and

(c) parts of other slip roads at junctions 6 and 7.

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 significant impact on the cost of business or the voluntary sector is foreseen. An Explanatory Memorandum is published alongside the Regulations atwww.legislation.gov.uk.